FEATURE ON SAWING

New saws give edge to British Steel project  

The arrival of three new Behringer saws at British Steel’s Skinningrove service centre will herald a major new milestone in its development.The £2.2m equipment will be a pivotal part of the operation, bringing increased productivity, greater accuracy and more intuition to the whole process of making special profiles for customers.

The £26m centre will include cut-to-length lines, product milling, machining and warehousing operations, and will enable British Steel to make and process an extended range of value-added profiles for the forklift industry.

The process of making sure special profiles meet requirements involves cutting down 14m bars, where accuracy is critical. The new saws will automate the process, deliveringmore precisionandthree times more speed than the previous saws.The advanced milling and machining capability will mean British Steel can offer profiles with tolerances of just 0.1mm.

Project manager at the Skinningrove service centre, Stuart Webster, says: “The new saws and product transportation systems that Behringer are providing will be integral to our facility.They will allow Skinningrove Special Profiles to move into the next phase ofanticipated market development in forklift mast sales. The saws will also significantly improve our capability to cut all products faster and meet tighter tolerances that satisfy the developing requirements of our customer base.”

British Steel’sspecial profiles business manufactures 250,000 tonnes of specialist products for a range of sectors, including the material handling market, of which the “profitable and growing” market for forklift trucks is a part.

For further information www.britishsteel.co.uk

Kasto sets out digital and ecological credentials

Kasto, the German manufacturer of automated warehouses for storing and retrieving raw material, both long stock and sheet, and which also produces sawing machines for cutting it to size, has been enhancing the connectivity and operational efficiency of its equipment. Whether it is a stockholder or a manufacturing facility using the storage systems and/or sawing machines, they now benefit not only from higher productivity but also lower running costs through more economical use of electrical power. As an added bonus, more data is available to drive end-to-end decision-making, from order to delivery.

The company says its solutions ensure continuously controlled, intelligent material flow. Machines, systems, goods and load carriers communicate autonomously, enabling flexible, resource-efficient, economical storage and fabrication. In this way, users remain competitive despite the rising costs of energy and materials, while at the same time improving their ecological performance.

KASTOlogic is a modular warehouse management system (WMS) designed for bar and sheet metal storage requirements. The software enables users to manage and monitor not only processes in the warehouse itself, but also upstream and downstream operations. It is also possible to integrate manually operated storage areas into the system using the mobile app.

KASTOenergysave is an energy recovery concept developed for automated storage systems. It enables excess potential or kinetic energy to be converted into electrical power, which is stored in double-layer capacitors for later use.

During sawing operations, users face the challenge of making the best use of stock and avoiding waste to lower material consumption and costs. The KASTOoptisaw software module optimises the assignment of long stock to every cutting order, taking into account the parameters of the various sawing machines. KASTOapp provides a status overview of all sawing machines in the system.

For further information www.kasto.com

Comparing a cold saw to a chop saw 

Although sometimes (and erroneously) used interchangeably, coldsaws and chop saws are two distinct tools that work in different ways. Dimakin provides a guide to their differences and examines their capabilities.

A cold saw offers precision and efficiency. Unlike some saws, it operates at lower speeds, producing minimal heat during cutting. This characteristic sets it apart from its counterpart, the chop saw.

Coldsaws house a high-torque, low-speedmotor and a circular blade. The blades featurehigh-speed steel (HSS) or sometimes carbide teeth, designed for durability and clean, burr-free cuts. Coldsaws typically have adjustable cutting angles, called a mitre, which allow for versatile cutting, making them suitable for both straight and angled cuts. Some models, including all Dimakin models, also feature built-in coolant systems to keep the blade and workpiece cool during operation.

In contrast to coldsaws, chop saws operate at higher speeds and generate more heat during cutting. They are commonly used for rougher cuts in materials like wood, plastic and metal.

The primary distinction between a coldsaw and a chop saw lies in their cutting method. As mentioned, coldsaws use toothed, high-quality blades and low speed to cut materials. However, chop saws employ abrasive discs that effectively grind through material at high speed. This fundamental difference leads to variations in both performance and application.

When selecting a cold saw, Dimakin recommends considering factors such as blade type, cutting capacity and durability.Investing in a high-quality coldsaw that suits a company’s specific needs can greatly enhance cutting efficiency and precision.

For further information www.dimakin.co.uk

Stockholder invests in Ficep Valiant CNC line




Northwest-based steel stockholder CSM Steelstock has invested in a Ficep Valiant CNC line to extend its capabilities and further meet customer requirements.Supplying into the automotive, gas, oil and petrochemical industries, CSM Steelstock predicts that the Valiant CNC line from Ficep UK will add £4.5m to annual turnover at the Accrington business.

Says CSM Steelstock’s managing director Grant Moore: “Our investment in the Ficep Valiant CNC line will be a game changer for our business. We’ll be able to offer our existing customers more capabilities and help us further develop lasting partnerships. It will be running 80 hours a week and we already have a strong forward order book using the new line. We’vegrown year on year for the past 13 years and recently invested in new premises which, when redeveloped, will house our 21 employees and machinery in the 32,000 sq ft facility.”

The Ficep Valiant is a high-performance automated three-spindle drilling system for processing structural steel profiles. Offering six tool-change positions on each of the machine’s three spindles, the Valiant’s total tool capacity is 18. Its spindles are all direct drive with speeds up to 5000 rpm, while utilising HSK 80 tool holders enables heavy milling functionality.Notably, the 300mm auxiliary axis, which is available on all three spindles, allows for a wider range of control for each spindle. Its sub-axis spindle positioning enables simultaneous drilling on all three surfaces. The optional underside scribing device, also with sub-axis positioning, permits up to four-side simultaneous scribing operations.

Says Chris Berriman, Ficep UK sales director: “The Valiant is an ideal choice for CSM Steelstock as it will allow them to process to the high quality that its customers expect.”
For further information www.ficep.co.uk

XTR bridges gap between bi-metal and carbide




Bi-metal and carbide are two commonly used types of bandsaw blades for cutting a wide range of materials. Most know bi-metal blades for their versatility and cost-effectiveness, which makes them a popular choice. On the other hand, carbide bandsaw blades are highly durable and best suited for cutting materials that are extremely hard or abrasive.Transitioning from bi-metal to carbide can be a significant leap for many end users due to the required investments in machinery and in the saw itself.

The Starrett XTR is an innovative bi-metal saw that offers an intermediate option between traditional bi-metal and carbide technology. This solution is specifically for cutting high-alloy steels and other difficult-to-cut materials in larger dimensions.

Designed to give improved performance, Starrett made the technology possible through a combination of state-of-the-art software and specialist expertise. XTR technology is now part of the company’s main products, Intenss PRO M42 and Primalloy M51, which cut solid materials in both series production and bundles. This new addition allows Starrett products to provide high-quality results while improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared with carbide solutions.

Starrett applies a special treatment to its XTR blades, guaranteeing high fatigue resistance in addition to their exclusive tooth profile design. These innovations significantly increase the life of the product, providing more speed and quality in their work, and delivering greater cost benefits for extreme process cutting.

By utilising XTR blades, Starrett says users alsoenjoy reduced vibration and quieter cutting processes. The unique tooth profile and setting also enhance durability, extending product lifespan and allowing for more cutting operations. This leads to a decrease in cost per operation over time.
For further information www.starrett.co.uk