There are a lot of different methods for cutting various materials, and most of the time people think in terms of saws or lasers. However, there’s another versatile and highly effective option that produces amazing results: water jet cutting services, a multi-purpose cutting method that works well with almost any material.

Here’s how it works.

Why Water Jet Cutting Services Are A Great Option for Custom Cutting

Water jet cutting utilizes a fine stream of water that is incredibly pressurized and forced through a nozzle with a diameter of only around .15mm.

The result functions much like a blade that is capable of smoothly slicing through almost anything.  And to boost its cutting power, the water can be seeded with an abrasive like diamond dust.  This enables even the hardest materials—up to eight inches thick—to be effectively cut.

It’s very quick and very accurate, capable of achieving tolerances up to ± .003.”

Water jet cutting also brings several other benefits:

• Water jets don’t damage the surrounding material.  Lasers or plasma torches can scorch the material, while blades will leave rough edges.
• For this reason, water jets don’t require any rework or finishing.  The cut is perfectly smooth on the first pass.
• Water jets can be used on virtually any material, even those too heat-sensitive for lasers or too fragile for blades, and they can even safely cut foam.

In short, water jet cutting services can cut almost anything faster, better, and less expensively than just about any other cutting method.  

Precision Cutting Service Can Create the Custom Products You Need

From signs to floor medallions to custom gaskets and OEM parts, our water jet cutting services can be relied on for a huge number of applications.  Contact us to learn more!

When it comes to attracting people into your place of business, there is perhaps no single piece of advertising that is more important than your outdoor sign.  The sign above your door tells visitors a lot about your business, and will often be the deciding factor in whether they walk in.  If the sign is faded, or dirty, or otherwise looks poorly maintained, passersby assume the same for your business.

The challenge, of course, is that outdoor signs need to withstand the elements; that is, they have to stand up to direct sunlight, rain, hail, and numerous other environmental factors without looking any worse for wear.  This is why custom cut metal signs are, by far, the best option for outdoor signage.

Why Choose Custom Cut Aluminum Signs for Your Outdoor Advertising

1. Cut aluminum is highly durable

Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals in the world, and for good reason—it strikes an excellent balance between being lightweight and easy to work with, while still being exceptionally strong.  Aluminum can stand up to just about any storm, plus it is completely unaffected by direct sunlight.

2. Colored aluminum does not fade

When you buy a sign made of aluminum from a quality dealer, do not allow the color to be painted on; instead, ask for powder coating, a process that bakes and bonds durable colored power onto the aluminum, creating a finish that is not only vibrant but one that is also corrosion, dent and chip resistant, yielding years of maintenance free service.

3. 3D custom cut metal signs offer amazing opportunities

A 3D sign is almost guaranteed to wow your visitors, by going so far beyond the typical one-pass cut sign.  A 3D sign, also known as a dimensional sign, can have many different levels attached to each other to create a truly substantive message.  There’s very little limit to this layering, allowing you to create amazing, eye-catching signs.

By combining with the strength of aluminum with the durability of powder coating, you’ll have a sign that lasts for years.  It could easily be the best single advertising investment you make for your business.

Precision Cutting Service Offers Top-Quality Custom Cut Metal Signs

We have years of experience and a high-quality water jet cutting system that can economically produce signs for you from a drawing on the back of an envelope, or from a CAD file, or from anything in between.  Please contact us directly to discuss your needs.

6/10/2016, Savannah, GA
Plates, designs, etc. cutouts.

When customers visit the Precision Cutting Service team to talk about their projects, they’re sometimes surprised we use water and not a laser to cut their materials. Because water jet cutting is not well understood we thought we would discuss how water jet cutting works in this blog.

What is waterjet cutting, and how does it differ from laser cutting?

Understanding How A Custom Water Jet Cutting Service Works

Water jet cutting is exactly what it sounds like—we use special nozzles that direct water at more than 50,000 PSI in very thin streams.  Think about the erosive properties of a river cutting through a canyon.  That’s what we’re doing, but version is a million times or more faster.

Sometimes we add very fine abrasive to the water, depending on the material we need to cut, to ensure a smooth, clean surface.

While there’s no “magic bullet” solution to all cutting needs, waterjets have several big benefits over lasers:

• No heat.  The chemical composition of many materials, rubber included, will be adversely affected by the heat from a laser cutting device, but there’s no such worry with water jet cutting.  We can cut nearly anything without damaging the the integrity of the material.
• Deeper cuts.  Lasers have severe limitations in how thick materials can be, because of their heat\energy dispersion properties.  They struggle to cut more than around half an inch deep.  Water jets can cleanly cut six inches deep or more.
• Cost-effectiveness.  Water jet cutting equipment are expensive to buy but relatively inexpensive to operate and maintain.  After all, they just use recyclable water.  As a result, we can offer lower cutting prices than most laser-based shops.

