Some General Tips to help you cut those stubborn materials
CNC WaterJets are extremely versatile machines capable of cutting a large variety of materials, including glass, ceramics, and stone. In fact, MultiCam WaterJet’s have the ability to cut over 40 different materials making it a very powerful CNC cutting solution. Some materials, however, can prove to be more stubborn than others when cutting. As such, it may be wise to learn about the different cutting methods that can be used to tackle these tough materials. Listed below are several different methods for Waterjet piercing:
Wiggle Piercing:
This type of piercing involves moving the cutting head 
back and forth over a short distance while the waterjet is running. This allows for quick and clean piercing of thick materials in a small amount of space. In addition, this method prevents the backwash from the waterjet from reducing the effectiveness of the pierce. If you are cutting thicker materials, this is a very effective method.
Dynamic Piercing:
Differing from wiggle piercing, in dynamic piercing the jet does not “wiggle”, but rather slowly moves into the material, piercing as it moves. If this method is properly implemented, the process will be quick and often faster than wiggle piercing.
Stationary Piercing:
As the name suggests, a stationary pierce is performed without moving the nozzle. The nozzle simply turns on and waits until the material is pierced. This is the method of piercing if you do not have enough room to perform a dynamic or wiggle pierce, or if the material is valuable and you want to minimize the amount of scrap produced. It is a slower process than the other two methods, but is primarily used for piercing thin material or small holes.
Low Pressure Piercing:
For brittle materials, it is often desirable to pierce at a lower pressure than you would normally cut with. This helps to prevent cracking the material. Low pressure piercing can be combined with any of the above cutting methods.
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