Rolling Wedge Planer To Be Unveiled At ConExpo-Con/AGG 2017

Rolling Wedge Planer To Be Unveiled At ConExpo-Con/AGG 2017

The Rolling Wedge Planer will be unveiled at this year's ConExpo-Con/AGG located in Las Vegas, NV March 7 - 11, 2017. The planer is an attachment designed for skid-steers to be able to plane concrete driveways, pads and sidewalks.

For more information, visit ConExpo Booth # N11668 in the North Hall.

Recycling Innovation Unveiled at World of Asphalt

The novel Rolling Wedge cutters from Philippi-Hagenbuch offer major potential for milling applications

The novel Rolling Wedge cutters from Philippi-Hagenbuch offer major potential for milling applications

Road recycling technology was one focus area at the recent World of Asphalt exhibition in the US city of Baltimore - Mike Woof writes

The economic and environmental benefits to be gained from recycling road materials are well understood. In many markets such as North America, Europe and now China, the percentage of road materials being recycled is on the increase. New technologies are helping make recycling more efficient and widening the possibilities for contractors and clients

One innovative development in cutting technology that is now available for milling machines comes from US firm Philippi-Hagenbuch. This new concept has taken a radical approach to the design of cutters used in milling, offering major gains in wear life and also performance.

The firm’s novel Rolling Wedge is effectively a toothed cutting wheel that takes the place of conventional carbide teeth used on milling drums. These units are arranged on the cutting drum in a similar pattern to the standard cutters and placed at an angle, while also being free to rotate. 

This different orientation means that the Rolling Wedge uses a different cutting principle, effectively breaking off material using shearing forces. As a result, this lowers the wear and tear experienced by the cutting edges. Josh Swank is vice president of sales and marketing at Philippi-Hagenbuch and he said, “They last one and a half to two times as long as conventional carbide teeth.”

Testing work carried out by the firm has showed these cutters offer considerable benefits, while more research is still being carried out. He said, “We’ve been focussing on what tips we need for different applications.”

The firm now offers a choice of four basic cutting types, with options for blunt or sharp tips and carbide inserts or hardened steel. However it is entirely possible that more Rolling Wedge cutters will be developed as the range of applications grows and as experience with the concept increases. The finish left by the cutters when milling is broadly similar to that produced conventional cutting tools, so there should be no concern over the suitability of the surface for laying new asphalt on top. However one important finding from the tests carried out so far is that the cutting action using the Rolling Wedge units requires less power than for conventional milling picks. This is significant as it means a milling machine will suffer less wear and tear and potentially offer major savings in maintenance costs, with substantial increases in wear life for cutter drum drives and bearings for example. Fuel consumption too will be reduced, as the milling machine’s engine could be run at a lower rpm, while achieving the same level of productivity. And from an environmental perspective, a milling machine would also be able to operate more quietly, a key point for some urban construction sites. The units could make a substantial gain in the efficiency of milling processes as well as further improving the environmental profile of road planning for producing RAP. 

The research is ongoing but Philippi-Hagenbuch believes this cutter concept offers major potential. Swank said, “We’ve just started talking to the OEMs. We are working towards offering this as an OEM system.”

First published April 2015

Rolling Wedge in the News

Forester Daily News

  • September 30, 2015
  • Tools for Trenching in OSHA's Soil Types

    "LeRoy Hagenbuch is the president and chief engineer of Philippi-Hagenbuch, the company that manufactures the Rolling Wedge. Like Lewis, he agrees that hydraulic hammers are not an efficient way of breaking up rocks.

    His product takes rock breaking a step further and does not even use a pick. He says his Rolling Wedge trencher works in a different way. “The Rolling Wedge is meant for those applications that are challenging. There’s basically two ways to break material: you can either crush it, or you can cause it to be pulled apart. And if you want a large chunk of concrete and you want to break it, if you get a hole in it, it’ll pop.”  Read More here

Rolling Wedge attending ICUEE

Rolling Wedge attending ICUEE

Rolling Wedge is excited to attend their first ICUEE show in Louisville, KY from September 28 - 30, 2015. Showcased at this year's show will be a minimum of four unique Rolling Wedge cutters mounted on a frost bar for participants to see, touch, and understand how the cutters will assist them in the real-world.

For more information on Rolling Wedge cutters, visit us at ICUEE or click here.

Video's of Rolling Wedge in Action

USED IN A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTS:

Rolling Wedge cutters can be used in a variety of material. Below are a few video's of the Rolling Wedge and the conditions its been used and tested in.
 

FROZEN GROUND:

This video is about the Rolling Wedge creating a 20' trench in frozen ground.


COMPACTED GROUND: