Epiroc introduces new addition to successful ‘V Cutter’ range

With its V shaped design, the latest drum cutter range from Epiroc has been developed for trenching and quarrying. Now the company has introduced the VC 3000, a model that has all the benefits of the V Cutter range. “The efficiency issues connected with trenching have been met with advanced, but expensive solutions. We’re pleased to present an alternative that will save time and money in virtually every aspect, from investment to energy and wear on the carrier. And it’s all achieved by the angles of the drum,” says Gordon Hambach, head of strategic marketing for Hydraulic Attachment Tools at Epiroc.

Thanks to the V shaped design that enables a cut with a flat base, no material is left untouched between the drums. Where a regular drum cutter must move side to side to create an even trench, an approach that causes extra wear on the carrier arm, the ‘VC Cutters’ can reach the same result by just going straight. It basically works like a bucket, which Epiroc says makes it easier to use, friendlier for the carrier and a lot less energy and time consuming. 

The distinguishing features of the classic Epiroc drum cutters, like the robust spur gears, adoptable high torque gear motor and the ‘QuickSnap’ retaining system for fast and easy pick changing, are all found on the new VC 3000. It also comes with the ‘Pro bracket’ that leads all hydraulic hoses through the centre of the extension arm as standard. Mechanical and hydraulic rotatable brackets are also available as well as a dust preventing water spraying system. ‘Hatcon ’, a monitoring system that keeps track of operating hours, location and service intervals, presenting data on virtually any screen via ‘MyEpiroc’, is another option designed to enhance overall effectiveness. 

VC 3000 comes with a service weight of 3,200kg and is suitable for excavators of 35t to 55t. As standard, VC Cutters are also equipped with Epiroc’s unique ‘Hexagon Picks’(HexPicks), a new range of picks with hexagonal bodies for all types of drum cutting equipment.  “Providing solutions that can help our customers reach new levels is rewarding, not the least when it comes to energy saving and sustainability. They inspire us to constantly rethink all aspects of our offer, and the V Cutter range is certainly a result of that,” concludes Gordon Hambach.

Six of the best

Featured on the VC 3000, the shape of the Hexagon Picks is designed to make daily maintenance easier, faster and less costly with unsticking or replacement being quickly and easily accomplished with a hexagon wrench. Epiroc reports that ‘HexPicks’ are also more durable and will last up to 20% longer than all competing products. According to Epiroc, the unique design of HexPicks is specifically intended to contribute to faster and easier pick maintenance and replacement. In addition, HexPicks come with the Epiroc QuickSnap retaining system, said to provide savings in time of more than 50% compared with normal circlips or knock on retainers. The smart retaining clips enable the picks to be changed in a matter of seconds. Epiroc states that this all adds up to more uptime and lower operating costs, with the HexPicks’ design also protecting the drum’s pick box and allows better rotation, which optimizes the pick resharpening process.

Epiroc states that HexPicks are able to last 20% longer than competing products thanks to the materials used in their manufacture. The company adds that the heart of the cutting operation is a stress resistant tungsten carbide insert brazed into the body of the pick. Manufactured in a sintered material made up of tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder, the insert is designed to withstand the extreme stresses caused by continuously impacting the rock. The head and shaft of the pick body are made from optimised heat treated steel and serve as the support for the tungsten carbide insert as well as provide full protection for the pick box. HexPicks are suitable for use with transverse drum cutters, V Cutters and longitudinal cutters. 

Convincing applications of ‘DMW’ cutter wheels from Kemroc

Kemroc states that it is continuing the success story of its special cutting and milling attachments for excavators and backhoe loaders. With these machines and their joysticks in the excavator cabs, operators are able to carry out complex tasks in difficult spatial conditions, with the DMW series of cutting wheels playing a significant role in this success story. The manufacturer produces these machines in four series for excavators with an operating weight of 14t to 60t. Two high torque hydraulic motors on the side of each machine provide high drive power and maximum cutting forces in hard rock and heavily reinforced concrete.

Kemroc used Fachtagung Abbruch in Berlin in March to showcase its excavator attachments for cutting and milling. The cutting wheels from the DMW series, for example, have already proven themselves many times over in complex demolition and dismantling projects. Here are four examples of how Kemroc equipment had been used successfully.

 Trimberg Tunnel (Hesse) 

When excavating both tubes of a 600m long tunnel on the A44 highway, workers from the Hochtief/Züblin consortium had to deal with difficult geology prior to installing temporary shotcrete calotte bases. In order to accomplish the work, a Kemroc DMW 130 cutting wheel on a 23t excavator was used to cleanly separate the concrete from the subsoil and reuse it as a valuable building material.

 Saarlouis highway junction (Saarland) 

A new construction has replaced the old Saar bridge with demolition specialists from the Max Wild construction company using a Kemroc DMW 220 cutting wheel on a 40t excavator to dismantle the cantilever arms of the bridge body and the central slab between the two box girders. The resulting concrete segments were then removed from the structure by crane and crushed on the riverbank.

 Weingarten city centre (Baden-Wurttemberg) 

Demolition company CK Abbruch removed the foundations of a former industrial complex to make way for a new residential area. In accordance with the contract, this inner city location work had to be carried out with low noise and vibration levels. The demolition experts used two excavators, each with a combination of a DMW 220 HD cutting wheel and a ‘KR’ series rotary drum cutter.

 Kassel sewage treatment plant (Hesse) 

Two old stormwater overflow basins had to be replaced with new, larger basins. When demolishing the massive, ring shaped basin edges, the contractor Schnittger relied on DMW cutting wheels from Kemroc. The first basin was crushed quickly, quietly and with little vibration using a DMW 130 model on a 40t excavator. Demolition of the second basin was even faster with a larger DMW 220 model fitted to the same excavator.

According to Enrico Trender, Kemroc’s sales manager, the excavator attachments still have a lot of potential for carrying out complex demolition projects with low noise and vibration levels as well as in an energy saving and environmentally friendly manner: “In cooperation with our customers from the industry, we are constantly developing new demolition methods tailored to individual requirements,” explained Trender.