Blog: Viewing Underground air tools Articles

Cengar started business back in 1954 in Halifax, UK.  They patented the world's first twin piston air hacksaw in 1954, and then updated it in 1964.  Since then they have added new models and worked to improve the power, reliability and vibration levels of it's saws.  Recently Cengar updated it's production equipment to again improve quality and reduce lead times.

You will find Cenagr tools in oil rigs, refineries, fibreglass manufacturers, mines and pallet repair facilities all over the world.  They are used to cut steel plate, angle sections, I-beams, bolts, sections and pipes.  All of Cengars saws have very simple, reliable piston motors which use very little air.  No vanes, no bearings, no gears!  They are ATEX approved for T5, Zone 1 hazardous area use except for the Cengar JSM, which is ATEX certified to M2 for underground coal mine use.

Please beware, there are a number of copies of the Cengar CL50 and CL75. They are copies of the old version of these saws so they do not perform as well and they do not have ATEX approvals.  Spare parts are not compatible with modern Cengar saws, and it is an issue to find spares in Australia.

Assembly Technologies Pty Ltd are the Australian importers for Cengar saws.  We usually have all of the saws, blades and spares in stock.  Repair of the saws is very simple, any air tool repair shop should be able to repair them.  In case you have difficulty, we have a full work shop and are able to repair any Cengar saw.

Air tools and air motors are still assumed to be safe for use in explosive environments and in underground mines, but are they really?  How safe is “safe”?

The simple answer is yes, in general air tools are safe for use in hazardous areas, but not always.  Many types of cutting & grinding tools are not safe no matter what type of motor they use – for example grinders.  Other tools like drills, hacksaws, impact wrenches and air motors are widely considered to be safe. The issue is how safe are they really?

ATEX approvals show that motors and tools have been tested and are safe to use in the indicated temperature zones.

Depending on the cutting speed, some drills and air hacksaws are not safe for use in hazardous areas at all.  Also the quality of the motor and it’s components can lead to overheating of the bearings.

Some gases and dusts can explode at very low temperatures, for example carbon disulfide can ignite at 90 degC.

So what temperature does the air tool or air motor run at?

Do all air powered motors run at the same temperature?

Of course of course they don’t.

ATEX approvals were introduced in the EU to certify the safety of equipment that is going to be used in hazardous areas.  All tools and equipment that have ATEX approvals are marked with a code that identifies:

• Which zone the equipment is safe to be used
• What temperature range the tool operates
• If the tool is suitable for operations where explosive gas and/or dust is present
• Whether the tools is safe for underground or general industrial use

ATEX approvals clarify whether or not an air tool or air motor is safe to use in a particular hazardous area thereby avoiding assumptions about safety that can lead to serious injuries or catastrophic explosions.

Our full range of air hacksaws are ATEX approved some for underground, but most for above ground use.

Most of our air motors in the Advanced Line and Basic Line ranges are ATEX approved for use around explosive gases and dusts.

Our Undergound mining impact wrenches are also ATEX approved for use in underground coal mines.