Echidna develops a new rock cutting and concrete cutting attachments for a major tunnelling project

Echidna Production Machinery has completed the development of a cutting attachment primarily conceived for the removal of temporary support structures used in conjuction with the New Austrian Method in tunnelling.

The first such device is a 75 kW cutting head carried by a Liebherr 944 tunnelling excavator. This head provides remotely controlled articulation around 5 axes and thus allows the cutting at any angle and any position that can be reached by the excavator within the tunnel profile or any other structure.

This is essentially a demolition saw, but it can be used to cut slots and pockets in any concrete or rock structure without an access to a free edge, as the device provides the possibility to plunge into a middle of a continuous wall. In conjuction with a CuttingOptimiser that is an integral part of this attachment this new development signifies a milestone development in the afore mentioned tunnelling operation essentially eliminating the danger of collapse experienced with the application of previous methods.