Chipless Cutting

A major military contractor, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense, needed a device to demilitarize a WWII stockpile of chemical agents located at a military base in Maryland. These agents were stored inside ton containers (TC), each a steel cylinder measuring 6.5' (2m) in length x 30" (76.2cm) OD with a wall thickness of 5/8" (15.9mm). The project required the ton containers to be severed in half without generating metal debris, and perform all operating functions remotely as the agent is open to the atmosphere within the isolation chamber.

Wachs Solution:
Engineered Products was responsible for the advancement of chipless wheel cutting and metal displacement during proof of principle testing with the U.S. Army. The data captured from these development test studies yielded performance gains of 700%, and became the basis for our first generation TC cutting station. Over 1,800 ton containers were safely decommissioned, ending over 60 years of agent storage at this facility.