The patent pending RSK-185 is a lithium-ion battery powered rotary tool to safely remove the criss-crossed outer layers made of high strength spring steel on umbilical cables. These cables are used to control and power ROV vehicles (remotely operated underwater vehicles). Previously the only way to cut these cables was to use a rotary hand grinder; this method is very labor intensive and could take hours, each steel strand had to be individually cut.

The RSK-185 cutting depth stop is easy to set which eliminates the operator worries of damaging the cable’s core. The outer steel armor must be removed while preventing damage to the cable’s inner core which contains the electrical conductors and fiber optic cables. A specially designed stop coupled with an abrasive wheel penetrating mechanism allows the operator to safely reach the proper depth of cut stop. The depth of cut is set with a gauge attached to the tool wheel platen and is specific to each cable’s depth of cut.

The main advantage of using this tool, besides its labor-saving features, is the clean and concentric cutting of the cable’s armor. The exact cutting depth stop is easy to set. A spring loaded adjustable toggle clamp is used to secure and remove the tool from the cable and to set the cable’s clamping force. Potential injury is greatly reduced since the RSK-185 was designed with safety features such as a covered grinding blade, a vee system to clamp and control the rotary friction, and a circular handle to guide the tool safely around the cable. The RSK-185 has many labor-saving features that reduce a job from hours to minutes. The RSK-185 was designed to cut ROV cables, but it can also be used on many difficult to strip armored power cables.