Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
© Fraunhofer IPT

© Fraunhofer IPT

Multi-axis water jet cutting of special materials

When it comes to the production of turbo engines and the processing of lightweight materials or composites that are difficult to machine conventionally means, the technology of multi-axis water jet cutting provides a number of advantages: it allows an easier access to the component’s target areas and involves a cold process cutting operation while at the same time reducing production costs.

The Fraunhofer IPT integrates water jets efficiently into existing process chains. In order to improve the quality of the machining process and to permit the sustainable use of abrasive solids, the Fraunhofer IPT is conducting research into component-specific and material-specific process design patterns for the use of water jet machining in a wide range of applications.

Industrial applications of water jet cutting

Pre-machining of turbo engine blades

 

The water jet is capable of cutting off individual segments in the spaces between the blades without having to fully machine the material.

Fir tree slots in turbine discs

 

Fir tree slots of various types and depths can be applied to turbine discs in order to increase the efficiency of downstream processing steps.

Technical ceramics and special
materials


Virtually all materials can be processed without any application of thermal energy.

Hybrid materials and composites

 

A wide range of processing tasks can be performed accurately and cost-effectively without any need for a change of tools. This can also serve to complement conventional technologies when they have reached their technological performance limits.