Associated Fastening Products, Inc. is a trusted source for waterjet cutting services. Using our cutting-edge 2-,3-, and 5-axis waterjet cutting equipment we produce high-quality customized fastening components. Our decades of industry experience and machining capabilities have earned us a positive reputation in the OEM market for delivering superior service, reliability, and a wide variety of high-quality components. Each client that does business with us receives individualized and personal attention on their unique projects.

What Is Waterjet Cutting? 

Waterjet cutting is a subtractive manufacturing method that uses pressurized pumps to power high-pressure waterjets that precisely remove material from the workpiece to create the intended shape. For increased cutting power, abrasives, such as garnet, are often added to the water. Abrasive waterjet cutting is typically reserved for cutting hard metals, while pure waterjet cutting is intended for softer materials such as plastics, rubber, or wood.

There are several different ways that waterjet cutting may be carried out to achieve the desired results for a specific project, including: 

    • Abrasive Flow Machining: This method is used to hone and deburr interior sections of workpieces that traditional deburring machines cannot access. The process uses abrasives to erode unwanted, extruded particles on the interior surface of the material, creating a smooth finish.
  • Abrasive Jet Machining: This method uses high-pressure water and abrasives to remove material, burrs, and particles from the workpiece.
  • High-Pressure Water Cutting: Hydraulic pumps harness the pressure created by the water and convert it into mechanical energy, further intensifying the pressure of the water flow and allowing it to form soft materials without creating water residue. 
  • CNC Water Jet Cutting: This method performs the same techniques as high-pressue water cutting while working on multiple axes to complete the processes simultaneously. Common cycles that CNC waterjet cutting can execute include forming, deburring, cutting, honing, and more.

Advantages Of A Waterjet Cutting Service

The waterjet cutting process does not apply heat as a means of subtraction, eliminating thermal stress common with other machining methods. Because no heat is applied, the materials maintain their structural integrity. This is just one of the many benefits of waterjet cutting. Other advantages include: 

    • Cost-effectiveness – Waterjet cutting incurs minimal tooling costs and produces little waste, as such it is an ideal method for creating prototypes.
    • Safety – There are no harmful gases produced in the waterjet cutting process, making it far safer than alternative methods of producing the same parts. Additionally, the high-pressure stream is minimally exposed, decreasing the risk of operator injury. 
    • Product Control – Compared to traditional cutting methods, waterjet cutting offers increased control over the machining process, making it easier to achieve the precise specifications and dimensions required.
  • Versatile – Water pressure is easily controlled and can be used on a wide range of materials without adversely affecting their structural integrity.
  • Low Maintenance – Waterjets don’t require a lot of service to remain in use and operational. They don’t have many parts, so it is easy to keep them fully functioning even after many uses. Parts that need maintenance, such as the nozzle, are simple to replace.

What Materials Can Be Used With Waterjet Cutting Services

Associated Fastening Products carries an extensive selection of materials in different thicknesses suitable for waterjet cutting processes. Our material selection includes: 

  • Steel
  • Aluminum
  • Brass
  • Titanium
  • ABS 
  • Bronze
  • PVC
  • Nylon
  • Polypropylene
  • And many others

Why Select Associated Fastening Products Inc. For Your Waterjet Cutting Projects? 

Associated Fastening Products, Inc. is comprehensive provider of waterjet cutting services and more. We will work with you from start to finish to determine the optimal fabrication technique all the way to selecting a high-quality finishing company. We are committed to delivering quality at every stage of production — from superior customer service to detailed communication to state-of-the-art technology and industry expertise, we aim to exceed your expectations. For more information about our waterjet cutting or other services, contact us or request a quote today.

Associated Fastening Products, Inc. offers laser and waterjet cutting services, producing customized components utilizing our state-of-the-art 2, 3, 5, and 6-axis equipment. Complex shaping and burr-free cuts are accomplished with our precision laser cutting processes, featuring CO2 (Gaseous) and Nd:YAG (Solid State) laser types along with flying optic, moving material, and hybrid laser configurations. A range of materials can be precision cut including metals such as aluminum, heavy plate, ferrous metals, monel, inconel, stainless steel, steel, thin metal, and pipe, as well as non-metallic materials including acrylic, ceramic, paper, paperboard, plastic, rubber, and wood. Cuttings are made in a variety of sizes and diameters, achieving superior edge quality (from 1 to 5) with high-pressure waterjet cutting capabilities.

We handle prototype to production volumes, boasting rapid turnaround times with hot rush orders and pre-expedited ordering available. We are dedicated to customer satisfaction, giving personalized attention to each client. In addition to laser and waterjet cutting we offer a broad range of value added services including reverse engineering, plating, welding, assembly, kitting, special packaging, warehousing, and customized shipping programs. For more details about the precision laser and waterjet cutting services available, or our other ancillary services please see the table below or contact us directly.

Laser & Waterjet Cutting Capabilities

Cutting Axis

2-Axis
3-Axis

5-Axis
6-Axis

Laser Type

CO2 (Gaseous)
Nd:YAG (Solid State)

Laser Configuration

Flying Optics
Moving Material
Hybrid

Edge Quality

1 to 5

Intended Cutting Material (Metal)

Aluminum
Ferrous Metals
Heavy Plate
Inconel
Monel

Non Ferrous Metals
Pipe
Stainless Steel
Steel
Thin Metal

Intended Cutting Material (Non-Metal)

Acrylic
Ceramic
Paper
Paperboard

Plastic
Rubber
Wood

Inspection

Quality Assurance
Shipping Manager
Go / No-Go Gauges

Ring Gauges
Plug Gauges
Optical Comparator

Testing

Hardness

Quality Assurance

ISO 9001:2008 Registered
QS 14000 Compliant
Lot Traceable (With Dated Imprint When Requested)
Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Optic Weight Checkers
100% Inspection
Quality Records

Documentation / Certifications

Certificate of Conformance (C of C)
Material Certifications
Plating Certifications
Heat Treating Certifications
First Articles

PPAP
DFAR
USA Manufactured
SPC
RoHS

Secondary Operations

Assembly
Powder Coating
Welding
Riveting
Bagging/Kitting
Tapping
Plating
Heat Treating

Deburring
Stress Relief
Swage
Reaming
Counterboring
Spot Facing
Fabricating

Additional Services

Special Packaging
Warehousing

Shipping
Reverse Engineering

Production Volume

Prototypes to Production Manufacturing
1 to 1,000,000’s

Lead Time

Short Lead Times
Hot Rush Orders Available
Pre-Expedited Orders

On Time Deliveries
Stock and Release
Drop Shipments

Additional Information

Industry Focus

OEM
Automotive
Transportation

Intended Applications

Fasteners

Industry Standards

ANSI
ASTM
DIN

ISO
Industrial Fastener Institute (IFI)
Mid-West Fastener Association (MWFA)

File Formats

AutoCAD (DWG, DWZ)
Bit Mapped Graphics (BMP)
Catia (CATDrawing, CATPart)
Delcam (DGK, DMT)
Drawing Exchange Format (DXF)
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES, ANSI)
Inventor (IDW, IPT)

IronCAD (ICD, ICS)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG, JPEG)
MasterCam (MDX, MC8, MC9, SET
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Pro-E or Pro/Engineer (DRW, PRT, XPR)
3D ACIS Model File
SolidWorks (SLDPRT, SLDDRW, SLDDRT)