An experimental study to enhance the cutting performance in abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining is presented. The study uses the techniques of jet forward impact angles and multipass operations both individually and concurrently when cutting an alumina ceramic and a polymer matrix composite. A brief report on the effect of jet impact angle in single pass cutting is made first, which shows that the optimum jet impact angle for both the ceramics and polymer matrix composite is about 80 o . It is found that the multipass cutting technique can increase the cutting capability and application domain of AWJ cutting. It can also improve the major cutting performance such as the depth of cut as compared to single pass cutting within the same total cutting time. The benefit of using multipass cutting operations is further enhanced when it is combined with a jet forward angle of 80 o in cutting alumina ceramics.