New York-based technology company WAZER recently launched its WAZER Pro waterjet cutter. This new offering follows the success of the company’s WAZER Desktop model, which debuted in 2018 after raising $1.3 million on Kickstarter.
WAZER Pro is a compact system optimized for engineers and manufacturers requiring high-quality, efficient performance. It cuts through thicker materials and operates two to four times faster than its predecessor, significantly boosting performance.
WAZER’s latest system features a new automatic abrasive collection system, making maintenance easier and more efficient. This enables up to 90 minutes of uninterrupted cutting, compared to the WAZER Desktop’s 60-minute continuous runtime. Moreover, the new WAZER Pro prioritizes accessibility. Its intuitive user interface and easy-to-use WAM software simplify operation, while hassle-free maintenance and responsive customer support remove common obstacles.
Starting at just $18,999, WAZER Pro stands out as an affordable option in the industrial waterjet market, where machines often exceed $100,000. Customers can also trade in their old WAZER Desktop for a discounted price.
This lowers the barrier to entry, making high-quality waterjet cutting more accessible to a wider range of users. According to the company, WAZER Pro delivers the most powerful cutting performance in its price range, while requiring less maintenance than any other system on the market.
3D Printing Industry’s engineering team visited Solid Print 3D, a Coventry-based WAZER reseller, to put these claims to the test.
Why choose the WAZER Pro?
The WAZER Pro may be compact, measuring just 856 x 648 x 1400 mm, but it packs a punch. Designed to fit comfortably in most workspaces, the machine features a high-performance waterjet nozzle with a 0.51mm orifice. This narrow aperture concentrates water pressure, boosting cutting efficiency.
As the high-speed jet exits the nozzle, it generates negative pressure, drawing abrasive material through a lateral feed tube. The abrasive mixes thoroughly with the water inside a 1.1 mm diameter mixing tube before being expelled to enhance the cutting power.
The result is a versatile, high-power system capable of slicing through a broad range of materials and thicknesses. This includes up to 10 mm of steel and 25.4 mm of composites, glass, tile, plastic, rubber, and foam.
With a 12-by-18-inch cutting area and a kerf width of just 0.044 inches, the WAZER Pro accommodates a wide range of industrial, prototyping, and manufacturing tasks. The gantry moves at up to 1,500 mm per minute (59 inches per minute), boosting throughput to meet tight production schedules..
Additionally, the WAZER Pro incorporates an upgraded pump that is significantly more powerful than its predecessor. It delivers a hydraulic power output of 2,088 W and achieves an operating pressure of 7,400 psi (510 bar), enabling faster cutting.
Cutting speeds vary by material and thickness. For metals, WAZER Pro achieves up to 8.4 inches per minute (ipm) in tool steel and 8.6 ipm in stainless and mild steel. Copper yields to the jet at 8.9 ipm, while titanium cuts cleanly at 8.7 ipm. Brass reaches 12.9 ipm, and aluminum slices at up to 16.2 ipm.
For less demanding materials, speeds climb even higher. Up to 40.5 ipm for tile, and as much as 59.1 ipm for glass, plastic, and composite. A full list of WAZER Pro material specifications is available on the official WAZER website.
The WAZER Pro’s gantry, nozzle, and pump. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Uptime is further increased with a redesigned abrasive collection system. Unlike the Desktop model, which requires users to remove the bed, drain the tank, and manually scoop out used abrasive, the new system automates the process.
Abrasive is gathered into removable catch buckets for quick disposal, streamlining maintenance. The WAZER Pro also introduces a new handheld water hose, allowing users to quickly rinse debris from parts after cutting.
Another new feature in the WAZER Pro is the backflow sensor. This detects if water enters the abrasion tube, automatically pausing waterjet operations to prevent damage to the dry abrasive system. This reduces downtime, allowing issues to be quickly identified and amended.
For small-scale manufacturers, noise from industrial equipment can be a significant concern. The WAZER Pro addresses this with a sound pressure level of just 77.6 dB. Noise can be further reduced with its submerged cutting feature, which floods the tank above the nozzle compressor tube. The water acts as a natural dampener, noticeably softening the sound.
Submersion also improves cut quality by containing the abrasive stream and reducing heat buildup. This is particularly useful when working with delicate materials such as glass or thin metals.
To further bolster cut quality, the WAZER Pro incorporates an absolute locating jig. This precision-engineered fixture ensures consistent, repeatable placement of material on the cutting platform.
