Advantages Of Diamond Concrete Cutting

In the field of concrete cutting there is an array of different technologies and developments for years, but for some time using diamond studded blade for concrete cutting purpose has become a widely accepted advanced dimension in respect of better maneuverability and work process. Presently almost all advanced concrete cutting machines uses diamond cutting blades instead of traditional cutting blades thanks to a wide range of advantages. While diamond concrete cutting is smarter and less labor intensive and time consuming, traditional cutting mechanisms require huge amount of labor, requires more time and involvement and consequently more costly as well.

Precision and faultlessness is another aspect that gives diamond cutting an edge over the traditional method of cutting. While traditional cutting technology causes vibration in the greater structure making various areas vulnerable to develop cracks in the subsequent procedure, diamond cutting is absolutely vibration free and causes no damage to the greater structure. Moreover in contrast to traditional cutting diamond cutting procedure causes least amount of operational hazards and offers far better and more precise accessibility to areas that were hitherto unreachable through the traditional cutting mechanism.

Smarter and faster

Diamond Concrete Cutting is electric fast and convenient with multiple features in comparison to traditional cutting methods. In diamond cutting features are well set for different concrete surfaces and cutting requirements while in traditional cutting it is dependent on real time observation and maneuvers. Diamond cutting cuts any metal while in traditional cutting special metal cutting is required. Most important of all in diamond cutting only a few technicians or operators are required in contrast to traditional cutting which is more labor intensive and requires guided maneuvers at every step of the operation.

Precision And Work Excellence

After all if you consider the excellence of the cutting work and precision then diamond cutting is far advanced than traditional one. Being automatic and incorporating multiple features for different surfaces and requirements diamond cutting provides great precise cuts and concrete extraction while tradition cutting often results in uncontrolled cuts and openings when performing the task. Consequently in diamond cutting limited patchwork is required in contrast to traditional cutting methods.

Difference In Causing Disruption

Often the cutting process with a diamond cutting machine cannot be known by the people living in the block beside thanks to its almost noiseless operation. Moreover, diamond cutting causes much less destruction in the building as it is absolutely precise. On the contrary traditional cutting procedures creates great noise, causes huge rubbles, breakages and air pollution with dust. This tremendous disruption caused by the traditional cutting methods made diamond cutting method so popular with the environmental point of view.

Damage To Overall Architecture

Any traditional method of concrete cutting causes the structure experience the tremendous vibration in several parts and even can contribute to the permanent damage to the inner beams and structures. On the complete contrast diamond concrete cutting with its widely acclaimed precise cutting does not cause any vibration and so the chances of the architecture to experience damage are much less.

Accessing Various Parts And Areas

Diamond cutting is made to fit various types of surfaces and nooks and corners as per the cutting task while traditional cutting is often just gross and cannot be carried with sharp precision to shape cutting work to the desired effect. Traditional cutting can only access the gross areas while diamond cutting can reach most inaccessible parts of the structure to perform the cutting task as per requirement.

Observing all these benefits of diamond blades over traditional, MegaSaw utilises diamond blades and machines to avail all these advantages for any kind of concrete cutting, drilling and sawing work.

Safety Measures Using Hand Held Concrete Saw

Today, lots of choices are available in saws. It comes with cordless electric motors, gas engines, or saws powered by pneumatics or hydraulics. All these equipments, by their nature, are highly hazardous tools if used recklessly. Safety, hence, is the most important aspect you need to consider before actually working with a saw.

Safety Issues

The foremost thumb rule is not to assume that anyone operating this equipment is well versed with the safely issues procedures. Each saw comes with a complete list of general safety rules that is compulsory to be followed, spanning from ensuring that electrical tools are unplugged prior to changing blades to just facilitating the tool it is meant for not something else.

Equipment Type

Hand-held cutting saws are meant to be used only where the larger self-supporting saws are not compatible.

Work Area

Hand-held saws is ideal to be used when the operator’s hands are lifted at waist height while holding the equipment when cutting horizontally and between the collar bone to the height of knee when vertical cutting is in progress. Operation beyond these guidelines may create hazards of injury to the operator.

Basic Safety Tips

Safety TipsIf the operator is using a non-trigger tool there must be a holder to grab the equipment properly. A proper grip for both left and right handed operators is imperative. Lighter the saw, better it is, as it will reduce risk of strain injury. Aptly balanced equipment must be packed with anti-vibration hand-grips to offer the best comfort to the operator and great support.

