Unattended sawing and sorting

To increase production throughput, steel stockholder Schmolz + Bickenbach Stahlcenter (called Schmobi for short) in St Gallen, Switzerland has acquired a KASTOtec FC 4 automatic bandsawing centre.

The system has replaced two obsolete saws that could no longer cope with the continuously increasing demand for cut parts.
Thomas Plüss, communications officer at Schmobi says: “Our orders include large batches of more than 10,000 as well as single items. The demand on our saws is enormous. They are used continually throughout the day and some even run during the night time. We therefore need machines that process workpieces of different diameters quickly, cleanly and economically, and, above all, work reliably and without any errors.”
Schmobi uses three Kasto bandsaws for processing steel, cast iron and aluminium bars. The latest is the automatic, high-performance KASTOtec FC 4, which cuts a range of material cross sections including round, square and flat, as well as tubes and profiles.
KASTOtec FC 4 bandsaws use carbide blades, and the machine at Schmobi was supplied to Kasto Performance Cutting (KPC) specification in order to suppress vibration. The blades have a long service life and allow precision sawing to within ± 0.1 mm per 100 mm of cut length, at band speeds up to 180 m/min.
Kurt Thoma, sawmill group leader at Schmobi, says: “With the KASTOtec FC 4 we can saw different materials and diameters very economically. The minimum remnant length in automatic mode is about 35 mm, allowing us to use material efficiently and cost effectively.”
The KASTOtec FC 4 is loaded via a multi-bar magazine that is replenished from the store via an overhead crane and magnetic handling system.
For further information www.kasto.com

ADS Precision named sole UK agent for MEBA

ADS Precision recently announced that it has joined in partnership with MEBA to become its sole UK distributor for all sales and service requirements.

MEBA, which was established in 1958, has won many awards and holds numerous patented designs, including an innovative mitring system. The company’s production facility is based in Westerheim, Germany, although it has an extensive sales and service network within international markets.
MEBA, which has machines installed around the world, can offer a wide range of metal-cutting bandsaws, from small, manual, semi-automatic saws up to double-mitre, fully automatic CNC bandsaws. The company also manufactures customised infeed and outfeed material-handling systems with a variety of material end stops to suit bespoke requirements.
A further part of the portfolio is a new machine for the separation of 3D printed parts from the base plate, for which MEBA has developed a concept that is said to offer fast process times, good cutting results and low operating costs. With a design based on the straight saws of the MEBA-Eco product family, the new MEBA3D (pictured) is equipped with a special clamping device for mounting the base plates. Compared with conventional production processes such as wire EDM, the MEBA3D is said to be straightforward with just a few simple steps. The bandsaw can also be used for standard sawing work with a low conversion effort.
For further information www.adsprecision.com

Kaltenbach UK now represents HE&M

Kaltenbach is now the UK and Ireland sales and service representative for HE&M Saw, a US-based specialist in bandsaw technology.

Among the portfolio is the HSS series of pivot-frame horizontal bandsaws for solid materials, tubes, profiles and sections. Variants are available from semi-automatic to full CNC, with bar feeding capabilities and single directional mitring functionality. Also offered is the HSC range of dual-column bandsaws for cutting larger solid materials and heavy sections. Further HE&M machines, such as vertical bandsaws and plate saws, can also be ordered from Kaltenbach.
HE&M Saw designs and manufactures a range of both horizontal and vertical bandsaws, with many thousands of installations in North America, Canada and Mexico. Based in Oklahoma, the company’s history extends back over 50 years and remains under family ownership and management. HE&M Saw’s product range includes over 60 models, designed for solid metal, profile and plate sawing applications across the metal processing industries.
The range starts with a selection of pivot-frame models, suitable for sawing materials up to 400 mm diameter. Each machine is designed and built with a classic, heavy-duty ‘American’ style. The saw bow is arranged to ensure that the weights and cutting forces are contained directly within the pivot and kerf channel, giving high cut performance. This configuration overcomes the commonly expected wear or cut-quality issues associated with many, low-cost alternatives, says the company.
For larger capacity sawing, HE&M also manufactures dual-column bandsaws, ranging from 450 mm all the way up to 1340 mm diameter capacity. A heavy-duty design approach is again taken, with a robust portal frame equipped with low-friction guides and mechanically balanced travel to ensure that the bow descent remains consistent and true to the material.
For further information www.kaltenbach.co.uk

Master sharpens focus on saw grinding wheels

Master Abrasives has recently released a new range of Master Sawpro grinding wheels with a high-technology bond system specially engineered for the saw-sharpening industry.

The Sawpro range of wheels uses a resin bond developed for a cool-cutting action and longer life than alternative wheels. Sawpro wheels are specially designed for the manufacturing and re-sharpening of high-speed circular saws, and sharpening the tops and faces of carbide-tipped saw teeth.
Master’s Sawpro wheels are available in superabrasive and conventional abrasive grains, in all shapes and sizes. The popular industry specifications are 14F1 CBN wheels, which are suitable for Loroch machines, and diamond wheels, which suit most Vollmer machines for top and face grinding applications.
Ian Meredith, applications engineering manager, says: “Our team has developed the Sawpro range to deliver excellent performance with a cool cut, while offering great value for money. For the 14F1 CBN and diamond wheels, we will be holding stock of the most popular wheel sizes and grades.”
Master Abrasives launched the Sawpro line of grinding wheels at the GrindTec exhibition in Germany earlier this year. The key advantages of the high-technology bond system wheels were well-received by visiting engineers who work in the saw-sharpening industry.
“There was a lot of interest shown for Sawpro grinding wheels at the GrindTec event,” says Meredith. “Industry was missing a high-quality product for saw grinding that is also cost-effective, but the Master brand now fills that gap. We can offer full support with wheel selection and trials through our dedicated applications engineering team and overseas distributors to help manufacturers achieve their saw production and re-sharpening requirements.”
For further information www.master-abrasives.co.uk

Mitre-cutting bandsaw unveiled

With the latest automatic machine from its HBE series, Behringer says it has come up with a way of combining the benefits of high-performance machines for one-off sawing tasks with the tried and tested characteristics of a classic mitre saw.

High cutting outputs, simple handling and precise angular cuts are said to be among the key attributes of the HBE320-523GA mitre-cutting bandsaw.
According to the company, the HBE320-523G moves the entry-level model into a whole new performance category. A high cutting rate, simple handling and precise mitre cuts are designed to make for an attractive cost-per-cut ratio.
With a cutting range on flat materials of 520 x 320 mm, the machine can produce bilateral mitre cuts of 45° (and up to 30° on the left). The inclined position of the band wheels helps prolong the life of saw blades by reducing fatigue due to cyclical bending. Furthermore, the inclined position of the bandsaw blade allows components such as girders, angled steel and U-profiles, as well as hollow rectangular profiles, to be cut at higher speed and with less burr, says the company.
The wide range of features included on the HBE320-523G saw consist of band guiding components made of vibration-dampening grey cast iron, an electrically powered chip brush, sensitive cutting-pressure control, a wide mitre-cutting range, a spray mist cooling system and more. The cutting-pressure control system allows the saw to cut profiles and pipes at twice the speed of similar saws in a comparable price bracket, says Behringer.
For further information www.behringer.net