Non-sparking tools are used in offshore, petrochemical plants, mining, shipbuilding, and refineries, just to name a few.
The company is the world’s best Non-Sparking Cutting Tools supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
These tools include various categories of tools; from handheld tools such as hammers and wrenches all the way to pneumatic cutting, grinding, and surface preparation tools.
These types of pneumatic tools fall under a specialized category at TFT and can be found under TFT-PNEUMATIC &#; Safety Tools.
They are ideal for:
Their Certification for use in Explosive Environments and being explosion-proof quality makes them the industry standard for these applications. Here&#;s a demo of a surface preparation exercise by removing corrosion paint and some metal off a steel pipe.
The name non-sparking comes for the quality of not producing sparks when in contact with metal. So depending on the category all of these tools are made of non-ferrous materials, which means they don&#;t contain iron. Iron is the main reason why hot sparks are created when you grind metals.
Using a tool made of non-sparking material eliminates the risk of ignition in environments where there are flammable liquids, vapors or dust. This is why these specialty tools are ideal for use in closed spaces. These are safety tools that are needed in all industries where explosive or flammable environments are present.
Most spark-free tools are made of materials and alloys like copper-beryllium alloys, bronze, brass and even smaller tools made out of plastic, leather or wood can technically be considered non-sparking. But these are the lower range of spark-free tools available. In general, these materials (metals) are softer, so they don&#;t last much time in heavy-duty applications.
These are things like drills, impact wrenches, and of course grinders, which are the tools that produce the most friction and thus a risk of ignition. The certified cold work grinders provided by TFT Pneumatic Safety Tools are within the category of non-sparking hand power tools and do not pose any of the risks associated with traditional tools/grinders.
In order for a grinder to fit the category of non-sparking, the grinder must be a certified cold work pneumatic grinder. Normally connected to a 90 PSI compressor, we have several grinders for different types of applications of various sizes and styles.
Depending on the application, the array of options really opens up.
Our rotating files and grinding discs are so powerful and safe to use is their main component: a proprietary alloy based on tungsten carbide, which makes it comparably as hard as a diamond. Other trade secrets include Patented material removal patterns, among a few other things.
The design of the teeth increases the longevity of the rotating files and disc, where users of these tools say they last one hundred times longer than a regular high quality grinding file or disc.
These cold work tools are compliant with ATEX Guidelines.
ATEX is the name given to the two European Directives that control explosive environments in any industry. One directive refers to the safety of the workers in hazardous environments, and the second Directive refers to the safety of the equipment used in these environments.
At the time of this writing, there is no equivalent regulation to the ATEX Certification in the US as EU regulations are far more advanced. However, the ATEX Certification is recognized globally in the industry, even if there is no official standard in the US, as there are no directives for mechanical risk ignitions, specifically by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
Regarding the need for these tools, OSHA&#;s website cites:
Iron or steel hand tools may produce sparks that can be an ignition source around flammable substances. Where this hazard exists, spark-resistant tools made of non-ferrous materials should be used where flammable gases, highly volatile liquids, and other explosive substances are stored or used.
TFT Pneumatic&#;s cold work tools are safe to use in Class 1 Div 1&2, and ATEX Gas Zones 1 & 2, dust zones 21 & 22. This means that using these tools eliminate the need for a hot work permit, pressurized welding enclosures, fire watches, shutdowns, nitrogen purging to perform any kind of mechanical operation, saving you time and costs.
Sparkless tools are quite simply the only way to properly do work in any explosive environment. But having the right tools for difficult jobs reduces costs and provides a specialized worker with adequate tooling.
Something really important about these tools is that they let you do maintenance work without the need for a shutdown. By eliminating the risk of an explosion, the everyday operations can go on as normal.
While the tools may be used during the TAR, they are even more useful year-round or Pre &#; TAR.
Additionally, there is no need to build habitats, pressurized welding enclosures or setup fire watches during operation time. These certified cold work tools are an absolute necessity and investment for continuous operation.
In the case of surface preparation, as you saw on the video, we used the A- Big Papa Rotating File, along with a FUJI pneumatic die grinder. What it did was remove the corrosion off the pipe and provide surface prep for a surface coating such as paint or a wrap.
The file is made out of a proprietary alloy based on Tungsten. So, the entire process does only increases the temperature of the pipe by about 5F.
Among the many benefits of using TFT-PNEUMATIC&#;s surface prep tool are the following:
The best non-sparking tool is the one that gets the job done faster and with the least expense possible. While traditional tools are surely cheaper, the expenses to use them far exceed their benefits in most cases.
