Special Projects

A customer approached us with a unique challenge: modifying a high-performance carbon-ceramic brake disc used on a racing car. The original disc, measuring 380 mm in diameter, did not fit inside the selected wheel, so its outer diameter had to be reduced to 374 mm while ensuring that the finished component remained safe and fully functional.

The brake disc was manufactured from a specialised carbon-ceramic material that is exceptionally lightweight yet extremely hard. During operation, these brake discs are exposed to temperatures of several hundred degrees Celsius, making it essential to preserve the material’s original properties throughout the machining process.

Although the disc was 28 mm thick, it behaved during cutting much like 50 mm thick structural steel. However, the greatest challenge was not the material itself, but the fact that we were modifying a fully finished, high-value component. The waterjet had to be aligned with exceptional precision, as even the smallest deviation could have rendered the brake disc unusable.

Adding to the responsibility, the market value of a single carbon-ceramic brake disc is approximately  5550 EUR.

Carbon-ceramic is an extremely difficult material to machine, and introducing heat into the material is not an option. Thanks to the cold cutting process of abrasive waterjet technology, the material retained its original structure and mechanical properties without thermal damage, cracking, or distortion. This allowed us to achieve the required diameter with outstanding precision.

The brake discs were successfully machined to the required diameter with an accurate, clean, and consistent cut. According to our customer’s feedback, the modified discs were installed without any issues, and the racing car is now back in operation.

This project demonstrates that waterjet cutting is not only an excellent solution for manufacturing new components, but also for modifying high-value, highly specialised parts where precision, material integrity, and reliability are absolutely critical.

We were contacted by several companies regarding the same highly specialised machining challenge—including businesses operating in the same industry as us, with whom we maintain an excellent professional relationship. They were all looking for a solution to a particularly demanding cutting application.

A few days later, we received an enquiry directly from the company requiring the work. The customer manufactures aircraft engines ranging from commercial airliners to military fighter aircraft. The task was to cut an aircraft propeller blade in half to prepare it for material testing.

In the aerospace industry, critical components are periodically subjected to destructive testing after a specified number of operating hours to assess the condition and integrity of the material.

This was far more than a standard cutting job. The propeller blade had a complex three-dimensional geometry and could not be positioned securely without a specially designed fixture. The cutting path itself was not flat, adding another level of complexity.

The component was also manufactured from multiple materials. While the exact material specification was confidential, it consisted of a combination of composite materials, carbon fibre reinforced polymers, and locally applied titanium coatings.

Once the propeller had been securely fixed in position, the cutting process required continuous manual adjustment. With waterjet cutting, maintaining the correct stand-off distance between the cutting head and the workpiece is essential for achieving a precise cut. Because of the blade’s constantly changing profile, the operator had to continuously follow the surface throughout the entire cutting process.

And yes… throughout the operation, the customer never took their eyes off the propeller for a single moment. We completely understood why.

The propeller could not be exposed to heat under any circumstances, as even minimal thermal influence could affect the subsequent material analysis.

Waterjet cutting was the ideal solution because it is a completely cold cutting process. It preserved the original material structure while delivering the accuracy required for laboratory testing. In addition, waterjet technology is particularly well suited for machining multi-material composite components, allowing different materials to be cut simultaneously without compromising their properties.

The propeller blade was cut precisely along the specified section, fully meeting the customer’s expectations and providing a clean cross-section suitable for detailed material analysis.

This project remains one of our most memorable assignments. Not only because of the technical complexity, but because it perfectly demonstrated how the right technology, careful preparation, and precise execution can solve even the most demanding engineering challenges.