ABSTRACT
High pressure water jet technology for cutting rocks is currently employed for a very wide range of materials including rocks, more specifically ornamental rocks. This advanced technology is applied not only to drilling or excavation of hard rocks for winning the blocks with the opening of holes or slots, but also for end products in the field of ornamental rocks. In recent years, the increasing worldwide use of advanced machinery, as new and advanced technology replaces conventional procedures, has led to fully automated technique that use CAD/CAM processes to manufacture high quality end products. A Brazilian Research Program in this field began last year with the installation of a sophisticated equipment of high pressure abrasive water jet system that was imported from the USA. This paper presents the first results of researches about the main technological characteristics of Brazilian ornamental rocks, determined in laboratory with granite and marble samples using this advanced technology. Laboratory determination of these parameters on test samples of appropriate geometry were performed and the first results indicate that this procedure will provide important data for the optimization of the cutting process. The tests were performed on samples of commercial granite and marble that are very appreciated in the domestic market and also on rocks exported to the international markets.
