The pipe lining job isn’t done until the lateral openings have been cut and sewer service to customers has been restored.
Manufacturers have spent years refining the art of reinstating lateral openings. Today’s reinstatement cutters are designed to help contractors and municipal crews complete this critical step more accurately and in less time.
Here is a look at some of the most advanced models on the market.
Flexible package
The Dominator J 8-36 lateral reinstatment cutter from Bowman Tool Co. & Systems works in 8- to 24-inch pipe and can operate in up to 36-inch pipes with an additional skid package. The motors are isolated in a watertight chamber, eliminating water damage. The placement of a captured O-ring delivers the chamber’s watertight quality. Because the O-ring cannot drop out, the design also permits quick assembly and disassembly.
The motor chamber is also isolated from the feed and rotation mechanism for ease of assembly and disassembly. The cutter can be disassembled and reassembled in about 20 minutes. It has only eight moving parts – there is no air solenoid (the air solenoid is on the user’s truck). Most gears and feed mechanisms are made of tempered stainless steel and bronze. The cutter is machined from the highest grade of stainless steel and bronze and has an insulated internal air channel instead of an outside air tube.
The head design includes a pinionless quick-change design and only one adjustable gib to reduce adjustment time and maintain high accuracy. The cutter can be wired for four, five or six wires to accommodate most vendors’ systems.
The J 8-36 is 37 inches long with the ram in, and 47.5 inches long with the ram out. It weighs 130 pounds and has a body diameter of 6.5 inches. It has a ram travel of 10.5 inches, and has three motors at 24-30 VDC. It requires 24 V current. The cutter has an air requirement of 38 cfm at 100 psi. 717/432-1403; www.bowmantool.com.
Small and large
Small and large Kangaroo cutters from CUES Inc. are designed to open and reinstate service laterals, remove protruding taps, and brush-finish existing cuts. The cutters function in 6- to 30-inch pipe and are equally effective in CIPP or fold-and-form liners. They can be installed on any CCTV manufacturer’s truck-mounted system.
A 0.9 hp air motor for the small Kangaroo cutter line provides more power, increased productivity, and a smoother cut when operating in 8- to 12-inch lined pipe. Lubrication can be used but is not necessary because of the cutter’s oil-less Teflon-impregnated vanes. A simple and smooth design prevents resin from entering the motor housing and allows easier resin removal. Kits are available to retrofit existing cutters, and service kits can be purchased for regular maintenance intervals on existing motors. 800/327-7791; www.cuesinc.com.
Milling cutters
Type 14 Enz Golden Jet impact milling cutters from Enz USA Inc. are designed for 4- to 24-inch pipe. Percussion milling cutters are designed to remove deposits like concrete and injection cement, and Type 14 Golden Jet cutters have been very successful in removing dropped or cured in-place liners. The cutters have tungsten carbide and/or diamond-tipped teeth. They work with a percussion system of 600 to 3,000 impulses per minute and up to 12 tons of impact force. 630/692-7880; www.enzusainc.com.
Portable system
The Dancutter reinstatement cutter from Aries Industries Inc. works in 3-, 4- and 6-inch raw and lined pipe. The DC FLEX consists of three segments, sized and flexibly connected in a configuration that pushes in straight 3-inch pipe, around 4-inch 45-degree offsets and through up to 6-inch 90-degree bends.
The flex unit is controlled from a single control box and uses a simple gear-driven pushrod system to laterally position the cutter head. An air cylinder raises the cutter head, and a single electric rotation motor provides continuous 360-degree head rotation. Cutter air motors are available with right-angle orientation and with a forward shaft orientation that facilitates cutting out line blockages, removing protruding tap material, and reinstating connections.
The cutter air motor shafts have a standard US thread and accept a set of bonded carbide chip cone and sphere grinding cutters provided as part of the outfitting kit. The spherical cutter grinding heads provide a smooth reinstatement opening with little operator training. Additional diamond and disc cutter and grinding heads are stocked for removing difficult-to-cut steel, concrete, and iron.
The system is fully portable, and each major component can be lifted by one or two people and moved by one person through doors and into a building or onto a roof. Units consist of five major components:
• Cutter body with tool and parts box.
• Air and control hose assembly (available as 50-foot loose coil or 150-foot wheeled hose reel)
• Cutter control box requiring 120 VAC and 25 cfm of compressed air at 100 psi.
• Jacketed pushrod assembly.
• Cutter positioner rod pushing motor with gear drive assembly and cable to the control box.
The DC70 is a similar flexible cutter head for operation in straight 4-inch pipes and is flexible in 6- to 10-inch pipes. The unit operates from the same controller, hose, and pushrod system as the DC FLEX. 800/234-7205; www.ariesindustries.com.
Lateral tap cutters
Try Tek robotic lateral tap cutters are used to reinstate laterals in lined 6- to 15-inch pipe. The cutter and camera are positioned in the pipe using winches. Once positioned, the cutter ram can move 7 1/4 inches, and the head can rotate 360 degrees to cut the tap. A third axis allows the cutting bit to penetrate the liner wall.
The cutting bits are available at hardware or building supply stores. The 6- to 15-inch cutter kit comes with two sizes of air routers, three sizes of heads, and skids adaptable for cutting in the different-size pipes. It also includes a joystick-operated control box.
The cutting unit is made of stainless steel and bronze. Its three axes of movement operate using planetary-geared electric motors. The cutting action takes place with strong and compact routers. Two air routers (0.6 hp and 0.9 hp) are supplied to provide cutting power for various liner thicknesses. Airbags securely lock the unit in the pipe. All air operations are turned on and off from the control box using an air solenoid mounted in the cutter. 717/428-1477; www.trytek.com.
Interchangeable heads
Micro-cutters from Nu Flow Technologies Inc. are multi-tools with interchangeable heads well suited for cleaning and re-instatement of small-diameter pipe (1.5 to 6 inches). They can negotiate 45- and 90-degree bends and can rehabilitate small-diameter cast iron pipe.
The units are air-powered and shock-resistant and have speed and torque control. They are made of stainless steel and have simultaneous water flush. Foot-switch activation enables safe operation and an air lubricator extends motor life.
Air-powered models have a flexible shaft speed of 500 to 3,000 rpm, motor power up to 4 hp, and air requirements of minimum 60 psi/85 cfm and maximum 100 psi/130 cfm. Electric models have a flexible shaft speed of 1,725 rpm, motor power of 1 hp to 2 hp, dimensions of 37 inches high by 20 inches wide by 17 inches deep, and a weight of 59 pounds. 800/834-9597; www.nuflowtech.com.
