ROLLER CUTTERS & CUTTING TOOLS
As a world leader in the manufacturing of boring and cutting tools, Palmieri SPA design and manufacture a wide range of both fixed and revolving tools for boring and tunnelling equipment, with special attention and dedication to all our clients’ needs, resulting in the most suitable products for both geology and equipment specifications. Palmieri supply its products to some of the world’s most respected equipment makers and end users (contractors).

Special equipment
Thanks to its innovative approach, especially in the design and manufacture of special equipment, the Palmieri Group can support its clients with its carefully designed and manufactured tailor-made solutions that are perfectly complying with job specifications as well as with end users’ expectations.

ROLLER CUTTERS
The so called roller cutters are revolving tools that are mainly used in the full face mechanized tunnelling/boring fields for shafts, tunnels, with TBM, RCM, RCD and RBM equipment, either in rock or mixed grounds. They are mounted on the cutter heads and, by revolving with it, they crush the materials in front of the cutterhead. Roller cutters can be subdivided in two main product lines:

Replaceable ring cutters
Roller cutters with one or two replaceable rings. The worn out ring can be replaced without the need of disassembling the whole roller cutter hub onto which the replaceable ring is mounted. The same roller cutter body can be equipped with a wide range of different ring types so to properly handle the given geologies that can be encountered during the drive.

Monoblock body roller cutters
Roller cutters with one or more cutting edges that are part of the cutter body itself. These roller cutters are available in a very wide range of shapes, sizes and materials in such a way to cover any possible need in terms of geology, expected roller cutter life and performances. As an example, the tapered roller cutters that are normally
used as “copy cutters” on the outer positions of TBM cutter heads and those mounted on reaming cutter heads for Raise Boring applications, all belong to the monoblock family.

In addition to the above subdivision between replaceable ring and monoblock types, roller cutters can also be subdivided in other many sub-categories, based on the following additional parameters:
• Diameter (multiple diameters in the case of tapered roller cutter).
• The amount of so-called “cutting tips”, i.e. the quantity of cutting edges (Singles, Twins, Doubles, Quad and so on).
• Geometry (the cutting tips spacing, for multiple tip cutters).
• The cutting profile, both in terms of tip shape, angles and size, and in terms of material or finishing (ST, HD, Tungsten carbide tips, hardfaced tips and so on).
• The specific roller cutter position on the cutter head face area (Center cutters, Face, Gauge and copy cutters).
• The roller cutter fastening system onto its housing and the cutter installation method (from inside or outside the cutter head, a.k.a. Back or Front load mount).

TBM CUTTER HEADS

What sets Palmieri Group apart from most competitors is our capability and skills in the design and manufacturing of cuttingheads. Such heads, up to 15 metres in diameter, are designed and manufactured in accordance with the specific needs of the TBM on which they will be mounted and of the specific geology to be encountered during the drive. Very often such cuttingheads are manufactured for existing TBMs whose boring diameter needs to be altered or the existing cuttinghead design is not deemed to be suitable for the geological conditions of the new job to be started. Clients may wish to keep the old cuttinghead and buy a brand new one which has been conceived, designed and manufactured for its specific needs.

The Palmieri Group can even manufacture cuttingheads that has been designed by its clients; as often made in the past for some of the most respected and well known TBM makers worldwide.

Palmieri Group products’ fields of use is very wide and well diversified. From small sized items as, for instance, TBMs’ tail brush seals to the manufacture of large and sophisticated Back-Up systems. Here below some additional examples of Palmieri Group products:
• Concrete segments erection systems for tunnel wall lining, all shapes and sizes, designed and engineered upon request and based on clients’ specific needs (job type, segments shape and size).
• Besides the manufacture of complete segment erection system, Palmieri Group can also supply specific related accessories and parts such as spherical pins for segments with a wide range of threads and sizes.
• Mucking out systems, either by belt or via screw conveyor systems.