Improperly balanced equipment may require the operator’s to place his hands in risky positions close to the blade or it may vibrate unusually while using thus risking harm to the operator’s nerves, joints and circulation. Right diamond cutting should be put to use for the material being cut to void apply more force by the operator to perform the task.

Safety with Right Primary Checking

To cut concrete horizontally, the saw should move right to left and left to right without lifting or changing the blade or guard. It should have an automatic cutoff switch. If you are going to cut pipe make sure that they are having ample support and are properly chocked. Let the workers working in the close vicinity of the site have the information that drilling or cutting is about to commence. Put the ‘Noise Warning’ and ‘Danger Diamond Drilling’ indications in conspicuous places. Instruct the people helping the operator to stay away from any hazard of rapid saw movements or expulsion of fine pieces.

Fuelling must be done after switching off and keeping of the work space.The cutting area should be cleaned and have even surface. Executing concrete cutting & sawing indoors, ensure that the operator is using compressed or hydraulically-driven saw and also ensure that proper ventilation system is available.

Manually no cutting should be performed above shoulder height. Something placed at greater height should be performed using scaffold. Check for the hoses and right level of oil. Check the conditions of ground to ensure safety of operator. Put all electrical cables safely to the ground level. Make sure the engine is properly warmed up and the blade has started running at the right speed prior to commencing the cutting process.

Facilitate the handles instead of the belt guard to support the device. Cutting and drilling task must not be performed near combustible material, wet slurry, fumes, and electrically-powered device. Immediately stop the equipment if an unauthorized person enters the work area or in case you find fault with the machine or blade.

Safety While Operation

When the task is going to start using the saw, first mark the cut line using a waterproof crayon or permanent marker. Stand firmly placing one foot apart from other and one in front of the other, the balance of the body and the back should be close to vertical angle.

In case of cutting a pipe, keep the saw forward as the cutting should take place in the lower quadrant of the blade. Cut the top of the pipe by rotating the pipe between the cut. After using the saw for some time and changing to a second blade, ensure to align the blade in sync with the earlier cut before starting the cutting process. Operation should be done at optimum blade revolutions and a swishing sound can be heard from the blade when cutting properly. Ensure to release the triggers when the blade gets stuck up or jams due to any reason.

Maintenance Tips

The overall functioning condition of the equipment must be checked by the operator before actually commencing the cutting to make sure that the cutting device, leads, blade, guards, and hydraulic hoses are in best condition. The device must be checked and maintained thoroughly by the right technician. Just ensure that defective equipments may put the operator along with the people working in the close vicinity in danger.

Above stated are some of the safety measures that are requisite for operating hand held concrete saw. Following these safety measures will help the operator and the other people working in the same environment to maintain a good working environment and avoid any hazard to the lives of these people.

New Core Drilling and Concrete Cutting Projects By MegaSaw

Bunning Store

MEGASAW joins the construction team helping to build new Bunnings Stores. The main contractor has MegaSaw core drilling holes through the concrete panels for down pipe penetrations. Most of these core holes are done out of a Boom lift or a Scissor lift. MegaSaw has operators with Elevated Platform Tickets which enables our operators to operate these machines.

Masters Store Project

MegaSaw joins the construction team helping to build new Masters Stores. Just like on the Bunnings Projects, the main contractor has Megasaw core drilling holes through concrete wall panels for down pipes and plumbing penetrations. On these projects we are core drilling holes up to 250 mm diameter and again some core holes have to be done out of a Boom Lift or Scissor Lift.
We have updated staff vehicles and purchases 2 new Ford XR6 Dedicated gas Utes. MegaSaw now has 3 of these vehicles in our fleet.

Refinery Project:

MegaSaw gets inducted ready for work at SHELL Refinery. One needs to have special skills and machinery to carry out concrete cutting and drilling works around all those fuel tanks. MEGASAW has both.

Risk And Hazards Associated With Concrete Cutting

People who regularly work with concrete and masonry drilling and cutting equipment are at high risk of wide range of hazards, like silica dust, saw kick back, toxic exhaust fumes, collapsing walls, blade fracture, electrocution, noise pollution, vibration, slips, falls etc.

