Wazer started off as an undergraduate project in 2012. Four years, a stint at the world’s largest hardware accelerator in China and five product generations later the basement project has raised more than $1.3 million on Kickstarter. Wazer is the first desktop water jet cutter that uses a pressurized stream of a mixture of water and abrasives to cut through materials with high accuracy. Check out the short video below to get a quick understanding of what it does.
What’s so special about Wazer?
Yes, a water jet cutter is not precisely the unique selling tagline here. Water jets have been around for a while now. They find application in many industrial processes involving cutting, shaping, and fabrication. What sets Wazer apart is its form factor and ease of usage. It is incredibly safe to work with, compact, and quiet. It is also easy to use, maintain, requires no ventilation and is cheaper than any other alternative in the market. Moreover, the makers claim that it can cut any material with precision.
How does it work?
The water jet is a mixture of water and fine granules of sand-like abrasives. These abrasives are called “garnet.” This water jet exits the nozzle at a controlled speed and cuts a material, employing a process known as micro-erosion. The garnet is commercially available for purchase from local vendors. Users can also order it from Wazer’s website in smaller quantities.
Watch Dan Meana, Director of Manufacturing at Wazer, explain a step by step working of the Wazer waterjet cutter
There are three main ingredients that this machine consumes. Water, electricity (standard 110V) and abrasives ($0.60 – $1.10 per pound). Like all machines, Wazer requires regular maintenance too. Used up abrasive needs to be removed after each job. The motion control system needs to be occasionally lubricated. The team is working on increasing the durability of the cutting head and cutting bed, which face regular wear based on usage.
Check out this page for a detailed list of compatible materials and thickness parameters, cutting speeds and other technical details.
