In the food industry, everything revolves around consistent quality, food safety, speed and minimizing product loss. Traditional cutting methods with knives are still effective in many applications, but for delicate, fresh, frozen or irregular products, waterjet cutting can be an interesting alternative.

With waterjet cutting, a very thin and powerful jet of water is used to cut or portion products accurately. Because no physical knife passes through the product, there is less mechanical pressure on the product. This can offer advantages for fish, poultry, meat, pastry, bakery products, cheese and various other food products.

Does the product get wet during waterjet cutting?

A common question is whether the product gets wet during waterjet cutting. The answer is: yes, water is used, but in practice the amount of water is very limited and highly targeted. The water jet is thin, powerful and concentrated on the cutting line. As a result, the product is not completely soaked, but only touched where it is being cut.

In many applications, this is not a problem because the water is immediately removed and the contact time is short. The exact effect depends on the product, cutting speed, pressure, orifice, distance to the product and machine setup. For food applications, it is important that the water used is suitable for food contact and fits within the producer’s HACCP or food safety plan.

Which products can be cut with a waterjet?

Waterjet cutting is used in the food industry for a wide range of products. Examples include fresh or frozen fish, poultry, meat, dough products, cakes, pastry, cheese, vegetable products and composite food products. Products where shape, weight, portion size or minimal deformation are important can be particularly suitable for waterjet cutting.

For fish, waterjet cutting can be used for portioning, trimming or creating accurate cuts. For poultry, it can support controlled cutting or portioning. In pastry and bakery applications, waterjet cutting becomes especially interesting when products are delicate, have multiple layers or need to be cut neatly without being compressed.

Not every product is automatically suitable. The best application depends on structure, temperature, thickness, moisture content, required cutting shape and production speed. That is why practical testing is often important.

Is waterjet cutting more hygienic than cutting with a knife?

Waterjet cutting can offer hygienic advantages because there is no traditional knife making continuous physical contact with the product. With knives, wear, product residues and cross-contamination can be points of attention. A waterjet uses a targeted water jet, resulting in less direct mechanical contact.

This does not mean that waterjet cutting is automatically always more hygienic. The complete installation must be properly designed, cleaned and maintained. This includes water quality, drainage, filters, pipes, cutting heads, surfaces and the cleanability of the machine. In food applications, water quality must meet food safety requirements and fit within the producer’s HACCP plan.

The main advantage of waterjet cutting lies in the combination of reduced product contact, accurate cutting and a process that can be cleaned effectively when the installation is designed correctly.

How clean and precise is the cut?

A properly adjusted water cutting system can deliver a very clean and accurate cut. Because the water jet is thin and applies little mechanical force to the product, the product can better retain its shape. This is especially important for delicate products, portions with a fixed shape or products where presentation matters.

Cutting quality strongly depends on the correct settings and components. The orifice, water pressure, cutting speed, product temperature, distance to the product and water quality all influence the result. A worn orifice, pressure loss or contaminated filters can immediately lead to a wider jet, ragged cuts or less accurate portions.

Regular maintenance and timely replacement of wear parts are therefore important to maintain consistent cutting quality.

Can a waterjet cutter cut both frozen and fresh products?

Yes, in many cases a waterjet cutter can cut both frozen and fresh products. This is one of the reasons why waterjet cutting is interesting for the food industry. Frozen products are often more dimensionally stable, making accurate portioning possible. Fresh products can benefit from the fact that there is less mechanical pressure on the product than with some knife-based systems.

However, each product requires the right settings. A frozen fish fillet behaves differently from a fresh piece of poultry or a soft pastry product. Pressure, speed, cutting pattern, product support and water drainage must be matched to the application.

What is the product loss with waterjet cutting?

Product loss is an important topic in the food industry. With waterjet cutting, the cutting line is often very narrow, which can help keep cutting loss limited. This can be especially interesting for high-value products such as fish, meat or poultry, where every gram counts.

Waterjet cutting can also help with more accurate portioning. When portions are cut more accurately by weight or shape, this can contribute to higher yield and less manual correction work. The exact product loss depends on the product, cutting shape, machine settings and required portions.

In many cases, the benefit is not only less cutting loss, but also more consistent quality, fewer manual corrections and a more reproducible process.

Can a waterjet cutter also portion products, or only cut fixed shapes?

A waterjet cutter can do much more than cut fixed shapes. Depending on the machine and control system, waterjet cutting can be used for portioning, trimming, cutting out, dividing and creating complex shapes.

In modern food machines, waterjet cutting can be combined with scanning, weighing or software-controlled cutting patterns. This allows a product to be cut by weight, shape or yield, for example. This makes waterjet cutting interesting for companies that want to produce consistent portions with minimal product loss.

For machine builders, Cinnova can supply complete high-pressure assemblies, such as high-pressure pumps, cutting heads, custom-made lines and cutting sets. These components can be integrated into existing or new machines for food applications.

How fast is waterjet cutting compared to a knife?

The speed of waterjet cutting depends on the product, required cutting quality, thickness, pressure, number of cutting heads and machine setup. In some applications, a knife can be faster, especially for simple straight cuts and very high volumes. Waterjet cutting becomes particularly interesting when flexibility, accuracy, hygiene, product shape or reduced product deformation are important.

A waterjet can quickly switch between shapes and cutting patterns without replacing mechanical knives. Multiple cutting heads can also be used at the same time to increase capacity. This means waterjet cutting can be an efficient solution in many industrial applications, especially when product quality and flexibility are more important than maximum cutting speed alone.

Parts, service and custom solutions for food waterjet cutting

A reliable water cutting system depends on the right components and proper maintenance. Orifices, filters, seals, valves, high-pressure hoses, fittings and cutting heads directly affect pressure, cutting quality and operational reliability.

Cinnova supplies spare parts, components and assemblies for water cutting systems in the food industry. This includes complete high-pressure pumps, one or more cutting heads, custom-made lines, cutting sets and parts with customer-specific numbers for machine builders.

In addition, Cinnova can support maintenance, spare parts packages and service contracts. This keeps critical parts available, allows maintenance to be planned more effectively and helps prevent unexpected downtime as much as possible.

Conclusion

Waterjet cutting is an interesting cutting technology for food producers who want to cut cleanly, precisely and flexibly. The technology can be used for fresh and frozen products and offers advantages in portioning, product presentation, reduced mechanical contact and possible reduction of product loss.

The right application always depends on the product, production environment and desired output. With the right components, water quality, settings and maintenance, a water cutting system can be a reliable solution for modern food production.

Cinnova helps food producers and machine builders with parts, high-pressure components, cutting heads, custom assemblies and service for waterjet cutting applications.