Abrasive Waterjet Turning of High Performance Materials

The cutting of high performance materials requires specific machine tools and cutting tools. The wear resistance of cutting tools is important for turning of hypereutectic aluminium silicon or titanium aluminide alloys. Abrasive waterjet turning has been shown to be a suitable cutting process for these challenging materials. The tool life time of at least 10 hours combined with a material removal rate of up to 0.8 cm3/min and low process temperatures give this cutting technology a very high potential. Furthermore the material close to the cutting surface is less modified compared to conventional rough turning. The same effects are of particular interest with regard to the functional capability of waterjet turned γ-TiAl-alloys.