Water jet cutters are a prime cutting method for various materials for commercial applications. Additionally, these machines have applications in all kinds of industries due to their sheer versatility and high quality cuts.

Since water jet cutter machines are so effective, there are a lot of experts as well that can enhance your commercial cutting process. This complete guide will give you an in-depth look into one of its most essential components – the pompa do cięcia strumieniem wody.

The pump is at the heart of water jets. The component produces high-pressure water, allowing you to cut through stone, metal, food and even composites. So, let’s get started.

Fundamentals of a Water Jet Cutter 

Water Jets use high-pressure water to cut materials – a simple natural erosion process. The only difference is they speed up this process by many folds. A pump feeds an extremely fine stream of high-pressure water through the cutting nozzle to cut all sorts of materials. 

You secure the cutting material on the table and program what kind of cut you want. Some water jets use pure water to cut. It is fine for softer materials. However, an abrasive material is mixed with high-pressure water for harder materials like steel or granite to increase cutting efficiency.

How Important is the Pump in a Water Jet Cutter?

Without the pump, you do not have any high-pressure water. Therefore, your machine will not operate. Since the pump controls the water pressure, it also directly affects other aspects of your cutter.

For example, the water pressure dictates what material you can cut, what thickness of material you can cut, and the final quality of your cuts.

This is why it is essential to understand how it works and what to look for when buying a pompa do cięcia strumieniem wody. One common mistake many new buyers make is cheapening out on the pump. 

A high-quality pump is a substantial investment. However, in the hope of saving some cash upfront, you might spend much more later. Cheap pumps will reduce your cut quality, material compatibility and even reliability.

And when the pump breaks down, you will need to fork up the cash for a new one all over again. Therefore, you should always invest initially for a high-quality water jet pump.

It is a fascinating achievement of modern engineering. Typical water jets can pressurize the water anywhere between 60,000 to 90,000 PSI. That is quite a high amount of pressure. For context, 60,000 PSI is equivalent to the weight of 30,000 cars!

How a Water Jet Cutter Pump Works?

The pump of a water jet cutter is one of the most important components. And you could argue the pump’s high-pressure water stream is why it is possible to cut tough materials like granite and steel.

How the pump works, in principle, is pretty simple from the surface. Let’s look at how it works fundamentally. The pump has some kind of hydraulic fluid that increases the water pressure.

Initially, the water is unpressurized. Then a piston starts to force water into the intensifier chamber. Another piston is used to pressurize the hydraulic fluid, most commonly oil. This pressure is transferred to the water, pressurizing it to extreme levels.

Common Water Jet Cutter Pump Types and Their Characteristics

Two major types of water jet cutter pumps are Hydraulic Intensifier and Direct Drive pumps. Hydraulic Intensifier pumps were the first type of pump used in water jets. Which also makes them the most common type as well.

The direct drive pump was invented about 20 years after the initial release of the Intensifier pump. Both of these pumps do the same thing but do it differently.

1. Hydraulic Intensifier Pumps

These types of pumps are the most common type of pump and are also the simplest type of pump as well. Most water jet cutter manufacturers offer Intensifier pumps as a standard.

Hydraulic Intensifier pumps use the intensifying property to pressurize water. It is a simple yet very effective principle and has many applications. A hydraulic cylinder with plungers is attached to both ends of a piston.

Inside the cylinder, a plunger moves thanks to a powerful motor. The plunger then pushes water through a valve. One side pushes the water out of the check valve while the other draws water into the cylinder.

This process is repeated over and over again. Then the water collects in an attenuator which stores energy. The attenuator is an important component of the pump. You can think of it as a special container that smoothest the pressure. Moreover, the attenuator also reduces pump wear and tear.

