|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
Barr & Paatz Showcases Product Design Skills With CUTET™
27
November
2007
|
| |
The innovative CUTET™ soil and drainage pipe cutter, devised and marketed by Cutting Edge Technology Limited, represents a fresh direction for process automation specialists Barr & Paatz. Rather than utilising its cutting-edge 3D engineering analysis and CAD/CAM tools for configuring automated workcells, in this instance it has optimised the design of the product itself, eliminating excess weight, complexity and cost, produced the prototype in just ten days and is now assembling the cutters at its Totnes, Devon premises.
Launched earlier this year, the CUTET is designed to cut PVCu pipe commonly used for soil drains, vent pipes, storm water and drainage systems, using a standard cordless drill as a power source, and is set to revolutionise groundwork engineering. Not only is it faster, more convenient and reliable than rival pipe cutters, it virtually eliminates the risk of leaking pipes, by delivering a high level of precision cutting, and puts the operator literally at arm’s length from the contents of a ‘live’ sewage pipe. This has significant health and safety implications, since leakages can give rise to serious environmental problems, as witnessed by the source of the latest foot & mouth outbreak, and because sewage workers and utility contractors are at risk from Weil’s disease, a potentially fatal illness often associated with drainage systems and pipeworks.
Founder and Chief Executive of Cutting Edge Technology, Ben Shepherd, who numbers Welsh philanthropist Sir Stanley Thomas OBE and rugby legend Gareth Edwards CBE amongst his fellow directors, had ample practical experience of sewer and drainage pipes on his farm, as well as a major property restoration project and an industrial development, so felt there must be a better, more accurate way of cutting PVC pipe, especially one that avoided intimate contact with the ‘live’ contents! Having sketched down some ideas, he carved the basic design from a solid block of polystyrene and recruited a local engineering firm to design and build the product.
Unfortunately, these early units suffered from poor reliability and high manufacturing costs so, through his network of contacts, Ben got in touch with Barr & Paatz. After an intensive programme of remedial work to meet the deadline for the product’s debut at a major trade show only two weeks away, the Totnes firm then recommended a total redesign, since the original was heavy, complex in design, cumbersome in operation and potentially unsafe. Grasping the challenge, Barr & Paatz applied its engineering design skills, 3D modelling software and finite element analysis tools to re-working the pipe cutter, within ten days producing the elegant and innovative prototype that is the basis of today’s CUTET product range.
The first model, CUTET 110, is designed to cut standard 110mm (4 inch) PVC pipe and consists of two hinge-linked components, the clamping section and the blade carrier, each machined from solid aluminium for lightness and strength. The base is designed to be easily removable, so that the cutter can be lowered into a trench and clamped around ‘live’ pipework.
The patented cutting action, which produces a perfect chamfer on both cut faces of the pipe, is driven by a combination of a geared assembly and cordless power drill, continuously advancing the cutting head at a controlled rate, then returning it to the start position, interlocked and ready for the next cut. Barr & Paatz employed FEA for perfecting the blade assembly and cutting edge, which is precision made from tungsten carbide, and for designing the lightweight gearing system, which features a phosphor bronze worm gear and Ertalon extruded nylon bearings, for outstanding toughness and abrasion resistance.
The whole construction is designed to be easily assembled, using bolt- and push-together components, to satisfy all current health & safety requirements, to be easily washed down after use and virtually maintenance-free.
“With expert design input from Barr & Paatz, we have developed a tool that makes pipe cutting the easiest it has ever been and that is one of the safest cutters on the market,” says Ben Shepherd. “Having been involved in the industry for many years, we saw a clear gap in the market and expect to become a major player in pipe cutting. Barr & Paatz like the product and I liked the way they operate, so the partnership has proved highly productive, bringing a totally new concept to market in record time.”
A second model, CUTET 160, designed for cutting 160mm (6 inch) pipe, has already been designed and the product will now be developed for handling larger PE pipes in the 180mm – 630mm range, for the utilities and gas/oil exploration markets. CUTET 110 is currently being tested by two major equipment hire companies, with a view to being made available nationally, and Cutting Edge Technology is seeking agents and distributors for its patented cutter, both at home and overseas.
Further enquiries to Barr & Paatz, Ford Road, Totnes Industrial Estate, Totnes TQ9 5LQ, telephone 01803 869 833, email s.paatz@barr-paatz.co.uk. Product enquiries to www.cutet.co.uk/
|
|
|
| |
FactoryEquipment.com are not responsible for the content of submitted or externally produced articles and images.
Click
here to email FactoryEquipment.com about any errors or omissions contained within this article. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
