Waterjet Cutting of Permanent Magnets from Fe–Co–Ni–Cu–Al–Ti Alloys

The possibility of waterjet cutting of permanent magnets of the Fe–Co–Ni–Cu–Al–Ti system was investigated. The OMAX 555 JetMachining Center XX waterjet cutting machine was used. Permanent magnet blanks intended for cutting had a thickness of 2 and 5 mm. The cutting process was carried out in air. The cutting speed varied between 50–250 mm/min. The magnetic properties of the studied workpieces were measured before and after waterjet cutting by recording demagnetization curves. Changes in the chemical and phase composition of the studied alloys were evaluated by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that permanent magnets 2–5 mm thick can be cut without causing any mechanical damage to their surface. At the same time, the chemical and phase composition of the permanent magnet material hardly changes. The magnetic properties of permanent magnets do not decrease and may even increase. The thickness of the cut is not more than 0.5 mm. The cutting modes can be optimized for workpieces of different thicknesses.