More recently, basic robots were developed to perform this task remotely from within the pipe lining itself. KRE has strived to stay at the forefront in its ability to produce reliable robotic equipment for this purpose.

Founded in 1991, KRE manufacture and export robotic equipment across the globe. A major part of their success has been their dedication to producing cost-effective and reliable products that offer the benefit of being easily operated and maintained. Working closely with customers and their operators enables KRE to develop products to suit market requirements.

Over the last 10 to 15 years there have been vast developments in remote robotic equipment and its functionality worldwide. These developments include the grinding and cutting of protruding laterals and other obstacles during pre conditioning, mapping of the pipe connections prior to lining during pre surveying, the remote cutting of lateral connections during reinstatement, the remote installation of top hat junction repair systems in rehabilitation, the demountable formwork and resin injection into cracks during pipe repair and lastly mounting cable ducts and fibreoptic carriers into the assets.

These processes have now become a regular part of any contractors’ procedure and can often take longer to complete than the liner installation itself. In response, KRE produces reliable robotic equipment combined with clear CCTV imaging to efficiently perform the basic yet vital tasks of pre-conditioning, mapping and junction re-instatement.

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KRE has been manufacturing robotic equipment for 10 years. As a testament to their design and reliability, with only minor updates during this period, over 300 of the popular KRE150/250 and KRE300/600 Lateral cutters have been supplied to a worldwide audience to date.

The KRE150/450 robot is the latest innovation to our range of lateral cutters. After two years in development and field test, the new product was released to the market late in 2005 to a great deal of interest.

Maintaining the same basic design and compatibility with existing system, the new KRE150/450 lateral cutter offers the following benefits: greater ability, as it operates in pipe range of 150 – 450 mm, greater vision with the improved camera design offering a clearer and wider range of viewing, being more compact and maintaining similar weight for traction. It also has the benefit of more power, with the upgrade of directional drive motors and gearing, more torque with the cutting head motors being upgraded, and more versatility as it can be utilised for several additional purposes including positioning of junction repair equipment and removal of roots from within the lateral connections. There is also less maintenance required as it has stronger design with enclosed driving belts, and less accessories as it has improved reach, less wheel sets and spacers

In summary, the KRE150/450 offers a much improved efficiency and versatility. With several units already supplied and many more on order, it is already proving to be a very popular product.