Technical Bulletin

Cutting Pipe Insulation sections

with ESCO CNC wire saw

Overview

This technical bulletin is designed to assist fabricators with the proper set-up and operation

to cut Owens Corning™

FOAMULAR® XPS fabrication billets into pipe insulation sections.

It will assist in helping to determine a starting point. Each fabricator will need to fi nd the best set-up for their specifi c needs. Owens Corning does not warrant any specifi c results or performance.

This information was derived with ESCO, the manufacturer of the CNC wire saw. There are different models of saws available and this information will be helpful as a starting point when working with most of the available models.Adjustment for the specifi c model WILL be required.

NOTE: Owens Corning™

FOAMULAR® XPS Fabrication Billets are laminated with glue joints every 4”. This technical bulletin will only be useful for those saws with software that takes this into account. Please contact ESCO if you are unsure if your machine is so equipped.

Machine Set-up

There are numerous variables that can impact the quality, yield and throughput of cutting pipe sections on the ESCO CNC wire saw. In this technical bulletin we will review:

• Wire Type

• Wire Speed

• Wire Feed

• Joint Feed

All of these variables are adjustable

and with different combinations

contributing to the quality of the

fi nished pipe insulation section.

A fractional factorial trial was conducted at the ESCO factory using a new Model 1530 Profi leMatic III CNC Horizontal Cutter (fi gure 1, table 1).

Table 1:

Set Point

Cut Time Blade Blade

DiameterBlade Speed

Blade Speed FPM

Machine Feed IPM

Joint Speed IPM

1 5.5 Fine (ESP) 1.3mm 60% 11,400 120 15

2 9.8 Fine (ESP) 1.3mm 60% 11,400 50 6

3 8.7 Medium (PUR) 1.4mm 60% 11,400 50 6

4 4.3 Medium (PUR) 1.4mm 100% 19,000 120 15

5 5.4 Coarse (ESTR) 1.5mm 60% 11,400 120 15

6 8.4 Coarse (ESTR) 1.5mm 100% 19,000 50 6

7 7.3 Foamglas (Glas) 1.5mm 60% 11,400 50 6

8 5.4 Foamglas (Glas) 1.5mm 100% 19,000 120 15

Finished Sections Rankings

A total of fi ve (5) samples were cut for each trial set point. Two nested parts (1½ ” x 1½ ”; 4½ ” x 1½ ”) were cut from each sample. Sample #3 from each set point was used for comparison to establish the rankings. The rankings were based on:

• Surface Quality and Consistency

• Dimensional Conformance

• Nesting Fit

• Joint Quality

Figure 1

Technical Bulletin

Cutting Pipe Insulation sections

with ESCO CNC wire saw

OWENS CORNING FOAM INSULATION, LLCONE OWENS CORNING PARKWAYTOLEDO, OHIO 43659

1-800-GET-PINK®

www.owenscorning.com

Pub. No. 10017896-A. Printed in U.S.A. October 2012. THE PINK PANTHER™ & ©1964-2012 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The color PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. ©2012 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer of LiabilityTechnical information contained herein is furnished without charge or obligation and is given and accepted at recipient’s sole risk. Because conditions of use may vary and are beyond our control, Owens Corning makes no representation about, and is not responsible or liable for the accuracy or reliability of data associated with particular uses of any product described herein.

Please contact 419-248-6557 for additional information. Email: gettech@owenscorning.com

Trial Results

Rankings were conducted by the

manufacturing team, the product

development team, fabricators,

and contractors. The heaviest

weightings were placed on the

Contractors and Fabricators. The

rankings in Table 2 summarize the

data for all set points. A ranking

of 1 represents the best cut.

Table 2:

Sample Engineer Contractor Fabricator Weighted Rankings

2 2 1 1 1.10

5 4 2 2 2.20

8 1 3 3 2.80

7 3 4 6 4.70

3 7 6 4 5.30

4 5 5 8 6.20

1 8 8 5 6.80

6 6 7 7 6.90

Weight 10% 50% 40% 100%

Conclusions

Quality sections can be cut on the ESCO equipment through using proper setup. All four wire types produced acceptable results. Machine feed rate appears to be the most critical variable.

The highest ranked sample was made using the Fine (ESP) wire, but also had the slower feed rate.

The most successful results with the highest feed rate were obtained using the Foamglas wire.

The following initial set-points can be used for each wire type when setting up the machine for the fi rst time (Table 3).

Table 3:

Blade Blade Speed Machine Feed IPM Joint Speed IPM

Fine (ESP) 60% 50 6

Medium (PUR) 60% 50 6

Course (ESTR) 60% 120 15

Foam Glass (Glass) 100% 120 15

Although all four wires can be used to make acceptable sections, the Fine and Medium wires have a slower feed rate.