Fast bandsaw for bundle cutting

Saw News

	Programming the KASTO saw is easy. It is simply necessary to input the material type, cross sectional shape, cut length and number of pieces.
A KASTOtec AC4 automatic bandsaw has boosted productivity at the stockholding operation of Metalex Products in Horsham.

At the stockholding operation of Metalex Products in Horsham, Sussex, which specialises in supplying cut billets to OEMs and subcontractors in the south east of England, a KASTOtec AC4 automatic bandsaw has boosted productivity, especially when cutting multiple bars in bundles.

Maximum speed of the blade is 180 m/min, 33 per cent faster than on the other two bandsaws on site. As 70 per cent of throughput is aluminium bar and a further 10 per cent is brass and copper, where it is possible to exploit elevated blade speeds, the increase in billet output has been significant.

The remainder of the stock – 15 per cent stainless steel and 5 per cent mild steel – are cut at lower speed, often with a carbide-tipped blade. The machine is designed with a robust frame and powerful drive motors to extract maximum benefit from this type of blade, which Metalex finds especially efficient when processing larger diameter steel stock, which can be cut three times faster than when using a bimetal blade.

Headquartered in Ferndown, Dorset, Metalex expanded in early 2004 by opening a second centre in Horsham for stockholding and processing bar material. Growth was dramatic, which prompted the company to research the most productive sawing centres on the market.

The decision was made to invest in the KASTO machine not only for its high band speed, but also due to the clamping system that secures bundles of bars firmly on either side of the saw blade in half the time that it takes on other bandsaws. Key to the speed of changeover, which is completed in less than half an hour, is that the front and rear bundle clamps are permanently set up and simply swing out of the way when not in use.

A further advantage is the very short minimum rest piece, just 35 mm, which is half that on the other bandsaws at Horsham. Minimal material is wasted and the operator does not have to spend time cutting the remnant manually.

There is also a time saving when the operator starts cutting the stock on the KASTO machine. If a trim cut has already been taken from the bar end, that fact can be entered into the control, which then instigates the automatic cutting mode immediately. On the other bandsaws, the first cut has to be completed manually, as starting auto cycle would mean that a wasteful, second trim cut would be taken.

Programming the KASTO saw is easy. It is simply necessary to input the material type, cross sectional shape, cut length and number of pieces. A laser sensor automatically measures the height of the bar from the table, whereupon the control works out optimum band speed, infeed, and other cycle parameters including slow approach as the blade enters and leaves the material. The bar is retracted by the rear vice on the return stroke to avoid damaging the blade and/or marking the cut end.

Cut pieces are collected on a one-metre roller table at the front to avoid damage to the billets. Quantities produced vary from one-off to several thousand in a wide variety of material types, shapes and sizes. Specified tolerance is normally - 0, + 0.5 mm, although + 0.25 or better is routinely held.