Materials

Here is a partial list of materials we have cut at Asterisk with good results-· Ferous and non-ferrous metals·Ceramics· Plastics· Wood· Elastomers, both solid and porous· Rigid foams· Stone, tile and glass

Thickness- The practical material thickness limit is 2 inches for good results. However we have cut thicker material with some quality degradation.
The largest part we can cut is 51.5” X 25.5”The largest material we can cut from underwater (normal cutting mode) is 68” X 30”.Larger materials can be cut above water, contact us for details.

Cutting Results:

 Tolerances- For small, thin parts from rigid materials, a tolerance of +/- 0.005” can be expected. In certain cases the tolerance can be even smaller if budget allows. Large parts can consistently be cut to within +/- 0.010”.

Minimum inside Radius- 0.015” - The water jet is similar to a 0.030” diameter router bit; the sharpest inside corner is limited by this fact. If a sharp inside corner is desired consider a small undercut in the geometry.

Minimum Hole Diameter- Holes as small as 0.060” can be produced, however consistent roundness is only achieved for holes 0.100” diameter or larger (even larger for thick materials).

Cut Quality- The machine has 5 qualities that play surface finish against machining time (money). For most metals, acceptable results are obtained in the middle range without a time penalty. Contact us for details.

Cut Taper- Some taper is produced in all water jet cuts. For most materials under 1” thick this taper is less than 0.005”.

Part Definition-Asterisk’s preference for part definition is to have a DXF file of just the part geometry (flat view, no title block, no threads and no hidden lines). An accompanying drawing showing desired tolerances helps us ensure we produce what is desired.However we can work from many starting points including most CAD and graphics file formats as well as simply hard copy drawings or sketches. Contact us for details.