The WAZER Pro’s removable catch buckets, hose, and absolute locating jig. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Professional water jet cutting made easy
In testing, the WAZER Pro proved straightforward to operate, making it ideal for newcomers seeking professional-grade waterjet capabilities. Setup is swift. Unboxing takes just 30 minutes, aided by a clear and comprehensive manual.
Operation is managed via a small but effective LCD screen. The user interface enables quick file selection, Z-offset adjustment between nozzle and material, and monitoring of abrasive levels and waste tanks. A prominent red stop button adds an extra layer of safety, allowing users to halt jetting immediately in the event of an emergency.
Maintenance can be a daunting obstacle that limits the adoption of industrial manufacturing equipment, like waterjet cutters. Thankfully, the WAZER Pro is designed for ease of upkeep. Its streamlined design allows users to replace key, consumable components with minimal downtime. The nozzle, for instance, lasts around 300 hours before needing to be replaced, while the cutting bed endures between 20 and 40 hours.
Routine maintenance on the WAZER Pro is refreshingly simple. The removable abrasive catch buckets should be checked and emptied roughly every two hours, a quick task that prevents build-up and wear.
Several automated features further reduce maintenance demands. Nozzle purging blasts high-pressure water through the nozzle to clear contaminants, while automated tank cleaning dislodges spent abrasive and channels it into the collection hoppers.
Should problems arise, WAZER offers responsive customer support. The company partners with regional resellers, such as Solid Print 3D in the UK, to assist with setup and installation. Its in-house after-sales team also provides prompt and effective troubleshooting guidance. In our experience, WAZER’s customer support was helpful and efficient, enabling our engineering team to resolve issues quickly and resume testing with minimal disruption.
Testing WAZER’s WAM software
The WAZER Pro operates via the company’s proprietary WAM software, accessible through a web browser and reliant on a stable Wi-Fi connection. Its clean, intuitive interface provides swift access to essential settings and tools.
In the first step of the cutting workflow, users import their .svg or .dxf file, which outlines the design to be cut. Next, the vector file can be scaled and positioned. The software does not allow the design file to be manually dragged. Instead, users must enter numerical values.
This workflow leaves room for improvement. Greater flexibility in positioning and an expanded suite of advanced tools would enhance usability. A built-in vector editor, for example, would eliminate the need to alternate between WAM and third-party CAD software.
After scaling and positioning their design, users choose the material from a built-in menu featuring pre-tested profiles with optimized cutting parameters. This eliminates manual calibration, streamlining the process and sparing users the trial and error often involved in parameter setup.
Following this, users define the cutting path. This essential step dictates how closely the tool follows the design vector. WAM software allows tabs to be added manually or automatically. These small, intentional connections anchor the part to the surrounding material, preventing it from dislodging.
Users can choose between three cut quality levels in the WAM software: Coarse, Medium, or Fine. These options impact the gantry’s cutting speed and, consequently, the overall cutting time. The Coarse setting prioritizes speed, increasing gantry movement for faster cuts. Whereas, the Fine setting slows the process to deliver a smoother, more refined finish.
WAZER’s WAM software scale and position, material selection, cutting path, and tabs and leads selection interface. Images by 3D Printing Industry.
Benchmarking the Wazer Pro
According to WAZER, the WAZER Pro retains high precision, accuracy, and repeatability. We investigated these claims through a series of benchmarking tests.
We began with the test file provided by the company. This simple cut, conducted with Ceramic in Fine cut mode, was successful. The result quickly produced all geometries with smooth edges, representing a strong start for the WAZER Pro.
WAZER Pro test model results. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
For batch production and industrial engineering applications, dimensional precision is key. Good dimensional accuracy translates to strong repeatability, ensuring dimensions don’t fluctuate between waterjet cutting jobs.
Our team produced 24 small rectangles measuring 20 x 15 mm from 1 mm aluminum. These were measured and compared to the intended dimension. A capable system is expected to deliver a mean deviation under 0.1 mm and a standard deviation below 0.05 mm.
WAZER Pro repeatability parts. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
The WAZER Pro easily exceeded these benchmarks. The overall mean difference across all tests was 0.02 mm, well below the threshold. Moreover, the standard deviation for both axes was just 0.011 mm, demonstrating outstanding precision. These results confirm the new waterjet cutter as highly capable of producing high-tolerance cuts.
WAZER Pro repeatability results. Images by 3D Printing Industry.
