Abrasive water jet cutting machine

Abstract

To provide an abrasive water jet cutting machine in which an abrasive recovery unit can be continuously used without needing maintenance, and an abrasive having a uniform grain size can be easily recovered, the machine has a catch tank for receiving a high-pressure abrasive mixture liquid jetted from a jet nozzle, and an abrasive recovery unit that recovers abrasive having a grain size in a reusable predetermined range from the abrasive mixture liquid transported from the catch tank, and transports abrasive mixture liquid including recovered abrasive into an abrasive-mixture-liquid retention tank; wherein the abrasive recovery unit has an abrasive sorting tank which flows the abrasive mixture liquid transported from the catch tank in an approximately horizontal direction, and sorts abrasive depending on grain size by using difference in sedimentation rate depending on grain size, and recovers the abrasive having the grain size in the reusable predetermined range.

1 . An abrasive water jet cutting machine comprising: 
 an abrasive-mixture-liquid retention tank for retaining an abrasive mixture liquid in which an abrasive and a liquid are mixed,    a high-pressure liquid supply unit for feeding out the abrasive mixture liquid retained in the abrasive-mixture-liquid retention tank at high pressure by supplying a high-pressure liquid to the abrasive-mixture-liquid retention tank,    a jet nozzle for jetting the high-pressure abrasive mixture liquid, which is fed out from the abrasive-mixture-liquid retention tank, to workpiece,    a catch tank for receiving the high-pressure abrasive mixture liquid jetted from the jet nozzle, and    an abrasive recovery unit that recovers abrasive having grain size in a reusable predetermined range from the abrasive mixture liquid transported from the catch tank, and transports abrasive mixture liquid including recovered abrasive into the abrasive-mixture-liquid retention tank, thereby cutting the workpiece by the high-pressure abrasive mixture liquid jetted from the jet nozzle;    wherein the abrasive recovery unit has an abrasive sorting tank that flows the abrasive mixture liquid transported from the catch tank in an approximately horizontal direction, and sorts abrasive depending on grain size of the abrasive by using difference in sedimentation rate caused by grain size of the abrasive, and recover the reusable abrasive having the grain size in the predetermined range;    the abrasive sorting tank has a flow inlet provided on an upper portion at one end side, a flow outlet provided on an upper portion at the other end side, a first sorting member as a partition member that is set at a side of the flow inlet in a bottom and divides the bottom, a second sorting member as a partition member that is set at a side of the flow outlet in the bottom and divides the bottom, and a first discharge port set between the first and second sorting members; and    when the abrasive mixture liquid transported from the catch tank flows in the approximately horizontal direction from the flow inlet to the flow outlet,    the abrasive sorting tank sediments abrasive having a grain size larger than a maximum of the reusable predetermined range included in the relevant abrasive mixture liquid in a side near the flow inlet side compared with the first sorting member, sediments abrasive having a grain size in the reusable predetermined range between the first and second sorting members, and sediments abrasive having a grain size smaller than a minimum of the reusable predetermined range in a side near the flow outlet side compared with the second sorting member, and    discharges the abrasive having the grain size in the reusable predetermined range from the first discharge port and recover it.    
     
     
         2 . The abrasive water jet cutting machine according to  claim 1 , wherein height of the first and second sorting members may be changed.  
     
     
         3 . The abrasive water jet cutting machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the abrasive sorting tank further has a second discharge port set at a side near the flow inlet compared with the first sorting member in the bottom, and a third discharge port set at a side near the flow outlet compared with the second sorting member in the bottom, 
 so that the abrasive having the grain size larger than the maximum of the reusable predetermined range is discharged from the second discharge port, and the abrasive having the grain size smaller than the minimum of the reusable predetermined range is discharged from the third discharge port.    
     
     
         4 . The abrasive water jet cutting machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the abrasive sorting tank further has a second discharge port set at a side near the flow inlet compared with the first sorting member in the bottom, and a third discharge port set at a side near the flow outlet compared with the second sorting member in the bottom, 
 so that the abrasive having the grain size larger than the maximum of the reusable predetermined range is discharged from the second discharge port, and the abrasive having the grain size smaller than the minimum of the reusable predetermined range is discharged from the third discharge port.