Wazer In-Depth Review: First Desktop Waterjet Cutter

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Hi everyone! This is Top 3D Shop, and in this video, we will tell you about the Wazer desktop waterjet.

Starting as University of Pennsylvania student research projects, the Wazer waterjet cutter was launched after a Kickstarter fundraising campaign. Today it is the smallest and most compact waterjet machine in the world.

How do these machines work? A mixture of water and abrasive, fed under high pressure, cuts metals and alloys, ceramics, stone, glass, plastic and other materials.

At its core, Wazer is a conventional CNC machine. Before sharing our experience with this device, we suggest understanding which CNC machines can be used for cutting, as well as what advantages and disadvantages they carry.

All machine tools with numerical control can be divided into several main categories. The most common are milling machines. Their main advantage is the ability to process three-dimensional models, but they can run into issues with edge finishing or 3D reliefs.

You can cut along the contour with a milling machine, though, but this will most likely take a lot of time. Another side effect is the formation of burrs. This should be taken into account when working with metal and wood.

Cutting such materials is much easier on laser machines. But even despite the equipment’s cost and dimensions, you are likely to run into “burnt edges”, when the metal on the edge changes its structure and loses hardness. Also, a hard burr is formed in laser cutting, requiring additional processing. So, if you take a CPM 3V heat treated steel billet and cut it on a laser machine, the edge will be damaged.

Plasma cutting has its own nuances. Such machines can burn sharp corners, and can not handle high detail.

One of the most hi-end modern technologies is electrical discharge machining, or EDM. Such machines can produce remarkable detail and highest cut quality. As for the drawbacks, EDM equipment is exorbitant in dimensions and cost. In addition, these machines can only cut electrically conductive materials.

And here we are back to water jet cutting which can indeed be the ideal solution for most projects. In the case of Wazer, it is also unique.

Wazer is available in both desktop and standup versions. In the second case, the machine is fixed on a special rack.

Of course, a desktop machine can't compete with industrial installations capable of cutting steel tens of millimeters thick. But Wazer can easily throw a challenge to the heavyweights in terms of footprint and ease of maintenance.

Any complex equipment requires a serious approach. Let's start with safety. The working space of the machine is closed with a plastic cover. The lid has shut-off protection - the machine turns off when the lid is opened. And no, you won’t be able to put a finger between the cutting head and the material, with a specific safety feature designed to address this exact scenario.

The main Wazer cutting module has dimensions of 856 x 648 millimeters. The height of the desktop version is a little more than half a meter, and over one meter twenty centimeters for the standup version. The provided pump is even smaller, at 533 x 355 x 280 millimeters. The main module and the pump weigh 50 kilograms and 42 kilograms respectively.

80 mesh garnet is used here as abrasive. Garnet consumption is on average 150 grams per minute.

The dimensions of the working area are 300 x 460 millimeters with a plastic honeycomb structure bed. The bed is also classified as a consumable, since it gets damaged as the part is cut.

A few spare beds are included with the machine and you can order them separately when needed.

Wazer has no direct competitors at the moment. One Chinese manufacturer launched a similar compact machine, but it can only be called a desktop unit conditionally. With the desktop module weighing 280 kilograms and 2200 atmospheres of pressure, it cuts 10 mm steel and non-ferrous metals up to 20 mm thick. Not bad, but the pump for this unit alone weighs 360 kilograms and consumes 7.5 kilowatts of power. This is clearly not something you can fit in a garage. And its cost is three times higher compared to the Wazer.