Summary of ALvention
When cutting pipe for plumbing applications there are commonly two major steps involved that take time - cutting & cleaning. This ALventions combines the two jobs into one saving time during the pipe cutting process.
Product Description
When cutting pipe for plumbing applications there are commonly two major steps involved that take time.
First, the pipe must be cut via the use of a traditional pipe cutter. To do this the pipe is put into the cutter and the blade is tightened so it is snug with the pipe. Then the cutter is rotated around the pipe and after each revolution the cutter is tightened once again. After doing this several times the cutter breaks through the pipe and the pipe is cut.
The second step is to clean each end of the pipe so that the solder will stick to the pipe. An emery cloth is used for this. The cloth is rotated around each end of the pipe until the pipe end is clean. This step takes several minutes as it needs to be done twice (once for each end of the pipe that was cut).
The entire process takes time and is cumbersome. It is the object of this invention to integrate the two processes into one.:
The proposed pipe cutter has an elongated back or cavity used to support the adhesive backed emery foam (supplied with cutter and sold as a consumable).
To use, remove the adhesive protective strip from the emery foam and adhere to the flat metal surface on the interior of the pipe wrench. In production the area where the enery foam will fit will be a cavity instead of a flat surface.
The pipe rests against the emery foam when placed in the cutter and the emery foam provides resistance against the pipe as the cutter is rotated around the pipe. This facilitates the cleaning of the pipe as the cutter is rotated around the pipe.
After a few rotations of the pipe, the blade protrudes through the center of the pipe splitting it in half. The ends of the pipe are also clean from having had contact with the emery foam while being rotated in the device.
Current Solutions
The current solution is to use a traditional pipe cutter and emery cloth - two separate steps. This link shows the typical procedure for cutting and cleaning copper pipe: lhttp://www.diyfixit.co.uk/diy/plumbing/copper_cut/copper_cut.html
Job Identification and Market Appeal
This product will be popular with the professional plumbing and home Do It Yourself markets.
Competition
Suggested Distribution
Intellectual Property
Stage of Development
Prototypes completed. Offshore sourcing started.
Estimated Price/Cost
It is estimated that this product could be sourced from China for between $5.00 and $8.50 per piece landed in the US. Retail selling price is estimated to be between $14.95 and $19.95. The maximum gross margin for these estimates approaches 75%.
Product Extensions
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