Desktop Waterjet Cutting

While CO2 laser cutters can cut a variety of materials, we stock sheets of Acrylic and Birch Plywood in 12x24 inch sizes, and 1/8" and 1/4" thicknesses. Keep in mind these dimensions are nominal, and may not be precisely accurate.

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== ==

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= About the Waterjet =

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[[Waterjet cutting>>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_jet_cutter]] is the process of using a high pressure jet of water to cut a material. --laser to vaporize a material, so that the laser beam cuts through the material. When this is combined with a CNC tool head and both power and speed are balanced properly, this process allows the user to create flat parts from sheets of material, using 2D CAD drawings.--

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The waterjet has a hydraulic power output of 820 W. There are a variety of materials that the waterjet can cut, example of allowed materials include acrylic, agate, aluminum, borosilicate, brass, carbon fiber, ceramic tile, copper, gabbro, fused glass, graphite, granite, HDPE, marble, memory foam, mild steel, neoprene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyurethane, porcelain tile, silicone, spring steel, stained glass, stainless steel, titanium, and tool steel. Materials that are water soluble or shatter under high pressure are not suitable for waterjet cutting.

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**Advantages: (Needs to be edited still)**

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* Laser cutting tool heads never touch the material, leave fairly clean cuts, and are highly accurate and repeatable.

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* Laser cutting is far faster than manual cutting of the material, especially with repeated cuts in bulk materials.

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* Laser cutting allows for very small and intricate designs, which would be difficult or impossible with traditional cutting tools.

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* Laser cutting allows for much more efficient material usage than hand cutting in many cases.

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**Disadvantages: (needs to be edited still) **

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* Our CO2 lasers can't cut metals, or materials that reflect/poorly absorb its wavelength at powers below 130W.

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* Laser cutters create a fine cutting spot size by focusing the laser through a lens, and as a result, cuts can never be completely perpendicular to the material.

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* In most cases, CO2 lasers have difficulty penetrating cleanly through materials greater than 1/4 inch thick.

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= Software and Usage Instructions =

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== Opening WazerCam ==

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Open WazerCam website, [[WazerCam>>https://wam.wazer.com/wazercam]] , and enter the following login information.

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**Username:** RPSpublic

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**Password:** RPSpublic

== File Import ==

Files uploaded must be in .dxf or .svg file types. Multiple files can be added at once using the "+" and "-" buttons.

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[[image:1772478564567-669.png||height="269" width="557"]]

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== Setting Scale and Positioning ==

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The following metrics can be adjusted within WazerCam:

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**Rotation:** the angle which the part needs to be rotated to

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**X & Y positions:** The top left of the screen represents 0, and all movements are positive. The top left of a selected part can be moved to a specified position.

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**Scale:** Scale of parts can be changed by any magnitude

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**Height & Width**: Similar to scale, height and width can be changed independently.

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(Be aware of total physical space that the waterjet will occupy on a material, taking into account the width of the cut itself (kerf) )

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[[image:1772478615037-166.png||height="266" width="554"]]

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== Materials Selection ==

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Using the first dropdown menu, select the material category. Using the second dropdown menu, select the specific material you are cutting. If the specific material is not listed, consult an RPS studio staff member. Once category and material type are selected, input the material thickness in either millimeters or inches.

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[[image:1772478775055-319.png||height="264" width="550"]]

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== Cutting Path Adjustments ==

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Change the cutting path to match the design of your file.

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Outside: Will cut outside the lines of your part by a user given offset.

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Centerline: Will cut directly on the lines of your part.

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Inside: Will cut inside the lines of your

= Machine Setup =

== Turning Machine On ==

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1. Place SD card with part file into the right side of the wazer jet machine. **(SD cards are not provided)**

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1. Twist the E-Stop button to where it releases, the screen should begin to turn on.

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1. Check that the button on the bottom right of the machine is set to "On" (if screen is still not turning on, consult a staff member)

== Setting Up ==

1. On the starting screen there will be two options, "Select Cut File" and "Setup & Maintenance". Press the OK button to Select the Select Cut File option.

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1. Scroll down until the cursor is next to the file you created earlier, and hit OK

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1. Loosen the Nozzle securing knob, pull the nozzle up, and retighten the nozzle securing knob, press OK to home the nozzle

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1. Fill the grit hopper on the left side of the machine, hit OK

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1. Check to make sure the blue water valve is in line with the vertical pipe, hit OK

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1. Secure the material to the cut bed using the screws and a screwdriver, hit OK

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1. Now that the arrow keys can be used to move the nozzle over the material, remove the plastic cover off of the cutting head.

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1. Loosen the nozzle securing knob, and place the tab side of the plastic cover underneath the nozzle.

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1. Lower the nozzle until it makes contact with the plastic tab, and tighten the nozzle securing knob and place the plastic cover back on top of the cutting head. Hit OK.

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1. The next screen will have several options. Before doing anything else, **move the origin to the location of your choosing**

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1*. Move Origin - allows you to move the origin for the program to a location of your choosing. **DO THIS FIRST.**

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1*. Cut - sends you to the next screen where you must press the Start button to begin cutting.

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1*. Dry Run - Follows the exact cutting path of the program without firing the waterjet.

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1*. Check Extents - Outlines the bounding box of the area being cut

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1*. Restart cut - if the cut fails or stops in the middle, this will restart the program in the Dry Run state and will allow you to resume the cut at any point along the program.

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1*. Cancel - sends you back to the starting screen.

== Run Part ==

***You must remain with the machine for the entirety of the cut* **

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* It may be necessary to refill the water in the machine before running. Use the white 3 gallon bucket to pour more water into the tank directly. The water level should sit right below the surface of the bed.

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* Monitor the level of the grit while the part is running, if it's running low, machine will automatically stop the cut and shut off.

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* It is recommended to keep the hoppers topped off

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* If water starts pouring out from under the hoppers, the machine is having a backflow problem, **SHUT IT OFF with the E-Stop and notify RPS Staff.**

== Clean Up ==

1. Remove your part and any excess material from the bed.