Precision drum cutters can be used for the lowering and levelling of roads and bridges, where the surfaces being treated are asphalt and concrete, or profiling work in confined spaces for the creation of city ducts. Here, a Komatsu with an MB-R700 cutter works on a project in France.
When it comes to drum cutters, their strengths and weaknesses would seem obvious. However, there are constant innovations for these types of machinery, which are essential in sectors that deal with digging, cutting, profiling, or reducing hard materials with "millimetric" precision.
Equipment can be built specifically to be used on difficult construction sites or designed to operate in city centers, often on historic buildings, on bridges and performing excavation and demolition work where the hydraulic breaker can create excessive vibrations and every inch makes a big difference, both in terms of space and profitability.
"Precision and timing are the two key factors in our line of work," industry experts explain, "and few people realize the accuracy that is asked of us, and stringent constraints on space, regulations and machinery to which we must submit."
To get an idea of the delicate situations in which a precision drum cutter machine is required to operate, think of the demolition of buildingsin high population areas that require the carving of foundation and concrete pillars, where spaces for green areas or new constructions can be recovered. Or the lowering and levelling of roads and bridges, where the surfaces being treated are asphalt and concrete, or profiling work in confined spaces for the creation of city ducts.
In the agricultural sector, precision drum cutters also are indispensable for clearing and dredging land, creating irrigation systems, levelling river beds, digging tunnels and milling wood, as well as profiling rock walls in quarries and mines, where they also can be used in underwater immersion situations.
An MB-R800 demolishes concrete in Mexico.
With 20 years' experience in building innovative crusher buckets and screening buckets, Italian manufacturer MB Crusher has created a new concept of hydraulic drum cutter.
"In our company's DNA, there is a determination to improve the machinery to optimize work operations in building sites," Diego Azzolin, production manager, said. "This is our mission and our working philosophy: we don't put anything out on the market until we've found the most useful and profitable solutions for operators.
"In addition to existing patents on MB equipment, we've recently dedicated ourselves to drum cutter machinery, designing a highly evolved and innovative new product. The line of MB Crusher drum cutters are in fact the only ones on the world market utilizing a direct drive twin motor system. This direct transmission dual motor system is protected by our unique patent, allowing for a differentiated distribution of force on the two drums. This provides an enormous advantage, since the power force is managed autonomously by the drum cutter according to the toughness and resistance of the material."
Moreover, customers can opt for a variety of drum and tooth kits according to the type of material being processed. This new generation of standard drum cutters also adopts an integrated power boostto augmentthe power of the cutter head, which requires more force and obtains exceptional results.
"Among the major issues we encounter on work sites," say construction industry operators, "are torsions and vibrations on the operating machine arm, with consequent enormous costs due to wear. Not to mention noise and dust restrictions that protect city centres and highly populated areas."
MB Crusher has taken care of this problem too.
"Our unique automated control results in ano torsion system. Structural stress on the excavator's arm is absorbed and drastically reduced, to increase precision and durability while benefiting cost savings and maintenance times," the manufacturer said.
"Specifically for construction sites in urban centers, we've also designed the dust suppression kitand drum cover kit, to reduce dust emissions and allow work to be carried out in closed environments and areas with high vibration restrictions, such as in historical centres and highly populated areas."
"Yet another extraordinary innovation," Azzolin added, "was introduced to help construction site managers deal with delivery time constraints. Our drum cutter heads are designed to be easily replaced on site, in less than an hour. Unthinkable until now. Indeed, this procedure required extended downtime to take the cutter to an authorized workshop. Being able to change the drum in just under an hour gives the construction site a strong competitive advantage."
To protect the machine's central casing, specially designed wear plateshave been applied, as well as a protective high-temperature reduction kitdesignedto lower the operated machinery's oil temperature without altering its performance.
"Handy and easy to use," Azzolin said. "The all-new MB Crusher hydraulic cutters make work at construction sites more profitable, where precision cutting, maintaining depth, reducing waste and compliance with regulations are daily priorities. Like gigantic ‘scalpels' that provide precision manoeuvring where every centimeter has a productive value and cost."
The cutter rotation kitis designed specifically for road work and trench digging, allowing the machine operator to rotate the cutter directly from the cab without stopping the excavation work: an extremely beneficial operation in terms of time and effectiveness. What's more, the cutting depth adjustment kitallows operators to set the trench depth, to remove only the necessary amount of material and nothing more, providing a significant reduction in waste disposal costs.
Due to their high degree of precision, power and adaptability, the new MB hydraulic cutters for excavators, loaders and backhoe loaders are an innovative and determined response to excavation, demolition and profiling work, especially in urban sites, virtually eliminating the constraints and costs of downtime, waste management, maintenance and wear, according to the manufacturer.
To read more stories about MB Crushers, click here.
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