Sica patents method for cutting pipes with highly accurate production

Sica, based in Italy, has patented a method for cutting plastic pipes at very high production rates. The machines in its ‘Duet’ series are designed to cut and chamfer PP, HDPE and PVC-UP pipes, performing simultaneous double cutting cycles automatically.

One of the machines in the series, Duet125, features an automatic cut-off saw that can reach hourly production rates of around 2000 pipes of 150mm in length and sockets, and more than 2300 pipes/hour of 500mm length and sockets. The system also guarantees the necessary cut length precision (tolerance of ± 1 mm) thanks to the machine's CNC control system.

This system is said to allow perfect synchronisation of the cutting unit with the pipe extrusion speed and consequent exact positioning of the unit at the required cutting dimension. Moreover, the machines are equipped with specific anti-wear tools to guarantee exceptionally high and enduring quality of the cutting/chamfering process. 

The control used by the Duet machine series offers ‘on the fly’ cutting capabilities, optimising the use of the effective stroke to increase output in terms of the number of cuts per hour.

Equipped with an intuitive icon based graphic interface and a classic production system for preset sequences of lengths, the machine also features a new length sequences management system.

Specifically, having entered the basic production parameters (extrusion speed, pipe diameter, capacity of downstream machines) the user can define the required production batches, automatically optimised by the system in order to exploit the machine's potential to the full. Intelligent planning of production sequences in addition to the availability of libraries in which process parameters and user product dimensions can be stored, determines the definition of a new state of the art field in terms of versatility and ease of control.

Given the large number of cuts that can be performed per unit of time, the machine has been equipped with an extra-powerful cyclone-type dust exhausting system.

With this range of saws, Sica says it is responding to market demands for cutting at high extrusion speeds with reduced energy consumption, ease of use and control.