Water jet cutting (also known as waterjet cutting) is a highly accurate, cold-cutting process used across New Zealand for precision profile cutting. A water jet cutter uses an ultra-high-pressure stream of water, often mixed with abrasive garnet, to slice through almost any material cleanly, without heat, distortion, or damage to the surrounding material.
Whether you need a water jet machine for metals, stone, composites or softer materials, this versatile technology delivers exceptional results for both one-off jobs and production runs.
How a water jet cutter works
A powerful pump raises water pressure to 48,000 – 90,000 psi. This pressurised water is forced through a tiny jewel orifice, creating a supersonic stream capable of precision profile cutting.
Pure Water Jet
A pure water jet uses water only. It's ideal for soft materials such as rubber, foam, gaskets, plastics, and textiles. The cut is fast and leaves no abrasive residue.
Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
The water stream passes through a mixing chamber where garnet abrasive is added. The abrasive particles do the actual cutting while the water accelerates them. This is the standard method for precision profile cutting of harder materials.
The Cutting Lab's OMAX Maxiem 1530 water jet machine is a reliable CNC-controlled system that follows digital files to produce accurate parts with minimal operator intervention. It excels at both simple profiles and more complex geometry.
Materials and Thicknesses
Water jet cutting handles an impressive range:
- Metals (mild steel, stainless, aluminium, titanium, hardened plate)
- Stone and glass (marble, granite, tiles)
- Composites, plastics, rubber, and foam
Thicknesses can reach 300 mm in steel and stone with abrasive water jet cutting, while pure water jet works best on softer materials up to around 25 mm. Cut quality can be adjusted from fast separation cuts to smooth, ready-to-use edges.
Why industries choose water jet cutting over other profile cutting methods
- No heat-affected zone — critical for hardened materials, titanium, and composites.
- Excellent for reflective metals and layered materials that laser struggles with.
- One water jet cutter can handle multiple material types in a single setup.
- Superior edge quality on thick sections with far less secondary processing.
This makes water jet cutting and precision profile cutting the go-to choice for aerospace, mining, construction, architectural work, and general engineering workshops. You can learn more about how water jet cutting compares to other profile cutting methods here.
Why Choose The Cutting Lab for your Water Jet Cutting?
The best results come from skilled operators who understand nesting to reduce waste, select the right abrasive and cutting speeds, and integrate the cut components into the full fabrication process.
At The Cutting Lab, a division of The Workshop 1924, our water jet cutting capability is backed by over 100 years of workshop experience. Our 48,000 PSI Water Jet can cut up to 150mm thick materials, with a tolerance of 0.1mm. We can cut through almost anything; metal, stone, glass, composites, ceramics and more.
No file? No problem! We can use multiple types of files to set up the water jet machine, but if you don’t have the cut shape on a file, we can create one from your dimensions or hand drawn diagrams.
Our team provides 3D design, CAD modelling, product development, and project management, alongside The Workshop 1924's expertise in road transport engineering, general engineering, heavy machining, and structural fabrication. This allows us to deliver true end-to-end solutions, from initial concept through to finished components.
Looking for reliable water jet cutting or precision profile cutting?
From simple profiles to complex components, we provide accurate, cost-effective results with genuine engineering support. Get in touch with The Cutting Lab today. Contact us here or call us on 09 238 0138.
