Waterjet cutters are often so expensive and esoteric that I’ve only ever seen one in an actual lab. But in principle they should be a fantastic alternative when CNC mills, laser cutters, knife printers or 3D printers can’t get you where you need to be.
As the Applied Science youtube channel shows, with some know how you can build a waterjet cutter out of a $150 pressure washer.
But that’s more like a power tool than a piece of lab equipment. If you want to make precise designs there’s WAZER, a compact automated waterjet with included software for under $5000.