In summary, we believe water jet cutting to be the most versatile solution cutting solution for most materials, shapes and size, allowing us to offer a much wider range service options for our customers.

Need Cost-Effective Cutting? 

Our custom water jet cutting service can handle a huge variety of needs and materials, and we have more than 20 years of experience creating solutions that work.  Whatever your next project, contact Precision Cutting Service to learn more about the benefits of waterjet cutting.

What is C-4401?

C-4401 is a synthetic, compressed fiber, non-Asbestos sheet designed to replace asbestos in gasket applications. Competitively priced, C-4401 has an integral binder that prevents airborne dust. It is this dust, asbestos dust, that is so dangerous, and why asbestos is no longer permitted to be used.

Why Choose Precision Cutting Service for C-4401?

One of the many reasons to choose Precision Cutting Service is that it is one of the most experienced companies using C-4401. Since its founding in 1994, PCS has cut more gaskets from this material that from almost any other material. Their C-4401 custom gaskets are recommended for use in sealing oils, solvents, fuels, non-aggressive solutions, and service conditions up to 750°F (399°C).

Precision Cutting Service will custom cut gaskets to one’s exact specifications. Standard sheet sizes are the 60″ x 60″ square, 60″ wide x 120″ long, or 60″ wide x 180″ long in the following thicknesses: 1/64″, 1/32″, 3/64″, 1/16″, 3/32″ and 1/8″.  The PCS computer numeric controllers and top design team makes certain that each PCS customer receives the maximum efficient cut from any sheet size.

Industries that Use Precision Cutting Service’s C-4401 Gaskets

The following industries are just a few of the ones that depend on Precision Cutting Service to deliver high performing C-4401 gaskets.

• Petrochemical
• Chemical
• Food
• Paper
• Mining
• Steel
• Aerospace
• Transportation

What Makes the C-4401 the Ideal Product?

The C-4401 gasket sheet delivers numerous advantages over other materials. For example, it is softer and more flexible than conventional Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), so it can easily conform to rough and irregular surfaces. This material also offers an excellent seal and chemical resistance. And because it is manufactured from synthetic fibers, with a Nitrile binder system, it mitigates the impact of airborne dust. As stated earlier, it is an exceptional gasket material for sealing liquids in high temperature applications up to 750°F (399°C) and for sealing gases and steam at temperatures up to 450°F (232°C). Typical applications are as seal for compressors, pipe flanges, pumps and valves.

Precision Cutting Service

In addition to C-4401, PCS offers hundreds of high performance custom gaskets at affordable prices. To learn more about PCS, call today!

Finetuning the Design

It was a couple of years ago that a customer of Precision Cutting Service noticed a sturdy lawn chair in the shape of a butterfly, while on her travels. She was enamored with the piece and wanted one for herself, but of her own design. She then contacted the team at Precision Cutting Service and found out that her design was feasible, and could be completed at an affordable price point.

She then sent the information on the chair to our experts. The design for the chair was then loaded into our CAD software, and our team made some modifications in order to enhance the appearance and improve the durability of the piece. Since our technical qualities and our cutting-edge equipment, we were able to complete the water jet cutting services project in less than two weeks. The customer was then so pleased with the results of the project that she ordered a second chair directly through our team. We’re now selling our exquisite chairs to clients throughout the region.

How We Did It

We first took a couple of large sheet ¼” iron plates, loaded the cutting diagrams into the computer-controlled water jet cutting machines, and then cut out the butterfly design from the original. One plate made up the butterfly’s wings, and the other made up the seat for the chair structure. Once the cutting was completed, we sent the sheets to the fabrication department, and they bent the wings into a contour that fit with the design, and then they welded the seat to the wings.

Lastly, we powder-coated the chair in a rich rust color with a hammered appearance. The powder coating added a layer of durability and long-term protection against weathering. This level of fabrication and design elegance meant that our butterfly chair was unique to the butterfly chairs you see on the market today. Our design was custom-made from an original and then fabricated uniquely for the client to ensure the ideal piece.

Precision Cutting Service

We’re now offering our custom-crafted butterfly chairs for use in and around your home. To discover more on these outstanding pieces and speak with a member of our water jet cutting services team contact us today!

When clients ask us to craft a custom aluminum sign, one question we frequently hear is “Can we make the sign in color and will it stand up to the elements?”

The answer is, “Of course. Thanks to powder coating, we can make a sign in just about any color you want and, thanks to the almost indestructible coating we apply to it, the sign should last forever without fading or chipping.

Powder coating is the standard standard for creating highly-visible colored aluminum signage that resists weather and other environmental factors.

