AFM works on many different metal materials including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, zinc, brass, cast iron, titanium and nickel alloys as well as thermoplastics. The automotive, aerospace, food processing, pharmaceutical, medical, molding, marine and electronic industries use this finishing operation on a number of different products. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Waterjet Fabricating LLC
Muncie, IN | 765-288-4575Waterjet Fabricating provides water jet machining at prices much lower than traditional machine shops. Abrasive water jet cutting is offered from prototyping to high volumes. Waterjet Fabricating employees have years of design experience and are devoted to complete customer satisfaction. Full CAD capabilities and a full line machine shop. One decorative piece to 100s of waterjet cut parts.
Micro Etch Technologies
Elkhart, IN | 574-293-3342For over 30 years, Micro Etch Technologies has been a trusted provider of quality waterjet cutting services. Our water jet equipment is great for prototyping, fast and reliable for production, and can quickly change from job to job. Material cutting capabilities include plastic, rubber, copper, aluminum, titanium, and many more. Tolerances for certain applications can be held at +- .001". Contact us today to put our experience to work for your product needs.
Source Metals, Inc.
Houston, TX | 800-324-7310The 88,000 square foot facility and state of the art equipment gives the team at Source Metals the capacity to offer laser cutting, water jet cutting, flame and plasma cutting services, as well as stocking carbon, alloy, aluminum and stainless sheet and plate. Source Metals guarantees its turn key solutions and customer satisfaction.
Precision Waterjet Concepts Inc.
Pequot Lakes, MN | 218-568-5052Precision Waterjet Concepts features 5-axis waterjet cutting for true three dimensional cutting along with 2-axis waterjet cutting. We cut stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steels, alloys, and specialty materials such as security glass, carbon fiber, and foam. Precision Waterjet Concepts can handle intricate, complex cuts on virtually any material for any industry. Our innovative craftsmen can manufacture parts with exceptional edge and structural quality. We are proudly ISO9001:2015 certified.
ADR Hydro-Cut, Inc.
Morrisville, NC | 919-388-2251Veteran-owned ADR Hydro-Cut is an expert in high pressure water jet cutting and abrasive jet machining for a vast array of materials including stone, glass, metal and even delicate food materials. ADR is well-suited to meet your custom water jet cutting needs with a precise and budget-friendly solution. In addition to superior quality results, ADR Hydro-Cut offers free quotes and timely service.
MILCO WaterJet, LLC
Huntington Beach, CA | 800-998-1885MILCO is a company that believes that quality assurance must be implemented into every step of the manufacturing of a customers' product to achieve our ultimate goal; complete customer satisfaction. MILCO’s water jet machining is of the highest quality. Please call today or visit MILCO’s website for full product and service descriptions—you won’t regret it!
Abrasive Flow Machining - Hydro-Lazer, Inc.Internal combustion engines in aircraft and automotive vehicles that use AFM to improve fuel economy, semiconductor equipment, surgical instruments, molds and dies for metal, glass and plastic product forming also often undergo abrasive flow machining to create shiny, smooth and even internal surfaces. The abrasive media and water that erode the product surface are forced through the cavity by a hydraulic system, which can have one or two-way flow directions.
The abrasive action created by AFM happens when the work piece, the product to undergo machining, is clamped between two media cylinders, one at the top and one at the bottom. The process is fully automated and computer controlled, thus greatly reducing labor costs, which are high if the process is manual because it is so time consuming and tedious.
The hydraulic system starts at the bottom cylinder, and the water and media mix is shot at high speeds and pressure through the work piece. The water flow is either linear or comes out of both cylinders at the same time, thus decreasing the erosion process time. A temperature-controlled cooling jacket is used to keep temperatures consistent during the manufacturing process.
AFM may be customized for specific results or when working with certain materials by using different grit sizes and types of resin and media, different viscosity and high or low flow rates and pressure. These factors are all determined by the material properties of the product being eroded, the desired finish and time constraints. Many abrasive flow machines are able to process many parts at once; they can also process multiple cavities and spaces of a single product.