FEATURE ON SAWING

Bi-metal saw blades introduced

Engineered to cut structural steel, tubing and bundles, large metal beams and heavy walled tubes, Lenox has introduced the HRX bi-metal bandsaw blade, an entirely new product in the company’s portfolio.

Engineered in response to increasing customer demand for cutting large structural components for commercial construction and infrastructure projects, the new Lenox HRX features a long-life blade with Lenox Power Blast technology, which is said to strengthen the blade to minimise breaks, with durable teeth for cutting large structural beams.
A further advantage is the capability to perform straight cuts through wide cross-sections. The Lenox HRX is designed to improve chip flow and reduce blade deflection for cutting efficiency, while the blade’s tooth geometry is designed to minimise edge chipping and crooked cuts. Finally, a wide kerf limits pinching in larger beams; the HRX utilises alternating set teeth, which widen the cutting channel to limit blade pinching.
“Our focus on blade durability and performance has allowed us to enhance our product offering in the bi-metal bandsaw blade market – providing greater cutting performance for our customers in these very demanding applications,” says Patrick Cowhard, senior product manager for Lenox.
The new HRX leverages the success of the Lenox Rx+ bi-metal bandsaw blade, and is designed to deliver clean cuts, efficiency and durability in large structural cutting applications. High-speed steel tooth tips combine with flexible alloy steel backing material for cost-effective performance. The HRX comes in widths from 34 to 67 mm, with extra-heavy set options available to avoid blade pinching on large material.
For further information www.lenoxtools.com

Danobat bandsaw offers “real value”

When Sheffield-based Special Quality Alloys chose to bring the sawing of large-diameter nickel-based superalloys in-house, the company turned to Prosaw for advice on processing these extremely tough materials.

The decision to discontinue the use of subcontractors for this purpose was made all the easier since Prosaw had already provided three Danobat bandsaws to Special Quality Alloys. With the first machine installed 12 years ago, all three bandsaws have been used for sawing slightly smaller diameter billets, yet have performed reliably. The fact that these machines have functioned so consistently over such a long period of time has inevitably resulted in the operators becoming comfortable with the Danobat saws.
This time however, billets of up to 800 mm diameter were required to be cut in an automated continuous process, so a Danobat CP800A Auto-bandsaw was specified and duly purchased by the company.
Jonathan Gillet, works manager of Special Quality Alloys explains the thinking behind the decision: “Bringing the processing of the larger diameter billets in-house has meant a good deal less handling for us, resulting in faster turnaround times since we are no longer reliant on transport contractors.
“This has benefited the company in the form of lower costs and brought the whole process entirely under our own control,” he continues. “Even though these products are notoriously difficult to cut, we have complete confidence that when we put a large diameter billet on to the Danobat machine it’s going to be cut.
“From our recent experiences we believe that Danobat machines represent real value for money,” he concludes.
For further information www.prosaw.co.uk

Precise sawing solution for Parker Precision

Parker Precision, a West Midlands-based engineering company, has invested in a new automatic shuttle-vice bandsaw from Addison Saws. The saw, an Everising S-250 HB-NC model, is bringing efficiencies of 60% to Parker’s sawing line and is being used to feed no fewer than 20 CNC milling machines.
“With a growing order book, we identified the need to further enhance our ability to precision-cut heat-treated lengths of aircraft-grade stainless steels and aerospace alloys,” says Parker Precision’s marketing director Marc Corns.

A trip to see an Everising S-250 HB-NC bandsaw at the site of a local Addison Saws’ customer was enough to convince Parker Precision that the machine would more than fulfil its cutting requirements.
“Having seen the S-250 saw in action, we were happy to forgo cutting trials as we were more than convinced it would meet our needs,” says Corns. “However, in view of the fact that we work with a wide range of exotic materials, Addison Saws recommended variable clamping pressure as an optional feature in order to protect the integrity of even the most delicate tubes.”
Duly installed, the Everising S-250 HB-NC automatic shuttle-vice bandsaw is already bringing considerable benefits to production strategies at Parker Precision’s Bilston site. Significantly quicker than the saw it replaced, the Everising machine has more than halved the time it takes the precision engineering company to cut steel and aluminium into typical bar sizes of 50 mm diameter and 180 mm length.
“The amount of scrap material we generate has also been minimised, while the saw’s precise cutting action has reduced the need for deburring,” concludes Corns.
For further information
www.addisonsaws.co.uk

Metal stockholder increases bandsawing capacity

At the Newcastle-under-Lyme facility of special metals stockholder, Langley Alloys, two German-built KastoTec AC4 bandsaws specified for cutting with tungsten carbide tipped (TCT) blades have replaced four out of six machines from a different supplier that are effective only when bi-metal blades are used.

07/06/17 Stock on Trent – Langley Alloys

As the down-feed on both KastoTec machines is three times faster, overall cutting capacity across the six machines has increased by one-third, while the floor area occupied has decreased by a similar amount. This is precisely what Langley Alloys needed, as orders have increased sharply since the start of 2017 but there was no room on-site for more bandsaws. As an added benefit, the extra space created has allowed the stockholder to increase the range of materials and sizes that it holds to well over 1000 line items.
Business development director Rodney Rice says: “Responsiveness to customer demand is crucial. The installation of the Kasto bandsaws means that we are able to stock a broader range of materials that closely match user requirements and cut them quickly for supply in short lead-times.”
Operations director Richard Bulmer adds: “Cutting with TCT blades was key to making this a reality. We tried using them on our older bandsaws but they were not rigid enough to cope. The band would squeal through the guides and excessive vibration wore the teeth out quickly. We were only able to cut 2 sq m of nickel alloy with a carbide blade, which was about the same as with a bimetal blade, but at three times the consumable cost.”
For further information
www.kasto.com