“The consumption of competitor garnet was much higher when compared to GMA Garnet™. While cutting a 150mm length of metal, we could see 500gm of excessive use of the competitor garnet,” said Ramkumar V.P, Sales and Technical Engineer, Garnet Arabia Company, Middle East.

“Also revealed in the testing, was at 54% speed, we can see a much thicker kerf on the competitor Saudi Arabian garnet cut piece.

“Saudi Allied company run two machines, working in two shifts at an average of 30 bags of 25 kg each in a day. With this calculation we can assume that they can save roughly 70kg (almost 3 bags) of garnet per day.”

Selection of garnet is an important criterion for any waterjet cutting operation. The higher quality of garnet, with the least amount of impurities, the better the cutting-edge quality and lower the consumption.

There are many variations of garnet abrasives from different origins available in the current market, which differ in both quality and price. As a result, it can prove difficult to identify the higher-quality garnet to choose for your next cutting application.

To identify the impurity levels between GMA Garnet ClassicCut™ and the Saudi Arabian 80 mesh garnet, a purity and sieve analysis was conducted.

The purity test simply involved mixing equal quantities of garnet with distilled water. This can help to identify the level of purity of the garnet.

“When we mix garnet with distilled water, we can identify the impurities such as dust and other lighter particles. As garnet is a heavy mineral, when we allow the mixture to settle down, garnet will settle at the bottom of the glass and the lighter impurities will settle above the garnet. Thus, we can identify the mix in garnet,” said Ramkumar.

The results revealed the following:

The sieve test results show a very high concentration of dust (11%) in the Saudi Arabian Garnet product which may potentially have an increased likelihood of focus tube blockages. Also, notably in the sieve test results for GMA ClassicCut™ there is a greater concentration of courser garnet grains. Approximately 40% are 50-60 mesh sizing, in comparison to Saudi Arabian Garnet only 15% is 60 mesh. This will likely have a greater chance of GMA ClassicCut™ to cut much faster. This also explains why the results have lower consumption of around 8-11% between the two tests.

As shown in the top photo, the water clarity when mixed GMA ClassicCut™ 80 mesh garnet compared to the Saudi garnet is much clearer. After settlement was complete, the water in the Saudi Arabian garnet was discolored, and a top layer had formed.

“This ‘top layer’ reveals the presence of other contaminations in the garnet, such as dust, which form this layer. These particles will reduce the cutting performance as well as cause damage to the spares,” explained Ramkumar.

When close examining the garnet sample, we can easily identify if the garnet is pure or mixed with other contaminants.

The Saudi Arabian Garnet 80 mesh revealed the formation of a “dust” layer after settlement in the purity test.

Learn more about GMA ClassicCut 80 

*At GMA, we take pride in the high quality and consistency of our ClassicCut™ garnet blends. It's important to note that the performance of our products can vary depending on the specific equipment and setup used. This means that while there may be subtle differences in the product from region to region, the overall quality and effectiveness remain at the high standard GMA is known for.