Continental Pipe & Tube Cut-off Machines
Continental Pipe & Tube Cut-off Machines
info@continentalcutoff.com
630.543.7170

What is Rotary Pipe & Tube Cut-off

Continental pipe cutting machines are different pipe saws.  They take advantage of the rotary cutoff method.  Rotary cutting works like a hand-held tube cutter except the blade is larger and it’s powered.  Take a look at this video to see rotary pipe and tube cutting in action.

As you can see in the video, the tube is supported on a set of rolls.  These are mounted in a cutter block assembly that allows the tube to spin freely during cutting.  During the cut the rotating cut-off blade is forced down into the top of the tube causing the tube to spin.  Downward force causes the blade to penetrate through the wall of the tube, completing the cut.

Since no chips are created and no material, or kerf, is removed, the question comes up—How is the cut made?  The answer is that rotary tube cutting is actually a “metal forming” process.  During the cut, the blade causes the metal at the cut to flow to the side and away from the blade.  This allows the blade to pass through the tube wall.

The rotary pipe and tube cutting method has a number of advantages.  First, since the blade only has to penetrate the tube’s wall thickness, cuts are much faster than with a band saw or cold saw where the blade must slowly pass through the entire diameter.  In addition, since the cut-off blade doesn’t have teeth, there are no chips—and, typically no coolant is used.  This is a big advantage because the tube cutting work area and your parts stay clean and dry.  No chips, no mess, no hassle!

Another advantage of rotary tube cutoff is the smooth, clean cut.  Most materials can be cut with virtually no burr, so secondary de-burring operations can be eliminated.

For most pipe and tube cutting applications, rotary cutoff provides significant benefits over band saws, cold saws and chop saws.