After deciding on your stainless steel plate or sheet sizes and grades for your 
next project, you might find yourself wondering what kind of cutting system you should use: waterjet versus plasma? Alliant Metals’ experts can help you narrow in on what will work best for your needs, but we also love pointing out some of the advantages of both systems.
Waterjet Cutting:
Precision cutting. When you have intricate or specific specs, waterjet cutting will be able to offer you precision .005 of an inch and often eliminates the need for second finishes.
Environmentally friendly. Waterjet cuts produce no hazardous waste as the abrasive is garnet and as a natural product, it does not contaminant our environment.
Keeps integrity. Using this cutting system does not expose your metals to extreme heats, which means their intrinsic properties will not be altered and their integrity will stay intact.
Cuts multiple materials. Looking to cut stainless steel up to 3 inches thick? Waterjet cutting can cut stainless, aluminum, copper, bronze, brass, carbon, and titanium with no problem.
Plasma Cutting:
Fast cutting. Plasma cutting is able to accomplish some cuts faster than many laser cutting systems, which in turn increases production and income by cutting costs.
Economical. There are many expensive options for cutting metals such as steel, but plasma cutting is one of the most affordable. For example, it costs about half of what it takes to use oxy-fuel laser cutting.
Can cut multiple thicknesses. For the most past, plasma cutting can be done on a number of metals with different thicknesses and will complete effectively.
Easy to use. One of the contributing factors to plasma cutting being a more inexpensive option is that operating the torch is relatively simple and does not require some of the more complex adjustments of other cutting systems.
Luckily, Alliant metals not only offers stainless steel for sale, we can also cut this metal to fit your specific requirements. From waterjet to plasma, you won’t be disappointed by the value-added services we can do in-house. Need plate or sheet polishing in addition to waterjet or plasma cutting or have additional questions regarding your specific applications, please call us today at (800) 543-1453.
