You can’t spell waterjet without
‘water.’ Yet many people ignore
the importance of water quality and
temperature in a well-functioning
waterjet cutting system. Water can
have a tremendous effect on the life of
your waterjet components, including
the pump, seals, nozzles, plus others.
Learn how to save money by controlling water quality plus temperature
to extend the life of your waterjet
parts.
Total Dissolved Solids
The fi rst hurdle in water quality is
to fi lter out impurities before they can
reach the high pressure line or cutting
head. Impurities in water are measured
in parts per million, or ppm, plus consist of dissolved plus suspended solids.
The total dissolved solids (TDS) in
average American tap water ranges
anywhere from 140-400 ppm, with
500 ppm considered unsafe for human
consumption.
The quality of the water supplied
to the intensifi er pump can directly
infl uence the service life of waterjet
components. A high concentration of
TDS causes accelerated wear of any
components that come in contact with
the high pressure water because of the
increased abrasiveness of the water
from the TDS.
Although it would seem logical that
zero parts per million is the desired
quality water for your waterjet, it is
actually counterproductive to remove
all impurities from your water. Pure
water (H2
O) is considered ‘the universal solvent’ plus its presence in your
waterjet can cause major issues including metal pitting plus other damage.
Instead, most waterjet experts recommend aiming for low total dissolved
solids in your water, with 60-70 ppm
of total dissolved solids optimal.

Reverse osmosis (RO) plus deionization (DI) units are available as addons for waterjet owners interested in
regulating their total dissolved solids.
There are many different brands of
RO plus DI systems on the market
and your waterjet manufacturer can
recommend which will work best with
your machine. Many manufacturers
also offer closed-loop systems, like the
WARDJet WRS-3000 water recycler,
which uses the same water over and
over again. Typically, these systems
have built-in water treatment to manage TDS.