Kaltenbach has unveiled its latest innovation: the KKS 463 NA | KD 140 saw-drill line. This versatile all-round machine has been developed to meet a wide range of requirements in metal construction, steel stockholding and steel fabrication. It combines all essential processing steps in one compact system – capable of handling various steel shapes, especially in the smaller dimension range. While large systems are often uneconomical for small-format profiles, Kaltenbach says this machine offers the solution the market has long been seeking.

With the new saw-drill line, steel processing companies can handle nearly all materials and profile shapes: from round material with a diameter as small as 15 mm to special profiles up to 140 x 140 mm or flat material up to 240 mm wide. Mitre cuts of up to ±20° make the machine highly versatile.

The technology enables fully automated and precise drilling, milling, thread cutting, flow drilling and marking on all four sides of the profile. High automation and speed are the hallmarks of this machine, which only requires personnel for loading. Remnant lengths of less than 15 mm ensure maximum material utilisation, making the entire production process more efficient and resource-friendly.

The automatic tool changer, intelligent material preloading with feed magazines and fully automated part sorting boost productivity. Automatic adjustment during material changes – without any manual set up – reduces staffing needs to a minimum.

“Our new saw-drill line was specifically developed to meet the needs of our customers,” explains René Eger, managing director of Kaltenbach Cutting Systems GmbH. “Market demand was high, and we’re proud to offer a solution that combines high automation with fast processing times. This enables our customers to work more efficiently and significantly increase their productivity.”

More information www.kaltenbach.com

To meet growing demand, stockholder, processor and distributor Brütsch/Rüegger Metals AG, located in Regensdorf near Zurich, has upgraded its operations by replacing a semi-automatic honeycomb storage system for housing long stock with fully-automatic Unitop and Unitower storage systems from Kasto.

Brütsch/Rüegger is witnessing significant growth, today stocking 5500 tonnes of metals of 8000 different types and sizes. However, with this higher level of business came challenges. The honeycomb storage system from the 1980s was reaching the limit of its capability.

“Expanding the existing warehouse was not feasible due to infrastructure constraints, leaving only one option – consolidation,” explains Patrick Epp, managing director of Brütsch/Rüegger. “This led to the initiation of a new project to increase storage capacity, modernise the warehouse and enhance process efficiency.”

The metals specialist had complex requirements for the new installation, which needed to offer twice the storage capacity and fit within the 26 m wide hall. Additionally, the system had to be reliable, easy to operate and able to employ seven different storage and retrieval stations, allowing simultaneous processing of materials with multiple saws.

Says Epp: “We’ve been using a KASTOwin A 3.3 bandsaw from Kasto since 2018 and we’re very satisfied with its performance. This was one of the primary reasons we chose to meet with Kasto at a trade fair to talk about our requirements.”

Kasto recommended its Unitop 3.0 overhead, horizontally-moving gantry crane system with 521 storage positions for storing material up to 6.5 m long, and its Unitower 3.0 cassette storage system, with vertically-moving stacker crane, able to accommodate 12 m long material. Both systems are computer controlled by the KASTOlogic warehouse management system. The installation also includes two new bandsawing centres from the KASTOwin series, models F 3.3 and A 3.6.

More information www.kasto.com