As a general rule, the diameter of the orifice for the abrasive nozzle should be approximately three times the water nozzle orifice.
Some people would suggest using a smaller ratio, about 2.5 times. Using a smaller ratio does produce faster cutting speeds. The trade-off is increased nozzle wear and costs. Part tolerance will suffer because of the increased speed of nozzle wear.
The following is a quick reference guide for the most common orifices for abrasive waterjet cutting. Typical abrasive amounts and water flow are also shown for easy reference.
ORFICE SELECTION CHART
| Orifice (inches) |
Abrasive Nozzle (Inches) |
Abrasive Flow (lbs/min) |
Water Flow @ 60 kpsi (GPM) |
| 0.01 |
0.03 |
0.65 to 0.7 |
0.51 |
| 0.011 |
0.03 |
0.8 |
0.62 |
| 0.012 |
0.03 |
0.9 to 1.0 |
0.73 |
| 0.013 |
0.04 |
1.4 |
0.86 |
| 0.014 |
0.04 |
1.4 |
1 |
| 0.015 |
0.04 |
1.5 |
1.14 |
| 0.016 |
0.04 |
1.6 |
1.3 |
As a general rule, the diameter of the orifice for the abrasive nozzle should be approximately three times the water nozzle orifice.
Some people would suggest using a smaller ratio, about 2.5 times. Using a smaller ratio does produce faster cutting speeds. The trade-off is increased nozzle wear and costs. Part tolerance will suffer because of the increased speed of nozzle wear.
The following is a quick reference guide for the most common orifices for abrasive waterjet cutting. Typical abrasive amounts and water flow are also shown for easy reference.
ORFICE SELECTION CHART
| Orifice (inches) |
Abrasive Nozzle (Inches) |
Abrasive Flow (lbs/min) |
Water Flow @ 60 kpsi (GPM) |
| 0.01 |
0.03 |
0.65 to 0.7 |
0.51 |
| 0.011 |
0.03 |
0.8 |
0.62 |
| 0.012 |
0.03 |
0.9 to 1.0 |
0.73 |
| 0.013 |
0.04 |
1.4 |
0.86 |
| 0.014 |
0.04 |
1.4 |
1 |
| 0.015 |
0.04 |
1.5 |
1.14 |
| 0.016 |
0.04 |
1.6 |
1.3 |