The WAZER Pro uses a belt-driven system to control its axis movements. However, system inertia can reduce accuracy during rapid acceleration or deceleration, leading to slight deviations, particularly noticeable when cutting circular shapes.
Can the WAZER Pro cut a perfect circle? To find out, we produced 1.5 mm aluminum circular test models with diameters of 50 mm, 100 mm, and 150 mm. Each part was fabricated three times, measured, and compared to the target size.
The mean difference between the X and Y axes for all test parts was just 0.001 mm, an excellent result that reflects the WAZER Pro’s ability to produce near-perfect circles. The mean deviation across all tests was 0.059 mm, well below the 0.1 mm tolerance threshold. Meanwhile, the mean standard deviation was 0.031 mm, under the 0.05 mm benchmark.
Measured deviations increased slightly with larger diameters, indicating the WAZER Pro faces some difficulty with broad arcing motions. This limitation is typical of belt-driven systems and does not detract from the waterjet cutter’s otherwise impressive performance.
WAZER Pro circular trajectory cuts. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Wazer Pro material compatibility and waterjet cutting applications
Our engineering team also evaluated the WAZER Pro’s performance across different materials and thicknesses in real-world applications.
We first produced a 3D Printing Industry stencil using 3 mm polycarbonate (PC). The stencil met our expectations, featuring smooth outlines with no significant issues. Traditional laser cutters melt PC material at the contact point, leaving surface defects. When set to Fine mode, WAZER’s waterjet cutter overcomes this challenge, producing clean cuts with no residual artefacts.
Next, we created a stained glass window by cutting and assembling stained glass and acrylic materials. The intricate geometries on the three stained glass sheets were cut with impressive precision.
Waterjetting applied no mechanical force to the glass, significantly reducing the risk of cracks, chips, or breakage. Additionally, waterjet cutting does not generate heat, preventing thermal stress and microfractures that could weaken the glass. Ultimately, both materials were assembled seamlessly with minimal effort, reflecting the WAZER Pro’s impressive precision.
WAZER Pro stained glass window results. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Drone production is a growing application amid increasing consumer demand. These devices often feature frames made from hardened composite materials.
To evaluate the WAZER Pro’s suitability for drone manufacturing, the team produced a frame from 2 mm-thick carbon fiber. The machine delivered exceptional precision across all geometries, including small circular cut-outs. However, water ingress led to layer delamination, an issue linked to the material’s quality. Lower-grade carbon fibre is more vulnerable to such defects when waterjet cut.
WAZER Pro carbon fiber drone frame. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
A separate frame produced by Solid Print 3D using a higher-grade carbon fibre sheet exhibited no delamination. This highlights the WAZER Pro’s capability to handle advanced composites effectively.
Our team then turned to metal cutting, beginning with copper. Due to its reflectivity, this versatile material is notoriously difficult for laser cutters, which create discolouration or thermal distortion. Waterjetting, by contrast, avoids heat altogether, delivering precise cuts while preserving the metal’s original finish.
The WAZER Pro performed strongly in copper cutting tests. Using 1.5 mm-thick 110 Copper, our team produced a motorcycle head gasket in Fine mode. The result exceeded expectations, with clean edges and high surface quality. Minimal post-processing was required, confirming the machine’s suitability for producing functional, high-precision copper components.
WAZER Pro copper gasket result. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
We next sought to assess the WAZER Pro’s precision when cutting denser materials. Our team produced a KTM motorcycle bracket using 3 mm aluminum. The waterjet cutter performed well here. It delivered precise and clean cuts, maintaining excellent edge quality with minimal taper.
To ensure success rate and accuracy, we utilized tabs and leads, which were successfully generated in WAM without any issues. The tabs held the part securely in place during cutting, preventing unwanted movement. Meanwhile, the leads provided a smooth entry point, minimizing edge imperfections.
An aluminum bracket that was cut using the WAZER Pro. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Next, we tested the WAZER Pro’s performance with 1 mm-thick Titanium Grade 2 by producing a mountain bike chainring bracket. Initially, we noticed that the toolhead began moving without fully penetrating the material.
In response, we reduced the cutting speed to 80%, enabling the abrasive stream to pierce the material more effectively. However, this adjustment led to an incomplete cut-out, rendering the part unusable. To avoid such outcomes, users can run a cut-rate test, accessible via the maintenance section of the user interface. This helps determine the optimal pierce time and cutting speed for a given material, helping to achieve first-time right cuts.
