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Waterjet |
Wire EDM |
Laser |
Plasma |
Milling |
Punch Press |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Average of ±0.003" (±0.08 mm) and up to 0.001” (±25 μ) 1 |
±0.0001" (±2.5 μ) | ±0.001" (±25 μ) 2 2 | ±0.030 to ±0.060" (±0.75 to ±1.55 mm) |
±0.0003" (±8 μ) | Fair |
| THICKNESS | Upto 225mm | 12" (30 cm) | Generally less than 0.25"(6.35mm) |
Cuts less than 1.25" | Able to work on 3D parts |
Works well with thin sheets |
| CUTTING SPEED | 5-10 times faster than EDM when thickness is under 1" |
5-10 times slower than waterjet |
Very fast cutting in thin, non-reflective materials |
Fast with thin sheets | Fair | Fast batch production when initial programming and setup are done |
| Edge Quality | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Fair | Excellent | Fair |
| HEAT AFFECTED ZONE (HAZ) |
None | Some | Yes | Yes | None | None |
| MATERIAL DISTORTION | No Distortion 3 | No | Possible | Possible | No | Some |
| MATERIAL LIMITATION | Works in virtually all materials except really hard ceramics |
Only works in conductive materials |
Only non-reflective metals 4 |
Generally works in metals |
Not ideal for very large parts |
Not good for brittle or hardened materials |
| PROCESS | Cold supersonic abrasive used to cut material |
Spark erosion used to remove material from electrically conductive materials |
Thermal process | Thermal process | Mechanical cutting tool | Shearing process |
| SETUP | Fast and easy set-up |
Relatively easy set-up |
Relatively easy set-up but may have to tune laser for different materials |
Relatively easy set-up |
Time consuming set-up and programming |
Time consuming set-up and programming |