For example, in an Offshore Platform, say you need to remove a welded structure to the deck. While a torch is cheaper, the cost of shutting the unit down may exceed the hundreds if not millions of thousands of dollars in a matter of hours or a few days. Surely the torch is cheaper, but when you add up the cost of a hot work Permit, shutdown, downtime, and so on. TFT-PNEUMATIC Safety Tools are incredibly cheaper. Most of our customers have the tools to pay for themselves within the very first job and can continue to use them for a number of years.
For example, for a ship hull repair job, you need to consider the equipment you will be using. A small grinder Certified Cold Work grinder can get the job done faster by only preparing the rusted surface, feathering its way in and out. Alternatively, a needle gun with a brass needle will never achieve the quality of surface TFT-PNEUMATIC Safety Tools will, and is about 200 times slower in speed. Perhaps using a sandal blaster is an option. But they are geared towards large areas and will remove perfectly good paint and create a big mess.
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Cutting tool that causes few sparks/shavings?
thread281- Forum Search FAQs Links MVPsForum
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MVPs
(Mechanical)
(OP)
30 Aug 12 11:20I have a project where I need to find a portable cutting tool and it has been difficult for me to find what my boss wants me to get. The tool needs to do the following:
- Cut through steel, up to 5/8" thick
- Cut holes up to 12" in diameter
- Cause no sparks, or very few
- Create no metal shavings, or keep them contained
I thought shear cutting might work since there's no sparks and very little shavings, but that doesn't seem to work for 5/8" thick metal. I also have looked into water-jet cutting, but it would produce water and metal shavings that would be difficult to contain.
Does anyone have any recommendations of tools or cutting methods I should look into? Thank you for your help.
(Materials)
30 Aug 12 11:42As an example, you want to cut 12" round holes in flat, mild steel plate that is 5/8" thick?How many holes?In the shop or in the field?You do it or sub it out?Why no sparks? Risk of explosion?Does "no sparks" also mean a low temperature.Is "time to cut" important? Does the boss care how fast the holes are cut?Can you cool with water?How important is "no metal chips"?Can you use a vacuum pick up for chip collection?How important is cut quality as in hole size and shape?How important is cut quality as in condition of the edges of the hole?
Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.
www.carbideprocessors.com
Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.
(Materials)
30 Aug 12 11:51Waterjet cutter with a capture trough under the workpiece. There are portable versions available. Meets all the stated criteria. Trough solves the containment issue. Typically the trough starts out partially filled with water to disperse the (remaining) force of the jet.
(Mechanical)
(OP)
30 Aug 12 12:28Tomwalz, the tool is needed to cut holes into transformers. And to answer your questions:
How many holes? The tool wouldn't be needed often, just for special cases. Just one hole per transformer, maybe 15-20 times a year.
In the shop or in the field? It will be in the field, since the transformer is already in place.
You do it or sub it out? My boss would like for us to buy a tool for ourselves. But if I found a service or a rental or something like that that would be best, I would look into that and recommend it if it was best.
Why no sparks? Risk of explosion? No sparks because we are cutting into a transformer.
Does "no sparks" also mean a low temperature. Yes, low temperature would be best.
Is "time to cut" important? Does the boss care how fast the holes are cut? Time to cut is not important. The hole doesn't need to be cut quickly.
Can you cool with water? I think cooling with water would be okay, as long as water doesn't go into the transformer.
How important is "no metal chips"? Metal chips can be made, as long as they don't fall into the hole made into the transformer. Maybe this is an impossible requirement, but I'm trying to gather all the information I can.
Can you use a vacuum pick up for chip collection? A vacuum pick up would be fine.
How important is cut quality as in hole size and shape? Not extremely important, the other criteria is much more important.
How important is cut quality as in condition of the edges of the hole? Same, not extremely important.
TomDOT, I have looked into a portable water jet cutting system. But as far as I can tell, water and metal cuttings would go into cut hole and therefore into the transformer, which is what my boss doesn't want.
I realize that this has a lot of difficult requirements, which is why I've been having trouble. So I very much appreciate any advice anyone has.
(Mechanical)
30 Aug 12 13:42Ah. Not fouling the transformer interior with chips or water amounts to another restriction; the cut must be made from one side, or mostly so.Now, how to do it.What comes to mind is a holesaw, but you need an extraordinary size.Instead, i'd try drilling and tapping a blind center hole (not all the way through), screwing on some sort of pivot stud, and using a trepanning tool on a long bar to cut through. (Think of a holesaw with one tooth.) Driven manually, or with a powerhead from something like a big pipe threading tool.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
(Materials)
30 Aug 12 13:54Ah, keeping cuttings and water outside of a container you're cutting is a different kettle of fish. Sounds like MikeH has a good approach, if you're only doing 1-2 per month.
