Executive Hire News › Archives › May 2009 › Executive Report : The next leap forward
Executive Report : The next leap forward
Phil Mist finds the combination of high performance and low vibration impressive on Hilti's latest breaker.
At a distance, you could be forgiven for not being able to tell Hilti’s new TE 1000 breaker from the existing TE 905, but up close it makes a different kind of impact, with up-to-the-minute features designed to make the operator’s lot a much happier one.
The machine is powered by a 1600watt brushless SR motor, which gives longer service intervals and an increased life expectancy. When this type of motor is used to power electric tools used on construction sites, in situations where there could be problems of a drop in the actual voltage presented to the tool by the use of long trailing leads, this issue is virtually eliminated. Another key consequence of the TE 1000’s design is reduced vibration. It offers a decrease over the already market-leading TE 905, which emits in excess of 8m/s2, to only 6.5m/s2. This, for a machine offering 22J of single blow energy in its full working mode, is quite extraordinary. In addition to these features, the TE1000 has Hilti’s now standard AVR (Active Vibration Reduction), and offers a reduced power setting for more delicate breaking operations, providing only 16J of energy per single blow.
Much of the vibration reduction is achieved by a system of leaf springs in the motor, which ensures that the outside of the tool is virtually separate from the inner hard working shell. The result is greater operator comfort, and also an occasional - but incorrect - suspicion that the tool may not be working properly (a complaint raised by some operators when the TE 905 was first launched).
It is difficult to get your head round the fact that a machine offering so much power and impact energy, yet so little vibration, is actually working harder than one which is trying to knock the operator for six. But it does.
The TE 1000 has a lock-on switch, enabling the operator to concentrate on holding the machine correctly and working efficiently, and the rear handle is isolated from the main body of the tool. There is a 360° vibration damped front handle, and a light indicates when servicing is required.
Weighing in at just 11.8kg, the machine is light enough for occasional horizontal use, but is generally designed to be operated below waist height and in a downward direction. It is less than half the weight of a T- shaped breaker, yet can accomplish much the same job, resulting from a combination of its high energy impact and its full load impact rate of 1,950bpm.
In hands-on testing, chisels selected from the latest Hilti self-sharpening Polygon range were used on the TE1000, together with the new
TE DRS-B dust collection system. This latter item helps to collect up to 95% of the fine, potentially harmful particles generated when using machines indoors. The system has two chambers at its front end to allow only fine particles of dust to be sucked up into the collector itself, and not large pieces of concrete or masonry. EHN’s tests proved that the simple snap-on connection system of the DRS-B works well and that the unit can also be fitted to any of the existing range of Hilti hammer drills.
In addition to the tests carried out on the TE 1000, Hilti’s new TE 30 SDS Plus hammer drill was also on hand and was therefore given a full work out. This small hammer is available in three versions, two of which have an 850watt motor and the third having a 900watt power unit. The first two comprise the TE 30-AVR, a two-function machine with hammer stop for rotary-only drilling of wood and steel, and the TE 30 C-AVR, a three-function combi-hammer that can also be used for light chiselling. The third version, the TE 30 M-AVR, has a two-speed gearbox and constant speed control. It can be used for virtually any small hammer operation, including hammer core drilling and chiselling.
All three models have Hilti’s quick-change E-C Click chuck (with options of a keyed rotary drilling chuck and a keyless chuck). Each tool provides 3.3J of energy per single blow, and all operate at a full load speed of 0-750rpm (the TE 30 M-AVR offers a second speed of 0-1,100rpm) and an impact rate of 4,080bpm. The TE 30-AVR has a vibration level of 16.5m/s2, whereas the other two are rated at only 12m/s2. The rear handle is again isolated from the main body. Weighing in at 4kg for the standard model and only 4.4kg for the largest version, the TE 30 range provides a light, easy to use, top performing SDS Plus alternative to the more usual 2kg hammer drill.
In conclusion, the TE 1000 seems to signal the next leap forward in the design of demolition hammers and breakers. Along with the TE 30, it shows Hilti’s designers are continuing to look at ways of improving the lot of the construction worker. Moreover, the latest features incorporated in the two new machines, together with the manufacturer’s two-year no-cost repair system, lifetime warranty and lifetime repair cost limit, are all aimed at ultimately reducing the costs incurred when running a fleet of hard working drilling and demolition hammers. •
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