Titanium sheet, as well as titanium plate, are great raw materials for applications that require high strength but lightweight components.

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Water cutting, also known as water jet cutting, is a process that uses water at high pressure together with an abrasive element that is capable to cut through the metal. Common abrasive media include:

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Nevertheless, whenever in doubt, the best thing to do is to ask an expert before investing in water cutting or laser cutting of titanium sheet.

For example, water cutting for titanium sheet and titanium plate makes more sense when cutting simple shapes, since it will be a more cost-effective and efficient approach.

Both water cutting and laser cutting work well on titanium sheet and titanium plate. However, there may be reasons to choose one over the other.

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Water cutting and laser cutting are two titanium sheet and titanium plate processing methods which have grown in popularity in recent years. Therefore, there are a couple of international standards which cover the best practices for these two processes.

However, the answer to which is best out of the two options is that it will depend on the application in hand and the resources available. Also, the need for complex geometries plays an important role.

Laser cutting can be defined as a cutting method with no direct contact to the material which uses energy concentration in the form of a beam of light to cut through the metal. The light beam is focused through a nozzle and melts the metal until eventually vaporizing it. Most common laser cutting machines used to cut titanium sheet are CO2 machines with nitrogen or oxygen as supporting gases.

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However, while water cutting can achieve results when cutting a titanium sheet or titanium plate in a more complex shape, the process will take very long. In this case, laser cutting is a better option. Initial costs may be higher for laser cutting, but a reduction in operational costs will compensate that initial investment.

The best solution to the issues above when working with titanium sheet or titanium plate is using alternatives such as water cutting or laser cutting.

Titanium is similar to steel in when it comes to strength, but it can be around 40% lighter. And it has many other properties that make it the preferred choice for different manufacturers.

When cutting titanium sheet and titanium plate to manufacture parts, water cutting and laser cutting are usually the best options. Of course, they have their own advantages and disadvantages. These are the most relevant.

On the other hand, thanks to the high-precision that can be achieved with laser cutting, laser cutting will be a better idea when cutting very small holes on a titanium sheet or titanium plate. It is not that water cutting will not achieve it, but it will be harder and might not meet tight tolerances.

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However, there are some issues that need to be taken into account when working with titanium sheet and titanium plate. Especially if you are thinking of milling these materials. The main considerations are:

To better understand what are the differences between water and laser cutting, let’s take a look at the basic definitions of each method.