Why Powder Coating Signs Makes Sense

Basically, powder coating involves spraying aluminum signs with a specially-prepared plastic or epoxy powder that is electrically charged and bonds to the aluminum to create a smooth hard surface.  Depending on the desired effect, there are two major ways powder coating is applied.

• Thermoset powders are used when color and attractiveness is the primary concern.  With this method, the powder is sprayed onto cold metal, and the powder is held in place by electrostatic charges.  Then the sign is baked in an oven to cure the powder, somewhat like a ceramic coating.  Thermoset powder coating is also highly durable.

• Thermoplastic powders are primarily used when corrosion resistance is the main objective. For this method, the powder is sprayed directly onto heated aluminum, causing the spray to instantly melt and bond to the metal.

For either process, the resulting finish is much harder and more colorful than anything than paints or vinyl coating.  Thermoset powders are available in just about any color  and texture imaginable.

Powder coated signs are a great choice for nearly any public-facing aluminum sign.  You get highly visible colors that withstand everything that nature can throw at it.

Turn To Precision Cutting Service for Great Options in Powder Coated Signs

Our custom signs combine state-of-the-art water jet cutting techniques with the latest in coloring to make signage that really pops!  Contact us to learn more.

SAVANNAH, GA—Precision Cutting Service, a Savannah, Georgia, based water jet cutting service, announced today the addition of Chandler Taylor to its team of highly skilled technicians. After completing his four-month onboarding program, Mr. Taylor assumed his place as a key machine operator, responsible for cutting steel, aluminum, ceramic tile, granite and marble, and rubber in all its various forms.

“Like the Marines, we are always looking for a few good men,” said Joe Moore, President of Precision Cutting Service, “and Chandler, who is a former Lance Corporal in the Marines, fits the description perfectly. He is reliable, steady, adaptable, and someone we can count on to do his job well. He is good with his hands, has a keen eye for detail, and works well in our team environment.”

A native of Savannah, Georgia, Chandler maintains an active outdoor lifestyle that includes hiking, hunting and fishing.

About Precision Cutting Service: Precision Cutting Service is one of the nation’s pre-eminent water jet cutting operations. We specialize in intricate and complex projects and are well known for cutting specialty gaskets, multi-layer metal signs, highly detailed floor medallions and logos, and just about anything one can imagine.

We want to briefly address the benefits and drawbacks of each process. Let’s start with laser cutting.

• Understanding Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is straightforward.It’s a finely tuned beam of intense light that burns its way through materials.  It is particularly good for engraving and partial cuts.

There’s one BIG downside, however. Laser cutting can severely damage certain materials. The heat from the laser can disrupt the chemical composition of many materials and in some cases severely burn them. A laser, for example, cannot effectively cut rubber. Likewise, some materials like ceramic tile, are resistant to lasers and therefore do not lend themselves to laser cutting.

The Benefits of Waterjet Cutting

Waterjet cutting on the other hand can cut virtually any material, without burning or otherwise disrupting the chemical composition of the material. Deformation or other damage to the material. Metals, plastics, vinyl, ceramics, tiles, stone, aluminum, rubber, and even foam are great examples of the material we cut daily here at Precision Cutting Service. 

Water jet cutting, because it delivers such a clean, smooth and accurate cut, can also be less expensive than laser jet cutting in the long run because little if any post cut handling, such as sanding rough edges, is required with it. With water jet cutting, there’s just one cut and it’s done.

That’s why we embraced water cutting here at Precision Cutting Service. Contact us directly to learn more!

What is Milam PSS Gasket Material?

Milam PSS is an asbestos-free high-temperature gasket sheet material manufactured from mica and reinforced with a perforated marine-grade (316) stainless steel sheet. Our fine abrasive water jet cutting machines can precisely shape this material to a wide variety of specifications that do not require post cut sanding or smoothing. Milam PSS is available in either 1.3 mm or 3mm thicknesses. Standard sheet sizes are 1200 mm x 1000 mm (47.2 in x 39.4 in). Typically, Milam PSS is available in a golden brown or fawn green color.

What are the advantages of Milam PSS?

Milam PSS gasket material is readily available and can be used in environments up to 900ºC (1652ºF).  It also has superior resistance to acids, bases, solvents, and oils.   Additionally, it has good compressive strength —a vital requirement in many gaskets that must perform under high pressure.  

What are common applications of Milam PSS?

The Milam PSS gasket material functions particularly well in hot dry gas environments as gaskets for performance exhaust manifolds, turbochargers and turbines. It is also a good seal for burner ducting. In addition, Milam PSS is a great material if your application includes repeated exposure to seawater or caustic chemicals.

To learn more about how Precision Cutting Service can help you with your gasket needs, including Milam PSS, contact us today for a free consultation, or visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on our website.