It’s not the same old saw, says Sica

For Sica, an Italian manufacturer of plastic pipe manufacturing machinery, sustainability and delivering value are two aims that go hand in hand. Its considerable focus on R&D - Sica has some 47 patents in its name, 25 of which are currently active - has in more recent years been targeted at energy efficiency, resource savings and reducing the environmental impact of the pipe production process. Its ‘green machines’, the result of R&D investment in the development of more sustainable technology, are tangible proof that improvement is possible.

Over the years, Sica has developed and patented, among others, a saw that cuts and then chamfers PVC pipes without the filing, scraping or grinding normally associated with the chamfering process. The saw works by warming up a portion of the pipe, cutting it with a parting knife, and then creating a bevel by shaping the heated portion of the pipe. This eliminates the dust and chips created during conventional chamfering. The process is noiseless and clean.

With traditional saws, says Sica, even if a sophisticated vacuuming system for dust and chips had been installed, it is impossible to avoid chips ending up in the saw mechanism or on the cut pipe. As a result, pipes will always transfer some scrap material as they proceed towards the belling machine or the end of the line. The new solution helps to avoid environmental pollution and reduce costs, says Sica, which is something ‘we should all pursue to give our world a hand if it is to be preserved for the well-being of future generations’.

Another one of the company’s ‘green’ innovations its the patent pending electric saw for swarfless cutting of HDPE, PP-R, multilayer and PVDF pipes. Each cutting movement is electric, and hence silent, precise and providing sustained accuracy.

For the movement of the cutting arm, the machine has been equipped with an innovative and compact servo-actuator, which integrates the motor and gear unit, and guarantees excellent thrust force  - even at high speeds -  as well as impact resistance and complete absence of vibrations.