Benchmark of Abrasives for Different Applications

The industrial use of abrasive waterjet (AWJ) technology has its strength in the machining of conventionally difficult-to-machine materials where the use of abrasives is obligatory. Since the use of AWJ technology, garnet abrasive has become the standard due to its performance and availability. Facing the impending shortage of natural raw materials, rising prices, and increasing environmental requirements, users of waterjet technology must optimize their processes. A wide range of individual machining tasks and materials to be processed holds great potential for tailoring the consumption of valuable resources and costs in the future.
A fundamental comparison of different abrasive grit is made to contribute to the efficient use of solids for dedicated applications and to identify resource-efficient alternatives. For this purpose, an overview is given of the abrasive performance in AWJ machining. The experiments will be examined for both AWJ cutting through (CT) and controlled-depth machining (CDM) or AWJ milling techniques on two heat-treated modifications of a 42CrMo4 steel alloy. Finally, a fundamental discussion of grit properties on the systematic change of size distribution serves as a basis to meet the requirements of reusability and their attractiveness for future waterjet production.