At Craftco, we offer five different cut qualities: Quality A (highest quality), Quality B, Quality C (most common cut quality), Quality D, and Quality E (lowest quality).
Waterjet cut quality depends on how fast the waterjet cutter head moves along a part. High-quality cuts take longer than low-quality cuts. Since low-quality cuts are faster, they generally cost less to cut than high-quality cuts.
For the highest cut quality, Quality A, you can expect edge tolerances to be within +/- 0.005″. Quality A has the lowest cutting speed, and is the generally the most expensive cut quality. Quality C is the cut quality that the majority of our customers choose. Parts with cut Quality C have tolerances within +/- 0.010″. Quality E is the fastest and least expensive cut quality, but parts cut with this quality are difficult to remove from the sheet they are cut from.
Different edges on the same part can have different cut qualities if needed. For example, if only the holes in your part require tight tolerances, but the rest of the edges do not need to be as precise, then you can choose to have an “A” cut quality for the holes, and a “C” cut quality for all of the other edges. This is commonly done on parts with holes that will later be tapped.
If your tolerances need to be tighter than +/-0.005″, then consider having your part’s edges roughed out with a waterjet, and then machined down to the dimensions you need. Our multi-axis CNC mills and lathes are able to cut parts with tolerances down to +/-0.0005″. You can learn more about our machining capabilities here.