FEATURE ON SAWING

Investing in technology and knowledge

Machine tool specialist Selmach says it does not just invest heavily in the machinery it sells, but in the people who sell them too. With that in mind, the company has recently undertaken a training programme with a difference.

Those in Selmach’s team who need in-depth knowledge to provide customers with the best advice already have it, so why not give them a chance to share that passion with everyone else in the team… and the company really does mean everyone.
Selmach reports that it is going to start with the Sterling SRA 440 DGSA semi-automatic double-mitring bandsaw. The company says this machine, which is from the Sterling SRA DGSA range of heavy-duty bandsaws, is very popular for medium-sized fabricators, and ideal for those who want to do bigger jobs. Investing in a Sterling SRA 440 DGSA also represents a genuine step up from the Bianco 440MS.
According to Selmach, the SRA-440 is built to process high tonnage, and it does just that, for some of the country’s largest and most successful companies. Capacity is 610 x 440 mm, and there is a 34 mm blade, carbide blade guides and double mitre with infeed/outfeed roller track.
After the cut, the blade keeps rotating as the bow returns to ensure it is not pinched, while also cleaning off any excess swarf to eliminate the risk of jamming. In addition, the optional spray mist attachment keeps everything cool by spreading the coolant more evenly, and the large-capacity coolant tray with gauze filter ensures any swarf does not find its way to undesirable places.
For further information www.selmach.com

Investment aids blade sharpening

The DCM Company from Hwaseong, South Korea manufactures high-precision circular saw blades, as well as special purpose cutters and circular knives.

Products are supplied worldwide to all industries, such as steel pipe production, automotive manufacture, shipbuilding and aerospace. The company uses a dozen Vollmer machines for manufacturing its carbide-tipped circular saw blades, with some of its most recent recent acquisitions including the CHD, CHF and CHP models for single set-up processing. In combination with an ND handling system and appropriate loading carriage for automatic tipping, the machines are ready to use around the clock.
“At the end of the 1970s, I was teaching at a vocational school and noticed that our circular saw blades were always blunt when sawing metal cylinders, and often broke,” states An Youngmoon, managing director and founder of DCM. “This was my motivation to develop high-quality circular saw blades that permanently withstand the tough conditions of metal cutting.”
The idea soon led to the development of the first high speed steel circular saw blades manufactured by DCM. By the beginning of the 1990s, the company had developed carbide-tipped circular saw blades. From the outset, the company relied on sharpening machines from Vollmer.
“South Korea has developed into a high-end market for sharpening machines in the metals and composites sector, and the demand for service and user support is growing,” states Dr Stefan Brand, CEO of the Vollmer Group. “With the subsidiary we set up in Seoul in 2016, we can look after customers such as DCM even more intensively and competently than before.”
For further information www.vollmer-group.com

Edmo Group boosts productivity with mitre saw

The Edmo Group – specialists in aluminium extrusion profiles, aluminium fabrication and powder coatings – has recently purchased a Mecal SW453 Reverse double mitre saw from Addison Saws.

Edmo operates out of two locations – Ross-on-Wye and Wednesbury – and it was the need to further increase and improve upon its current mitring process that prompted the purchase of the new double mitre saw.
“The amount of mitring operations we have to apply are extensive,” states managing director David Ashton, “and looking at key ways in which we can improve that process, as well as increase productivity, is key for us as we look to further our impact on a competitive market. We were highly impressed with the capabilities of the Mecal and saw for ourselves how the machine handled complex operations, which in turn led us to make the purchase. In addition, we were very pleased with how smoothly the installation and commissioning of the Mecal proved to be.”
The Mecal is a double mitre saw with pneumatic positioned inward/outward tilting heads that offer a range of -22.5° to +135°, together with mechanical stops for intermediate angles. A large sector plate ensures accurate angle settings, with default positions set at 90° and 45°. The control system with graphical display and its USB data storage is easy to use for either quick random cuts or pre-programmed cuttings.
“Edmo’s strength lies in its ability to project manage complete turnkey supply solutions and, although it’s early days, we are confident that the Mecal will no doubt lead to increased productivity across our aluminium extrusion division,” says Ashton.
For further information www.addisonsaws.co.uk

Automatic straight-cutting bandsaw released

Meba Saw has introduced the MEBAmat 330, an automatic straight-cutting bandsaw with 330 mm capacity. Available in the UK from ADS Precision, its carbide-compatible power package means the saw is designed for cutting solid bar, tubes and profiles, even from hardened, difficult-to-cut materials.

The saw runs continuously for single or multi-shift operations, whether operating two shifts, or unmanned three-shift operations. This fully enclosed saw is compact and practical. It saves space, has a larger machine door with a gas damper to keep it safely open, and allows easier access to faster blade changes and bandsaw maintenance. What’s more, Meba says that it does not sacrifice operator safety. The Plexiglas cut-outs allow safe observation and monitoring of the sawing process, while swarf and chips are prevented from exiting the machine envelope.
According to the company, a key feature of the saw is its ease of use. There is a material database in the controller which produces cutting values. With its search function, the material can be selected (length, width and other dimensions) before a saw blade and optimal cutting values are recommended. The operator can store cutting jobs with the saw’s memory function, while the machine can also import sawing programs from CAD.
The MEBAmat 330 is designed to offer solid, smooth, accurate cutting with its ball leadscrew feeding and latest linear ball guideways. Additional options include laser-monitored height detection and material width collision detection.
For further information www.adsprecision.com

Ecological sawing in the spotlight

Kasto has introduced what it describes as a high-performance, economically priced bandsaw to leverage the benefits of either tungsten-carbide tipped (TCT) or bi-metal blades. At MACH 2018, visitors to Hall 7 Stand 365 will see that the KastoWin Pro AC 5.6 offers short cutting times, long blade life and intuitive operation.

Compared with standard KastoWin machines, the bandsaw can increase production efficiency by between 50 and 100%, more in some instances, depending on the type of blade and material being cut. Having an installed weight of 4.3 tonnes, the saw band is driven by an 11 kW frequency-controlled motor, delivering infinitely adjustable cutting speeds from 12 to 150 m/min. The maximum size of stock that can be cut is 560 mm and the smallest dimension is 25 x 25 mm, while the shortest residual length is 10 mm for individual offcuts and 35 mm in automatic operation.
The saw incorporates ecological design features that lower energy consumption, especially in the hydraulics. Kasto has complemented this technology by developing electro-mechanical down feed of the blade controlled via two ballscrews, each with a servo drive. The hydraulics system is therefore only responsible for workpiece clamping and saw blade tensioning, so is actuated far less than in the past, delivering an energy saving in this area of 93%.
All drives are controlled by intelligent converter technology, while dynamic parts such as the saw frame have been designed to be lighter. Overall, these measures have made it possible to achieve significant improvements in energy efficiency; consumption being on average 28% lower compared with Kasto’s previous bandsaw model of equivalent size.
For further information www.kasto.com