Cuts leaks, boosts safety
January 1st 2008 The CUTET soil and drainage
pipe cutter, devised and
marketed by Cutting Edge
Technology, represents a fresh
direction for process automation
specialist Barr & Paatz.
Rather than using 3D
engineering analysis
and CAD/CAM tools for
configuring automated
workcells, in this
instance it has optimised
the design of the
product, cutting excess
weight, complexity and
cost, and produced a
prototype in just 10
days.
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. Fast,
convenient and reliable,
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
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can give rise to serious
environmental problems, as
witnessed by the source of a
recent Foot and 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 CE of Cutting Edge
Technology, Ben Shepherd, felt
there must be a more accurate way
of cutting PVC pipe. He sketched
down some ideas, carved the basic
design from a solid block of
polystyrene and recruited a local
engineering firm to design
and build the product.
Early units suffered
from poor reliability and
high manufacturing costs,
so he got in touch with
Barr & Paatz who
recommended a total
redesign. Barr & Paatz
applied its engineering
design skills, 3D
modelling software and
finite element analysis
tools to re-working the
pipe cutter, and within 10
days produced the
prototype that is the basis
of today's product.
The first model, CUTET
110, is designed to cut
standard 110mm PVC pipe
and consists of two hingelinked
components, the
clamping section and the
blade carrier, each machined from
solid aluminium for lightness and
strength. The base is easily
removable, so that the cutter can
be lowered into a trench and
clamped around 'live' pipework.
The 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, that has a
phosphor bronze worm gear and
Ertalon extruded nylon bearings,
for toughness and abrasion
resistance.
The construction is designed to
be easily assembled using boltand
push-together components, to
satisfy health and safety
requirements, to be easily washed
down after use and to be virtually
maintenance-free.
A second model (CUTET 160) is
designed for cutting 160mm pipe
and is for larger PE pipes in the
180mm – 630mm range.
Cutting Edge Technology is
seeking agents and distributors at
home and overseas. More articles from Barr & Paatz: | 