These devices are vulnerable to the violent pressures unleashed when the blade of saw jams inside a cut compare to fixed saws. These forces are usually considered as kick-back, pull in or push back and are quite tough and often impossible to control leaving the operator at risk of potentially lethal injury from such an uncontrollable circular saw.

Supervision, instruction, and training are imperative in all concrete and masonry cutting and drilling operations.

Risks and Hazards

Some hazards are quite common and widely witnessed in all types of concrete cutting and drilling, albeit there are some hazards specific to particular types of devices, like:

Push-Back, Kick-back, or Pull-in – These are potentially fatal forces, experienced suddenly and often become difficult to manage. Such conditions can lead to injury when quick cut concrete saws and hand-held are facilitated. It may also wrench the saw from its fittings leaving the saw running on the ground freely.

Obstructions in the Concrete Being Cut – Such obstacle can lead to sudden back-push, back-kick or pull-in movements of the device. They occur when the blade comes in contact with some resistance within the masonry or concrete like from reinforcing steel mesh, bars, or brick ties.

Pinched Cuts – These cuts are witnessed when the material, being cut moves from its place, leading to increased the risk of kick-back etc.

Off-line Cuts – Such situation can make the saw to pinch or bite that may lead to push-back, kick-back, and pull-in movements. These occasions are mostly experienced working with hand-held saws.

Blunt Cutting Edges – This situation is witnessed by relying on a saw blade having a wrong diamond cutting bond. In this situation the bond holds the cutting diamonds together too hard and it leads to delay in cutting process that may lead to the surface diamonds getting blunt.

In this situation, some additional force is applied particularly with hand-held saws, thus catapulting the probability of push-back, kick-back, or pull-in.

Worn, Damaged Saw Blades, or Inappropriate Blade – These can make the blade to vibrate, wobble, shatter, or fragment and often fly off. Blades get disintegrated when force is applied if the blade is dull and when any obstacle is met, which may lead to incorrect cutting groove.

Hazardous Dusts – Such dusts are generated by cutting and drilling equipments that perform dry operations and does not apply water for cooling purpose of the cutting parts to bed the dust.

Cutting Concrete Pipes – For this activity, some special safety procedures should be taken to prohibit the pipe from moving while cutting, specifically when a handheld saw is used. A hazard during pipe cutting can be counted to be the pressure from the increased flange at the pipe-end resulting in closing and pinching the saw blade, resulting in blade shatter or kick-back injury.

Toxic Fumes – In the lack of proper ventilation, petrol motor emissions packed with carbon monoxide and other harmful gases can generate to hazardous levels.

Electric Cables, Water or Gas Pipes – Exposing utility services, particularly in existing structures, can expose the operator to the risk of electrocution, slipping, and open to toxic gases or often explosion too.

Power Cords – When linked with electric-powered cutting devices and other equipments, these may often be damaged. Reservoir of water coolant and suspension could lead to electrocution because of an exposed wire.

Uneven Surfaces – Such situation can enhance the risk of tripping and stumbling of the operator, leading to an unusual movement of the saw resulting in kick-back.

Wet, Slippery Surface – This condition of having slurry or water on floors can make the operator slip and fall.

Vibration – Whole body or arm vibration, if borne for a long time by using drilling and cutting device, may result in nerve, joint and circulatory damage.

Working Alone – Working without any assistance may be a risky bet as this activity would require assistance in case of any urgency or injury.

Noise – High decibel of noise emerged from concrete cutting or drilling is a potential workplace hazard.

It is suggested that an appropriately experienced and qualified engineer should conduct an on-site assessment prior to performing any cutting or drilling of a pre-tensioned or post-tensioned structure of a building or structure.

The evaluation report should be documented and presented before the person contracted to perform the task.

Identify Hazards and Control Risks

Identifying the hazard and assessing the risk for every type of concrete cutting and drilling tasks is required to develop and implement control measures for every piece of equipment and every job.

Control measures should include safe working tactics, should be conceptualized in consultation with everyone at the workplace, including workers, employers, managers, supervisors, in charge of workplaces, contract people, and health and safety representatives.

When working with such hazardous equipments, it is essential to follow certain laid down safety measures. Some of the most successful safety rules include – control measures must be daily reviewed and analyzed by communication and consultation, safety and health committee meet ups, regular check of equipment and work safety measures, keeping track of accident and near-miss records, injury and lost time data; and repair and maintenance reports.