Waterjet cutting was invented by Dr. Norman Franz of the University of Kansas in the 1970s. Through experiments, he discovered that passing water at high pressure through a small nozzle can generate powerful cutting force, allowing it to cut a variety of materials including stainless steel, titanium and high-strength lightweight composite materials. This is why Dr. Norman Franz is known as the “father of water jet.”
He was the first to study ultra-high pressure (UHP) waterjet cutting tools. Ultra-high pressure is defined as greater than 30,000 psi (pounds per square inch). Dr. Norman Franz was a forestry engineer who wanted to find a new way to cut large tree trunks for lumber. In 1950, Dr. Norman Franz was the first to place heavy weights on a column of water to force water through a small nozzle. It acquired brief high-pressure jets (several times exceeding the pressures used today) and was able to cut wood and other materials.
In 1979, Dr. Mohamed Hashish, working at Flow Research Laboratories, began researching ways to increase waterjet cutting energy in order to cut metal and other hard materials. Dr. Hashish is recognized as the father of abrasive water jetting. He invented the method of adding sand to ordinary water jet. He used garnet, a material commonly used in sandpaper, as a sanding material. With this method, a jet of water (containing an abrasive material) is capable of cutting almost any material. In 1980, abrasive waterjets were first used to cut metal, glass and concrete. In 1983, the first commercial abrasive waterjet cutting system appeared and was used to cut automotive glass. One of the first users of this technology was the aerospace industry, which found waterjet ideal for cutting high-strength stainless steel, titanium and lightweight composites used in military aircraft, as well as carbon fiber composites (now used in civil aircraft). Since then, abrasive waterjet has been adopted by many other industries such as processing plants, stone, tile, glass, jet engines, construction, nuclear industry, shipyards and many more.
Globally, leading manufacturers of industrial waterjet cutting equipment mainly include DARDI International Corp. of Japan, ESAB Group Inc. of the United States and KMT Waterjet Systems, Inc.), A Innovative International Pvte Co., Ltd. and Flow International Corp., etc.
In 2021, the statistics of the parties concerned
Leading manufacturers worldwide include: Flow International Corp. of the United States, DARDI International Corp. of Japan, ESAB Group Inc. of the United States and KMT Waterjet Systems, Inc.) and A. Innovante International Ltd.
Second-tier manufacturers include: Swiss Bystronic Laser AG., Swedish Water Jet Sweden AB and Italian Waterjet Corporation SRL, etc.
Global advanced water cutting equipment manufacturing company
OMAX, an American company, is the world’s leading abrasive waterjet system manufacturer, focusing on the design and manufacturing of high-precision CNC multi-axis abrasive waterjet systems.
The company produces the MicroMAX waterjet machining center.
The American Flow Company is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of ultra-high pressure waterjet technologies. In the 1970s, the Flow Research Institute was founded by former Boeing scientists. The company’s first commercialized technology uses ultra-high pressure water jets as an industrial cutting tool. Flow subsequently invented, patented and produced the world’s first abrasive waterjet system (cutting hard materials up to 12 inches thick).
WARDJet is a designer and manufacturer of waterjet cutting systems located in Ohio, USA. It is a leader in CNC water cutting control, water jet cutting technology and other fields.
ESAB is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of welding and cutting equipment.
Daguang focuses on providing solutions such as precision CNC machining services (3-axis, 4-axis, 5-axis machining), CNC milling, 3D printing and rapid prototyping services.
