PIPE MAINTENANCE SIMPLIFIED
The Ridgid 690 is an ideal maintenance tool for any industry using half-an-inch- to two-inch-diameter pipes
Photo by: Ngage
The Ridgid 690 hand-held power drive is ideally suited to the maintenance of pipes that are located in confined areas where there is no space for larger threading tools, industrial products supplier Dowson & Dobson (D&D) Industrial tells Engineering News.
“A section of pipe that needs be replaced can be cut with a pipe cutter and then threaded to allow for a new socket to be fitted, without having to remove the whole pipe,” says D&D Industrial sales manager Johan Janse van Rensburg.
The power drive unit can cut National Pipe Thread, British Standard Pipe Thread (BSPT) or British Standard Whitworth thread type and pipe diameters from half an inch to two inches by changing the die, he says, noting that BSPT is the most commonly used thread in construction applications, as it is suitable for water and compressed air pipes.
“The Ridgid 690, which was introduced to the South African market about 12 years ago, is an ideal maintenance tool for any industry using half-inch to two-inch diameter pipes. D&D Industrial has supplied the Ridgid 690 to a diverse range of customers, including power stations and brick manufacturers,” says Janse van Rensburg.
He adds that D&D Industrial provides training on the correct and safe use of the Ridgid 690, as the threading of pipes larger than one inch in diameter causes the die to grip onto the pipe and the power drive unit to lift. For this reason, the Ridgid 690 comes with a strong-arm, which keeps the unit in place when threading pipes larger than one inch.
D&D Industrial director and co-owner Terry O’Kelly says the company imports the Ridgid 690 from Ridgid’s international warehouse, in Belgium, although the machines are manufactured in the US.