Advantages of Hydraulic Intensifier Pump

There are many advantages to hydraulic intensifier pumps. Firstly, since it is the most common type of pump, they are easy to find. Here are some additional advantages:

• Capable of producing high pressures of up to 90,000
• Very durable thanks to their ingenious and innovative working principle
• One of the more budget-friendly and cost-effective pump types to operate
• Increases water jet cut quality due to the controlled pressure it generates

Disadvantages of Hydraulic Intensifier Pump

Although intensifier pumps are pretty durable and widely used, they might not be the best choice in some cases. There are some inherent disadvantages to them too:

• Low-quality hydraulic fluid can harm components
• There are a lot of moving parts in an Intensifier pump. As a result, they are difficult to maintain
• Fluid leakage is also another concern
• Hydraulic Intensifier pumps also consume quite a lot of power

2. Direct Drive Pump

Direct drive pumps aim to improve upon some of the Hydraulic Intensifier pump’s design aspects. It is a much simpler design which does not use any hydraulics. Instead, a direct drive pump has an electric motor that drives a piston back and forth inside a cylinder.

The cylinder has a tight seal to stop pressurized water from leaking. Water gets drawn into this cylinder. However, there are also valves to prevent the water from escaping. When the plunger moves backwards, it pressurizes the water inside the cylinder.

Direct drive pumps are intuitive and can pressurize the water up to 60,000 PSI. This kind of simple design is also referred to as a pressure washer pump. Because they also work in a similar way.

Advantages of Direct Drive Pumps

A lot of times, you might prefer a direct drive pump over an intensifier-style pump for several reasons. Here are the main advantages of a direct drive pump:

• Direct Drive pumps are more efficient with a simple design
• They are less prone to breaking down since there are not many parts
• Direct Drive pumps operate quieter compared to Hydraulic Intensifier pumps
• It does not need a dedicated cooling system

Disadvantages of Direct Drive Pumps

As we mentioned earlier, pumps directly impact the cut quality. Therefore, when choosing a pump, you must also understand its limitations. Here are the limitations of a Direct Drive pump:

• They cannot generate high amounts of pressure – about 60,000 PSI is the limit for most.
• The pressure can decrease during operation. And you might need to adjust the RPM or feed rate to maintain cutting quality.
• Although the design is simple and intuitive, the applications of such a pump are limited.

Maintenance and Care of Water Jet Cutter Pumps

Running your pompa do cięcia strumieniem wody at high speeds for extended amounts of time degrades it quickly. And you will need to maintain it regularly. Typically, with Intensifier pumps, you look at maintenance of the pump every 500 to 700 hours of operation.

On the other hand, some Direct Drive pumps are rated for 1,000 hours. However, most need a rebuild after 500 or so hours. Therefore, preventive maintenance can prolong the pump’s lifespan. 

If you use your water jet rigorously, you will need a more robust maintenance routine. Before we dive into some maintaining tips, though, here are some common waterjet pump problems:

Low Water Pressure

This is one of the most common problems with pumps. You might turn it on one day and notice low pressure. To fix it, first, check whether or not something is blocking the pump. Additionally, also check for any leaks.

Over-stroking

Over-stroking is when your pump’s piston moves in one or both directions faster than it should. It is normal for an Intensifier to have some over-stroke when starting up. That is not an issue. However, something is wrong if you notice an over-stroke during normal operations.

If your pump has an over-stroke, your machine will let you know. Immediately turn the cutter off and let the pump build pressure. Now, turn the cutter back on. If that does not work, something might be wrong with a component. In that case, you should check for leakage and pump orifice.

Noisy Pumps

Noisy pumps can be very concerning and annoying. If you hear unusual noises coming from the pump, the motor might be misaligned. Or the bearings could be failing. If the motor is fine, check whether some other component is loose.

Hydraulic Fluid Issues

Your pump will not build up hydraulic pressure if the hydraulic fluid fails. And you will see significantly low water pressure for this. Some water jet cutters come with manual pressure control knobs. Check whether you set it up correctly.

Another troubleshooting step is to check whether the compensator can increase pump pressure.

Despite these problems, water jet cutters are reliable machines. Fortunately, there is some preventative maintenance you can do:

• Follow manufacturer instructions for proper use
• Do regular inspections
• Feed high-quality water
• Check whether the accumulator is working properly
• Lubricant the parts of the pump if needed

Wnioski

Pumps are at the heart of your water jet cutter. They directly affect the cutting quality, material compatibility and more. Therefore, when buying a water jet or a water jet cutter pump, you must ensure you buy the right one for your needs.

The type of water pump can open many different applications for your cutter. Additionally, a high-quality pump will also increase your productivity. The right water jet cutter solutions partner will give you all the direction you need to make the right investment.