Around The Home

Desktop waterjet cuts almost any material – and expenses

View 18 Images
The Wazer waterjet cutter at work
Abrasion material is easily refilled in the designated tanks
The belt drive sprocket on this bike was cut using the Wazer waterjet cutter
A glass bird assembled from pieces cut using the Wazer waterjet cutter
The Wazer waterjet cutter at work
Pieces of a knife cut using the Wazer waterjet cutter
A tile cut using the Waterjet cutter
A completed knife with parts cut entirely with the Wazer waterjet cutter
The completed tile platform after the tiles were cut using the Wazer waterjet cutter
The Wazer waterjet cutter is easy to set up and cuts through just about any hard or soft material
A closeup view of pennies cut using the Wazer waterjet cutter
A finished necklace featuring pennies cut using the Wazer waterjet cutter
The Wazer waterjet cutter connects to a computer via USB
The crushed garnet abrasion material can be easily disposed of with no harmful environmental effects
The Wazer waterjet cutter fits neatly into a small space in any design or maker studio
The complete Wazer waterjet cutter and pump with its own stand
The Wazer waterjet cutter is the first desktop unit capable of doing much of the work of a larger, more expensive system
The Wazer waterjet cutter, minus the water pump
The Wazer waterjet cutter and its adjustable nozzle
View gallery - 18 images

Waterjet cutting is a proven method for creating intricate and precise cuts with nearly any kind of material, although the machines are big and expensive. Wazer is out to change that with the first desktop waterjet that can cut nearly any hard or soft material with a precision similar to larger, more expensive systems, but at less cost.

Created by a group of University of Pennsylvania graduates, Wazer appears to be fairly simple to use.

You plug the Wazer unit into a laptop with a USB cable so it can access standard drawing .svg or .dxf files, place the material on the cutting platform, set the height of the cutting jet, hook up the water supply, fill up the abrasion tank, and let the system go to work.

The Wazer waterjet cutter is easy to set up and cuts through just about any hard or soft material

The unit's jet uses a combination of high-pressure water and sand-like abrasive particles made from crushed garnet to cut through materials like steel, titanium, aluminum, glass, stone, tile and carbon fiber. The company says the Wazer can make a cut approximately 1/16 of an inch (1.5 mm) in width.

To give some cost comparison, industrial-sized waterjet cutters can cost nearly US$200,000 with some companies making them available for an hourly rental fee of $100 and up. Wazer has set a list price of $5,999 for its unit, once the company goes into full production late next year.

The crushed garnet abrasion material can be easily disposed of with no harmful environmental effects

Wazer's creators say they were able to get the size and cost of their unit down by reducing the water cutting pressure. This evidently doesn't affect the precision of the cuts or the varied type of materials the Wazer can be used on, but it does slow the cutting time. Makers, designers and hobbyists may find that to be a worthwhile trade-off considering the advantages provided by access to a cutting tool that would normally be far more expensive to use.

Wazer launched a Kickstarter campaign on September 12 and has already reached over $600,000 in pledges with a goal of raising $100,000. Early backers have claimed the first 30 units priced at $3,499, but there are units available at $3,599 and $4,499. The company says it will only be able to ship to the United States and Canada, with finished units to begin shipping in August 2017 if all goes as planned.

Take a look at the following video, to see how the Wazer works.

Sources: Wazer, Kickstarter

View gallery - 18 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
5 comments
Racqia Dvorak
Can you recycle the abrasive at the end of the cycle to reuse in the hopper?
GWA111
Thin gauge plate is fine, but to break costs for industry they need to target heavier gauges, like 10mm to 32mm thick. No mention of the gauge capacity, and only thin plate shown
Milton
So cool, but dang it is expensive to operate. 0.33lbs of (non-reusable) abrasive / min means that sprocket they cut is likely $30 in abrasive material alone. Ouch.
Nik
Will someone please advise the man that the word is "A-l-u-m-i-n-i-u-m," the same as in, thorium, uranium, and radium, not 'aloominum!' It would be useful if there were specifications for tolerances for accuracy of the cut, and max thicknesses of the various materials that it cuts. It would certainly beat hand sawing the various materials, on intricacy, but as said elsewhere, rather expensive. The cost of cutting tiles, is likely to exceed the amount any customer is willing to pay for the tiled surface. My guess is that it would be more applicable in the jewellery trade, or similar high value products. Intricate glass profiles come to mind.
Yonian Anda
Hey, Nik - shouldn't that be _jewelry_ trade?
The inventors probably can't get aluminium from local materials suppliers. Or carbon fibre, either.
At least don't lose your sense of _humor_, eh?
Other than that, your comment was spot on!