Waterjet cutter. Waterjet cutter being used to cut a steel anvil in two. The cutter cuts with a jet of water mixed with abrasives (such as silica sand or garnet) which is fired out of a carbide nozzle (centre). Water is first compressed to about 12 percent of its original volume. It then enters a chamber where it is mixed with the abrasives. It then exits the nozzle at speeds of up to 900 metres per second. Abrasive water cutting is a high precision process that does not produce heat that can degrade metallurgical properties. Photographed in l'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers (ENSAM), Paris, France.