ABRASIVE-WATERJETS (AWJS) ARE CURRENTLY USED IN A WIDE RANGE OF TRIMMING AND SHAPE-CUTTING APPLICATIONS. THIS PAPER ADDRESSES THE CAPABILITIES OF THE AWJ TOOL FOR OTHER MACHINING OPERATIONS, SUCH AS TURNING, DRILLING, AND MILLING, WITH EMPHASIS ON ACHIEVING PRECISE RESULTS. THE GEOMETRICAL FEATURES OF MACHINED SURFACES, SUCH AS KERF TAPER AND WAVINESS, ARE DISCUSSED. IN GENERAL, THE AWJ HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING HIGHLY PRECISE RESULTS. HOLES CAN BE DRILLED WITH A STANDARD DEVIATION OF LESS THAN 0.001 INCH (0.025 MM) IN DIAMETER, AND POCKETS CAN BE MILLED TO UNIFORM DEPTHS WITH LESS THAN 0.001 INCH (0.025 MM) OF VARIABILITY IN DEPTH. THE ACCURACY OF MACHINING IS LARGELY CONTROLLED BY THE MANIPULATOR SYSTEM, WHEREAS NOZZLE WEAR IS A LESS SIGNIFICANT FACTOR, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED NOZZLE MATERIALS. HOWEVER, MONITORING AND CONTROL OF AWJ PARAMETE
| Number of Pages : | 12 |
| Published : | 06/01/1991 |
