FEATURE ON SAWING

Prosaw celebrates 60 years of business

The debut Beatles album, the first TV appearance of Doctor Who, and the commencement of operations at the Dartford Tunnel. Those were just a few of the headlines back in 1963. However, in the small Northamptonshire boot and shoe town of Kettering, a different headline was taking shape, that of a new company starting up business in the town. The German manufacturer Trennjaeger had decided to set up a UK office and chose Kettering because of its central location.

Employing just a handful of staff, Trennjaeger began to create a reputation as a supplier of high-quality sawing machines. At first, its range consisted of friction saws, and then came along the LKH and PMC large circular saws for the construction industry.

As time moved on, by the late 60s Trennjaeger handed over operations, and ultimately the business to its then management, who in due course changed the trading name to Prosaw Ltd. As the business grew, so did the need for new premises and in the early 70s the company moved to a new purpose-built factory on the then new Industrial Estate of Telford Way, from where the company continues to operate to this day.

By the mid-80s Prosaw was once again growing with the addition of further manufacturing space and a dedicated 5000 sqft showroom.Over time, the increased number of machines being supplied meant the number of engineers to install and carry out servicing also needed to increase from just a couple to a team of more than 10, based across the UK, today.

Many of the machines supplied by Prosaw in 2023 are from long-established relationships with both manufacturers and customers in the UK and around the world. Indeed, today’s range includes manufacturers in more than 10 countries.
For further information www.prosaw.co.uk

Ball valve specialist installs IMET bandsaw

Dafram SPA, a specialist in the production of ball valves for the oil industry, chose the IMET XT4 automatic bandsaw to help boost its workflow and production requirements. IMET says it was extremely happy to provide a reliable and efficient working tool to such an important partner in a market (valve construction) where precision is crucial. IMET machines are available in the UK from Addison Saws.

XT series automatic double-column bandsaws offer full material cuts up to 560mm. All the machines of the XT series are equipped with an integrated feeder and 10” touchscreen display that includes automatic cutting parameters and a materials library, allowing users to start a cutting cycle in just few minutes.

Regarding the XT4 model, clamping vices move at the same time to ensure optimum clamping of the material. Furthermore, bars which are not completely straight can advance through the system without issue.All vice pressures are adjustable, while the system also allows the vices to ‘back off’, thus avoiding the blade rubbing on the cut surface during the ascent of the saw frame for the next cut.

TCT bandsaw blades are suitable for this machine and it features hydraulically pressured TCT blade guides for maximum precision and squareness of cut. A further feature are adjustable lateral roller bearings that take the blade twist load prior to entry into the guides. The moving guides position automatically close to the cutting area, again for maximum precision. As a point of note, the machine software controls a hydraulic cylinder to tension the sawblade accordingly, while an automatic trim cut option is also available.

Finally, if the material has an acceptable pre-sawn face, it will locate accurately and automatically relative to the blade ‘zero’ position.
For further information www.addisonsaws.co.uk

Family succession at Behringer

Last month, Rolf Behringer (68) handed over his executive duties at saw manufacturer Behringer GmbH to his son Andreas Behringer (31), who will subsequently manage the company as second managing director together with Christian Behringer (54).

Following 44 years of commitment to the family business, Rolf took over the management from his father Willy Behringer in 1988. He was mainly responsible for the company’s purchasing and commercial operations. During this time, the business also made the transition from a workshop to a steadily growing and internationally active industrial company. Since 2000, he managed the company together with his cousin Christian, who is responsible for technology, sales and marketing. Rolf will continue to be available as a shareholder in an advisory role.

Andreas is the fourth generation to join the management team. After graduating from high school and spending a year abroad, he studied international management in Mannheim until 2015. Andreas started his professional career as a project manager at a service and consulting company near Frankfurt. Over a period of four years, he gained insights into a wide variety of industries and corporations across Germany. In 2020, he joined the family business. Over the coming years, Andreas will focus primarily on HR and sustainability issues in the company.

“My goal is to lead our company into a successful and, at the same time, sustainable future,” he says. “By focusing on people and necessary investments, we can ensure that our family business will continue to prosper for many years to come, offering attractive activities and jobs for future generations.”
For further information www.behringer.net

Bandsaws in stock at Dimakin

The UK branch of Dimakinrecently took delivery of yet another container filled with bandsaws ready to leave the door.

Dimakin says that it bandsawsare jam-packed with features, including dual mitres, variable speed, digital readouts and double vices.The company has a fully operational showroom in Coventry for potential customers who want to see the cut quality of the bandsaw before committing to purchase.

Dimakin prides itself on customers being 100% satisfied in thepurchase they are making, and that the machine is the exact one they require. By visiting a showroom with a comprehensive range available, visitors can move up or down the range when ‘testdriving’ the machines, assessing different capacities and features that suit their individual needs.

All bandsaw models are in stock, fully built, powered, and ready to use, including the BS-420-DM. This metal-cutting bandsaw is the largest in the current range of Dimakin bandsaws and is suitable for medium-to-large output fabrication workshops.

The compact and economical BS-420-DM offers manual or hydraulic descent and the capability to produce mitres up to 60° left, 45° right. With 27mm blade depth for precise cutting, the accompanying coolant system comes as standard to extend blade life.

The blade tension is fully adjustable. Users also benefit from blade tension gauge, cam locking device and material stop. The blade stops automatically upon finishing each cut.

In addition to its bandsaw stock, Dimakin also stocks roller tables. Both in-feeding and out-feeding roller tables are available, such as the RTO-3000, a 3 m outfeed roller tablecomplete with material stop for rapid and precise repeatability.
For further information www.dimakin.co.uk

Italian manufacturer opts for MEP bandsaw

Led by the necessity of innovating itself and increasing productivity through space optimisation and material handling, a turned-part specialist based in Vicenza recently approached MEP for a new bandsaw.

The company manages the cut of several materials such as stainless steel, aluminium, mild steel and brass. Specifically, the manufacturer needed to cut tubes (with a diameter between 12 and 20 mm) and chromed rounds (with a diameter between 25 and 35 mm) of 43 HRc hardness.

MEP recommendeditsShark 230-1 NC HS 5.0 automatic bandsaw as the solution to meet the customer’s request. Test cuts on round tubes and tempered steel showed the advantages of the sawing machine. The customer was particularly impressed with the cutting precision, speed and user interface, which allows operators to control cutting parameters in real time.

The Shark 230-1 NC HS 5.0 dual-column electrohydraulic automatic bandsaw is suitablefor 0° cuts on structural, stainless and alloy steels, solids and profiles. In addition to the automatic cycle, the machine can also operate in semi-automatic mode.The control allows users to store up to 100 cutting programs, each one with different quantities and lengths, minimising programming times.

Notably, a hydraulic cylinder on linear guides with preloaded ball-screw slides powers the saw-head motion,ensuringreduced mechanical vibration during cut.The automatic alignment of the front-blade guide head according to the dimensions of the bars awaiting cut reduces execution time. Furthermore, the vector inverter for infinitely variable blade speed from 15 to 100 m/min allows users to adjust bandsaw blade rotation according to the type of material.

MEP saws are available in the UK from ADS Precision.
For further information www.adsprecision.com