Pneumatic breaker RTEX rewrites profitability rulebook

Reduced energy consumption by 50% whilst being 25% lighter paired with great ergonomics

Atlas Copco RTEX handheld pneumatic breaker

Atlas Copco delivers increased profitability through new advanced technology within breaking efficiency and ergonomics. Thanks to the invention of a new operating principle – Constant Pressure Control, improved energy transfer within the breaker and the new RHEX Power Chisel – the RTEX achieves record high breaking efficiency. The RTEX has the breaking capacity of a 30+ kg breaker, using only half as much compressed air whilst being 25% lighter. The RTEX offers huge savings whilst setting a world-leading benchmark for pneumatic technological innovation. Both its design and its deliverables break the mould.

Meet the new RTEX

Power and operator comfort - no contradiction

The RTEX is a great tool to work with. It has the breaking performance of top class 30-35 kg breakers but weighs only 25 kg. This means five to ten kilograms less weight for the operator to handle. Measured according to EN ISO 28927-10*, the 3-axes hand-and-arm vibration is below 5 m/s2. Under these conditions an operator can work up to eight times longer than with conventional breakers, according to the safety guidelines. This is thanks to the Constant Pressure Chamber on the top of the breaker which serves as advanced pneumatic suspension. The tool is more compact than a traditional breaker, which makes it easier to work with in constrained areas and gives a more ergonomic working position. Stiff handles and the Sofstart™ function make it very easy to control the power of the RTEX.

A new concept for compressed air savings

RTEX: 25 kg with the power of 30+ kg

One of the most intriguing features of the RTEX is that it offers a 50% reduction in compressed air consumption for the same breaking capacity. This means that a compressor only half the size is needed, or that two breakers can be used on a compressor which previously powered only one breaker. The result is a smaller investment in the compressor, reduced fuel consumption, easier transportation, and less emissions. All this has been made possible thanks to a new working principle invented by Atlas Copco engineers Olof Östensson and Thomas Lilja from Construction Tools Innovation Center in Kalmar, Sweden. Olof Östensson comments on the new operating principle: “In a conventional breaker air is discharged each time the acting piston moves up or down. In the RTEX we discharge the air only once – on the piston´s return stroke. Then the constant pressure from a chamber on the top of the RTEX pushes the piston down. The pressure on top of the acting piston is constant and therefore does not generate vibrations as on conventional breakers, so there is no need for vibration damping. To achieve this, we moved the valve from the top of the breaker to the bottom – our new “Up-Side-Down” (normally spelt 'upside-down') concept. The new, longer and heavier piston transfers power much more efficiently to the unique “RHEX” Power Chisel. Even though the RTEX can work with conventional chisels, the RHEX is specially tuned to our new breaker in order to achieve optimal shock wave interaction for better breaking performance. The RHEX also has a special concave tip profile which significantly reduces jamming. The new RTEX working principle, long piston and RHEX chisel have resulted in record high efficiency – 50% less air needed for the same breaking capacity.”

The best news about the RTEX is that it pays for itself. The fact that you need a compressor only half the size or can use two breakers instead of one from the same energy source gives instant payback by paying less for the compressor. It is ergonomic and saves both money and the environment.

Vladimir Kozlovskiy , President Atlas Copco Construction Tools Division