How ROCTEC™ Outperforms Other Abrasive Waterjet Nozzles

February 8, 2021

by Molly Horrell

ROCTEC APX cutting nozzle with machinery in the background
head shot of wear expert Carrie Bartkowiak

Meet the Wear Expert: Carrie Bartkowiak, Senior Product Engineer, has been with Kennametal for 31 years. Her roles have included both engineering and manufacturing management experience. Carrie has been advancing the growth of ROCTEC from the very beginning and involved in all three launches of Kennametal’s various ROCTEC materials.

“Up to 120 hours of precision cutting and 250 hours of rough cutting. This is what you can achieve with Roctec™ APX."

Contact one of our wear experts.

Q: How does ROC™ technology extend tool life and why is this so significant?

Carrie Bartkowiak: Prior to ROCTEC, tungsten carbide nozzles made with 6% binder only lasted 4 hours, which was a major problem in the industry. Customers were unable to complete an entire shift without spending time on changeouts. ROCTEC 100 provided up to 40 hours in tool life, which was 10x the performance of the outdated tungsten carbide nozzles. Kennametal has since been able to push wear life even longer with ROCTEC 500 and APX, delivering up to 120 hours of precision cutting and 250 hours of rough cutting. This means cost-savings and improved productivity for customers.

ROC stands for Rapid Omni-directional Compaction. ROC is a unique method of densifying extra-fine tungsten carbides without a soft metal binder. The binder free material enables Kennametal’s abrasive waterjet nozzles to achieve properties that conventional processes cannot.  Eliminating a metallic binder and maintaining extra-fine grain size both contribute to optimum nozzle performance. The result is an extremely hard material that fiercely resists abrasive and erosive wear.

Kennametal’s ROCTEC material is considered one of the enabling technologies of modern abrasive waterjet machining, and the preferred option when waterjet nozzles need to be consistent, reliable, predictable and a high-quality cut is essential.

ROCTEC abrasive waterjet cutting nozzle

“An extremely hard material that fiercely resists abrasive and erosive wear.”

Q: What is the difference between Kennametal’s three ROCTEC products and which one should a customer choose?

From a performance standpoint, Kennametal has three tiers: ROCTEC 100, 500, and APX. ROCTEC 100 is best for fit-for-use performance, while ROCTEC 500 offers about a 40% improvement in operating life over our 100 line. ROCTEC 500 allows customers to have a much more consistent, predictable, and accurate cut.

Finally, our ROCTEC APX is the newest technology in the abrasive water jet nozzle industry and provides 20% improvement in operating life beyond ROCTEC 500. With longer operation time, customers will have fewer changeouts, which equates to fewer human touches in the functional parts of customers’ equipment. If customers want the longest uninterrupted and highest quality cut, they will want to install APX nozzles in their operations. 

Chart showing roctec tool types comparison. Exit Bore size (inches) vs. Elapsed Time (hours)

ROCTEC APX speaks for itself.   Read our case study.

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