Waterjet Cutting of Semi-Finished Products with Use of Secondary Garnet at Stages of Metallurgical Processing

The paper offers a market analysis and review related to secondary (recycled) garnet produced by recycling sludge using the waterjet cutting machines. Industrial quality garnet is a limited natural resource. The studies have shown that it is cost-effective to use recycling systems to process the post-waterjet cutting abrasive. A return on investment term was found to be 12 to 14 months, while the profit growth was 20–38%. It is forecasted that up to 15–40% growth in the fraction of recycled garnet used in the waterjet cutting process can be achieved. Arguably, after the abrasive recovery system is implemented, the abrasive-related costs are reduced by 60%. The garnet concentrate sludge can be recycled up to five times. Multiple service companies that offer recycling and recovery of the post-waterjet cutting sludge are being formed globally. Modern installations are capable of sustaining the production volume of up to 12,000 ton/year. A pilot model of the technological process for regenerating post-waterjet cutting garnet concentrate sludge using an electric mass classification technique has been developed. Pilot batches of abrasives for industrial use in waterjet cutting operations and for abrasive-jet machining have been produced. Industrial tests of the obtained 80 and 120 mesh sand samples and their mixture were carried out at the production facilities of the waterjet cutting users.