The abrasive waterjet stream exits the mixing tube with extreme speed and power. The abrasive erodes the material to be cut. The process is referred to as "abrasive waterjet cutting" because it is the abrasive that is actually doing the cutting. The water's role is simply to give speed and power to the abrasive. In pure waterjet cutting, used for soft materials like foam and food, the force of the waterjet stream alone is enough to cut the material and abrasive is not required.

