CMS Waterjet Cutters

The Italian CMS Waterjet system is capable of cutting a wide variety of materials such as Metal, Plastic, Glass and Stone, using a very high-pressure waterjet and abrasive mineral. Waterjet cutting is one of the fastest growing cutting processes around the globe and is used across many engineering and fabrication sectors. It is the preferred method for cutting materials that are sensitive to high temperatures generated by other methods such as laser and plasma systems.

CMS Waterjet Italy

The advantage of the Italian CMS waterjet is that they manufacture the complete package from the machine structure, pump, controls and software. With over two thousand machines installed worldwide, CMS are highly efficient and well respected within the manufacturing industry.

CMS Smartline

The CMS Smartline waterjet offers all customers an entry level accurate, cost effective waterjet cutting system. Smartline is designed to redefine industry standards of excellence.

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CMS Proline

The CMS Proline tool specifically conceived and designed with advanced technical solutions for the waterjet cutting technology, in order to achieve unmatched performance.

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Related News

Waterjet cutting technology offers a powerful alternative to Plasma and Laser profiling machinery. There is a saying in the industry "If you can't cut it with a waterjet, you can't cut it at all", and it still holds true. Water can cut through virtually anything, eventually, The Colorado River is a great example of this, cutting through bedrock to form the Grand Canyon.

Here at Selmach, we are a supplier of CMS Technocut Waterjet machinery. Complete systems for cutting different materials from the most resistant materials such as metal, stainless steel and carbon steel to more flexible materials like plastics, foams, rubber, layered materials, composite materials, industrial gaskets and technical materials.

Why use a Waterjet?

We often get asked by customers, what machinery they need for their situation, Laser, Plasma or Waterjet? While we've covered this in larger detail in this blog article, there are some key aspects where Waterjets are superior to the alternatives.

Range of materials

The standout benefit to a Waterjet, compared to Plasma or Laser, is that it can be used to cut just about any material. Plasmas and Lasers are effective on a range of metals, although Plasma requires a conductive material for cutting, so straight away this rules out the likes of woods, plastics or ceramics. Laser is more versatile, however while it can cut non-metals such as plastics, glass, ceramics and rubber. due to the nature of the cutting technology, materials such as plastics can produce harmful or toxic gases. Whereas a Waterjet can cut just about anything, mixing water with an abrasive material (typically garnet) to cut through anything in it's path.

Detail of a waterjet cutting shapes

Cold cutting

As well as being able to cut through virtually anything, a Waterjet does so without generating heat. This so called "cold cutting" means there is no impact on the inherent properties of the material being cut, such as metal becoming hardened from the heat of plasma or laser cutting.

This is highly beneficial for sensitive materials, which cannot be subjected to hot cutting methods. For those then using the cut pieces for onward machining, it keeps the internal structure of the material uniform throughout, offering superior product quality.

One cutting head

The single versatile cutting head of a Waterjet will cut through everything in front of it, without any changes in configurations or consumables. Plasma cutters and Lasers often need reconfiguring, or new consumable parts installed for nozzles etc. This reduces downtime for operators, as they can just move from job to job with only new material needing to be added. This also helps reduce the costs of keeping the machine operational too, reducing the number of consumable parts you need to keep in stock for uninterrupted operation.

Detail of a water laser pointer
Greenjet Evo Intensifier

Quality over quantity

Waterjets offer a high quality cut over competing technologies, producing a precise, uniform and accurate cut, with a burr-free edge which will minimise any finishing time of final cut pieces. There is a downside to this, in that a Waterjet will never compete with the speed of a Plasma or Laser, making a Waterjet less than the ideal for situations where quantity is important (cutting out base plates for instance).

The speed of a waterjet is entirely dependent on the power of the intensifier, the more power available, the faster it can cut. The trade-off however, is the increased energy the machine will require to cut.

Economical to run

Generally speaking, a Waterjet is quite economical to run, with minimal consumable components, a Waterjet will typically require four resources to run;

  • Water
  • Electricity
  • Compressed air
  • An abrasive (typically Garnet)

Unlike Plasma or Laser cutting, which also requires additional gases, such as Oxygen, Nitrogen or more. Electrical consumption will entirely depend on the intensifier being used, however the new Greenjet offers efficiency a staggering 60% above traditional intensifiers, generally though the energy use is comparable to a similar Fibre Laser, and more efficient to an equivalent Plasma.

Detail of a waterjet dredge system

Operator friendly - Dredge System

One of the most common complaints around waterjets is dealing with the spent material in the bottom of the machine. CMS machines can be fitted with a dredge system. A stainless steel base with a dredge chain automatically retrieves the abrasive material from the base, eliminating the need to stop the machine for cleaning, making it essentially maintenance free, and reduces overall maintenance costs by 90% compared to traditional technology.

The abrasive evacuation system inside the tank is protected by both baskets to collect machining scraps and a metal cage. The purpose of the baskets is to collect the scraps while simultaneously avoiding them falling into the bottom of the tank and damaging the dredge chain.