Pipe cutting apparatus and method of using the same

A method of performing complex pipe cutting, the method comprising the steps of:

• attaching a pipe in a fixed position within a cutting apparatus comprising a housing assembly including a central aperture for supporting a section of a pipe to be cut in a fixed position, a rotatable collar attached to an outer surface of the housing assembly so as to encircle the central aperture in a manner that the pipe to be cut is exposed through the rotatable collar, a cutting head attached to the rotatable collar, a first motorized element coupled to both the rotatable collar and the cutting head for imparting rotational motion to the rotatable collar in a manner such that the cutting head performs an axial cut around said pipe to be cut, a second motorized element coupled to the cutting head for moving the cutting head in a lateral direction with respect to the housing such that the cutting head performs a translational cut along said pipe to be cut, and a processor coupled to the first and second motorized elements and responsive to a plurality of input signals defining the pipe dimensions, material and desired cut profile, the processor for calculating the required combined rotational and lateral movements of the first and second motorized elements required to perform the desired cut and transmitting the cut control commands thereto;
• inputting the plurality of input signals to the processor;
• determining the translational and rotational movements required to generate the desired cut;
• and
• moving the cutting head through translational and rotational movements as commanded by the processor using the first and second motorized elements;
• and
• cutting the pipe to generate the desired cut profile.