English: Success with water jets

The AquaCut GmbH in Buchholz near Altlandsberg cuts the noblest and hardest materials.

“We made the Gotthard Road Tunnel in Switzerland a bit saver.” Jens Funke gets beaming eyes when thinking about the huge order from Switzerland. 14,000 very expensive components from high-grade steel that are extremely resistant to corrosion are obstructed deeply in the mountain. However, the company has also already cut 25,000 Italian tiles for a customer from Saudi Arabia and turbine parts for a power plant in Texas.

All these precision parts are not tooled with a scissor or a saw. They were cut with a jet of water. This water jet mixed with sand is directed with a lot of pressure on the material. The technology was developed in the U.S. in the eighties and came to Europe in the nineties. Jens Funke was inspired by this technology and founded his company “AquaCut” in 1997.

His machines can cut all kinds of metal, stones, glass and plastics as well as foamed plastics and even cakes. In the beginning customers came from surrounding area. In the meantime he has customers all over the world. Jens Funke has started with one machine with two cutting nozzles. In 2005 he put up a machine with six nozzles. It was and still is the biggest machine of this kind in Europe.

For the idea and its realisation "AquaCut GmbH" was awarded with the Future Prize East Brandenburg by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Frankfurt (Oder) and the local newspaper. Since the award ceremony two years ago "AquaCut" has developed very well. “We have increased our turnovers year after year on 30 percent and we doubled the number of our employees from three to six", says Jens Funke.