(Mechanical)
(OP)
30 Aug 12 14:21Mike, thank you for the idea. That sounds like it could work. I will into that.
(Aerospace)
30 Aug 12 18:26Is there enough room between the transformer & wall of the exterior enclosure, so that a shield can be installed between.
leave a small gap in between to clear any tooling.
then duct tape any open spaces. then use standard cutting equipment. such as a plasma cutter, or hole saw as Mike suggested.
then use a shop vac to suck up any particles. It's low tech but may work.
use sheet material that is cheap & light to use. & that may be reused or thrown away.
It is not an easy task to ensure, no debris flings into the transformer.
Mfgenggear
(Aeronautics)
30 Aug 12 20:44Is this transformer going to have oil in it, or can you drain the transformer before you cut?As suggested by others a fly cutter or trepanning tool, Or a milling cutter in a drill motor on the end of the Radius bar.I would not suggest the use of a plasma torch, I have first hand experience of nearly being deafened and a shop filled with light blue smoke, after trying to cut a transformer housing with a torch. ( it was not as cleaned out as they said it was.).Luckily the case held together.B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor
(Materials)
31 Aug 12 07:20Berkshire,I can well imagine the trauma,as I have had a similar experience. In fact, I am wondering the need to undertake such a risk filled task.Last month I faced,our 33kv/11kv, 5 MVA transformer insulation failure. I would not like anyone to experience that.
_____________________________________
"It's better to die standing than live your whole life on the knees" by Peter Mayle in his book A Good Year
(Automotive)
31 Aug 12 08:57I am not sure how practical it would be to manual trepan a hole of that size through 5/8 plate.
I would have though a better option might be to fix a plate via a tapped hole or two and use a router, you should be able to leave a very thin wall and clear out all debris and then just punch out the disk.
(Industrial)
31 Aug 12 09:54My though is to do it properly from the start. Have a casing made with the correct hole in it, and swap the innards. Never been up close and personal to large transformers, so I don't know if this is a practical approach, either.Having in excess of 30 years in the machine shop, my only other suggestion would be a portable milling machine bolted onto the housing, and cuttingthrough, then taking a metal cutting chisel and shearing the remaining web to remove the knockout, ala can-opener style.
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
(Mechanical)
(OP)
31 Aug 12 12:05Thank you everyone for the ideas. I'm not terribly familiar with machining and cutting so just having the right key words to search will help a lot. I think the plasma cutter is right out. I will look into the fly cutter, trepanning tool, and router.
Ornerynorsk, sometimes we get work with brand new transformers in which case they can have a hole done in them correctly and a new tool is not needed. This tool is needed for the rare special cases where we are on an old transformer that is already in the field and needs a new hole in it. But thank you for the can-opener idea. It's certainly not one I would have thought of, and I'll keep that possibility in mind.
(Aerospace)
31 Aug 12 19:16Yes I agree if the transformer has oil in it will be dangerous, with any tool.
the reason for oil is to cool the transformer.
I assumed that since a hole was being machined, no oil was present. and was not the containment
that was being breached. I guess that question should have been asked?
Thanks for pointing that out.
I actually like the suggestion to replace the transformer. there job done.
no danger of any disaster.
Mfgenggear
(Materials)
4 Sep 12 11:31Wouldn't it be faster to just swap transformers? I am assuming you won't work on them live so downtime is a real issue.We get pretty unhappy when the power goes out and everyone stands around. Fun for a while then pretty boring and expensive.Tom
Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.
www.carbideprocessors.com
Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.
(Materials)
4 Sep 12 11:53Swapping transformers certainly sounds like a better plan to me.
Another thought - are any of these "old" transformers old enough to be PCB-filled?
(Mechanical)
(OP)
5 Sep 12 11:21Swapping transformers would probably be the best plan, rather than cutting a hole in one. But my project is to find a tool that can cut a hole, so I have to find out the best way to do that.
(Industrial)
5 Sep 12 15:48You are asking how to cut a hole in .625 plate. In the normal fabrication processes the hole would be created using some flame process such as plasma, oxy-acetylene or oxy-fuel cutting process. For extreme cases a waterjet with abrasive injection could be possible. Since none of these processes appear to meet you requirements some form of machining will need to be looked at. A 12 inch hole saw, a twelve inch trepan tool or some form of a drill-mill combination process. All of these processes would require some type of chip control such a vacuum collection process. All of these process require bringing a machine with substantial horsepower.
My suggestion would be to utilize a digger derrick removing the standard auger and use some sort of a custom auger/trepan tool. The design of the tool will be difficult and will require special attachment details to clamp the new trepan tool against the transformer.
How about buying transformers with twelve inch holes with inspection cover plates?
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