DEVELOPMENT OF MACHINING WITH ABRASIVE-WATERJETS

FLOW INDUSTRIES, INC. HAS DEVELOPED A POWERFUL NEW CUTTING TOOL USING HIGHLY PRESSURIZED WATERJETS IN COMBINATIONS WITH ABRASIVE MATERIAL. THE ABRASIVE-WATERJET CUTS ALL METALS AND NON-METALS WITH NO HEAT, VIBRATION OR SHEAR STRESS EFFECTS, LEAVING AN EXCEPTIONAL SURFACE FINISH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING ABRASIVE-WATERJET TECHNOLOGY AS A MACHINING TOOL. THIS IS A MICROMACHINING PROCESS THAT COULD BE SUITABLE FOR THE MACHINING OF METALS BUT IS ESPECIALLY APPROPRIATE FOR CERAMICS, METAL MATRIXED COMPOSITES, OTHER HARD-TO-MACHINE MATERIALS AND FOR MACHINING COMPLEX SHAPES. IN PHASE I, THE PROPOSAL IS TO IDENTIFY THE MACHINING PARAMETERS, ABRASIVE-WATERJET TOOL CONFIGURATION AND VERIFY THE MACHINING PROCESS ON A LATHE. PHASE I ALSO INCLUDES A PRELIMINARY DEMONSTRATION OF A 3-DIMENSIONAL MILLING CAPABILITY OF ABRASIVE-WATERJETS. THE STUDY WILL PROVIDE RESULTS ON MACHINING ABRASIVE-WATERJET TOOL CONFIGURATIONS, RATES OF MATERIAL REMOVED AND QUALITY OF MACHINED SURFACES. SEVERAL TYPES OF MATERIALS WILL BE MACHINED WITH ABRASIVE-WATERJETS AND THE RESULTS WILL BE COMPARED WITH MACHINING BY CONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES. SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT COULD PROVIDE A NEW TOOL TO ALMOST ALL MACHINING APPLICATIONS.