Mountain bike chainring bracket. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
To increase the difficulty, we tasked the WAZER Pro with cutting a 1 mm-thick brass gasket with intricate features that demanded precise dimensional tolerances. To ensure functionality, the part required clean cuts, minimal edge taper, and no distortion.
The WAZER Pro met the task with ease, delivering the required precision without visible defects. The gasket was completed in just nine minutes, demonstrating the system’s capability to produce high-quality, functional metal parts with impressive speed.
A brass gasket cut using the WAZER Pro. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Finally, we challenged the WAZER Pro to cut a 1-inch (25.4 mm)-thick aluminum flange.
The part was completed in 2 hours and 50 minutes, consuming around 25.4 kg of abrasive. WAZER Pro’s hoppers can only hold 19.1 kg of abrasive at a time, meaning refills were required during the cutting process. These interruptions left six visible pierce marks, compromising visual quality and introducing minor dimensional inaccuracies.
Therefore, while the WAZER Pro is technically capable of cutting 1-inch aluminum, extended operations may affect output quality, demanding more extensive post-processing for high-precision applications.
A 1-inch aluminum flange cut using the WAZER Pro. Photos by 3D Printing Industry.
Democratizing professional water jet cutting with the WAZER Pro
The WAZER Pro stands out as a strong addition to the waterjet market. It boasts significant advancements in cutting accuracy, usability, and maintenance, making it an excellent choice for users targeting compact, high-performance waterjet cutting.
At just $18,999, the WAZER Pro offers a remarkably cost-effective solution. Its intuitive workflow and low maintenance reduce the need for extensive training. By combining ease of use with industrial capability, the WAZER Pro lowers the barrier to entry and opens waterjet cutting to a broader community of manufacturers and engineers.
Several features stood out during testing. The upgraded water pump, submerged cutting, backflow sensor, enhanced water hose, and self-cleaning functions all work together to reduce hands-on maintenance.
The WAM software also impressed us. Its streamlined interface makes importing, processing, and executing cutting files straightforward. A comprehensive material library and well-optimized presets further support successful first-time cuts.
Despite its accelerated speeds, the new waterjet cutter offers impressive accuracy, precision, and surface finish across a slew of challenging materials. Our repeatability testing yielded a mean difference of 0.02 mm and a standard deviation of 0.011 mm, both well below our benchmarks. The circular trajectory test further confirmed optimal belt tensioning, with no significant deviations across either axis.
While WAM is ideal for beginners, it lacks the customization and advanced editing features found in other CNC software. On the hardware side, we experienced occasional false triggers with the backflow sensor after resuming cutting. Adjusting the sensor’s sensitivity or adding a temporary bypass to disable detection for a few minutes after moisture is cleared could resolve this issue.
Although the WAZER Pro can cut through 1-inch-thick aluminum, its limited abrasive capacity necessitates mid-operation refills. These interruptions can leave surface defects that require post-processing and may compromise dimensional accuracy.
Despite these minor niggles, the new waterjet cutter impressed our team. It represents a clear step up from its already capable predecessor, the WAZER Desktop. With its affordable price, wide material compatibility, low maintenance, streamlined workflow, and strong performance, the WAZER Pro offers a compelling option for those seeking professional waterjet cutting performance without the premium price tag.
WAZER Pro technical specifications
| Cuttin Area (D x W) | 12 x 18 in305 x 460 mm |
| Cut Bed Size (D x W) | 13 x 19 in330 x 485 mm |
| Machine Dimension | 34 x 26 x 55 in856 x 648 x 1400 mm |
| Machine Weight | 360 kg (filled) 170 kg (empty) |
| Kerf (width of cut) | 0.044 in1.1 mm |
| Abrasive Rate | 0.33 lb/min0.15 kg/min |
| Waterjet Working Pressure | 7,400 psi |
| Cutting Materials | Metal, glass, plastic, composites, tile, rubber, foam |
| Cutting Speed | 0.5 IPM – 59.1 IPM, depending on materials and thickness |
| Maximum Gantry Speed | 59 IPM1,500mm/min |
| Gantry Positional Accuracy | 0.003 in0.08 mm |
| Maximum Cutting Thickness | 0.313 in – 1.0 in, depending on materials and thickness |
| Continuous Cutting Time | 90 min (prior to refilling the abrasive hopper) |
| Power Requirements | 220V / 60Hz (North America)220V / 50Hz (International) |
| Hydraulic Power | 2,088 W 2.8 HP |
| Warranty Period | 1 year |
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Featured image shows the WAZER Pro. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.
