Speedier sawing and added advantages

Sawing machine builder Kasto has a reputation for being at the forefront of developing new processes for efficient cutting. PES reports on how the company’s technology is helping one German company meet the challenges of a difficult medical application and its developments to integrate additive manufacturing and sawing. 

Sawing machine builder Kasto has a reputation for being at the forefront of developing new processes for efficient cutting. PES reports on how the company’s technology is helping one German company meet the challenges of a difficult medical application and its developments to integrate additive manufacturing and sawing.

Sawing tough, highly tempered steel bar for a medical engineering application presented a challenge to Bavarian tool and workshop equipment manufacturer, Werner Weitner, as cutting times were long.

Installation of a KASTOwin pro AC 5.6 high-performance bandsaw has made production considerably more efficient by halving processing times.

Launched in 2016, the machine is designed for a variety of applications in steel stockholding, steel production, forging mills, machine manufacturing and the automotive industry. A notable feature is the frequency-controlled, 11kW drive motor, which allows carbide as well as bimetal blades to be used. Users can therefore be flexible in their choice of tool, reducing costs and optimising cutting speed and efficiency.

Founded in Eichstätt in 1968, family-run Werner Weitner has developed from a metal fabricator to become a 260 employee, €30 million turnover supplier to the international automotive industry and the medical engineering sector. The largest business area is the development, production and sale of special tools used in vehicle manufacturers' authorised repair shops. Materials processed in the 15,000m² factory are mainly steels and alloys, but also aluminium and plastics.

Going back for the challenge

Sawing equipment has been sourced from Kasto since 1994 to meet cutting requirements ranging from one-off prototypes to high volumes. Automatic bandsaws from the KASTOwin, KASTOverto and KASTOfunctional ranges are in use throughout the company, so it was no surprise that Werner Weitner returned to its preferred supplier to meet a new sawing challenge.

[caption id="attachment_30151" align="alignleft" width="300"] Various automatic bandsaws from Kasto in use at Werner Weitner[/caption]

Departmental manager Florian Winhard explains: “We had to process a highly tempered V2A (304 stainless) steel over a large range of diameters for a medical engineering customer. Our existing saws could only use bimetal blades so cutting times were up to 15 minutes, which we felt was unsatisfactory.

“We sent a material sample to Kasto to carry out trials on different saws. The results obtained on the KASTOwin pro AC 5.6 automatic bandsaw using a carbide blade were impressive. Cycle times of seven to eight minutes were achieved, around half the time needed by our other saws, so we bought it in March 2017 as we needed extra cutting capacity anyway.

“A major advantage for us is that we can switch between carbide blades and less expensive high-speed steel bimetal blades at any time. So we can cut not only difficult-to-machine materials but also standard steels economically.”

The innovative feed system is adjusted seamlessly by two independently servo-driven ballscrews. The bandsaw also has a unit in front and behind the cutting plane that ensures the band is clear of the sawn surfaces when the cutting head moves up, prolonging tool life and avoiding marking the cut surfaces.

The working range of the KASTOwin pro is 560mm and the smallest dimension that can be cut is 25 by 25mm, although Werner Weitner uses the saw mainly for cutting material diameters from 100 to 350mm. The shortest remnant length is small at 10mm for individual cuts and 35mm for automatic operation, enabling the tool specialist to minimise waste.

The saw head has a heavy, torsionally rigid, welded structure, ensuring quiet operation and vibration-free operation. Thanks to the powerful coolant pump and large coolant tank, blades are protected even when processing difficult-to-machine materials.

The saw is equipped with Kasto's own EasyControl CNC system. It is simple to use and reduces idle times in automatic operation for maximum cutting performance. All parameters can be optimised to match the material, its cross section and the type of blade being used. Order quantities are input on the touchscreen display and the material to be sawn is placed manually or by means of an overhead crane on a roller track that feeds the machine. When the job is finished, the cut pieces are removed by hand and sent for machining.

Added up sawing

The sorts of innovations seen from Kasto at Werner Weitner are a typical example of the company’s product development programme.

The latest development from the company is an innovative, automatic bandsaw designed to increase productivity in the additive manufacturing sector. The KASTOwin amc incorporates a 180° turning device that allows 3D printed parts on their build platform to be inverted so that the components fall into a container after they have been sawn.

Gains in efficiency, reliability, precision and safety are claimed for the new machine. Moreover, upside down sawing prolongs the life of the 5,090 x 27 x 0.9mm blade, as wear on the teeth is significantly reduced because swarf also falls away under gravity, so less is drawn through the cutting channel. Cooling is provided by a minimum-quantity lubrication system. The welded, ribbed, torsionally rigid structure minimises vibration for quiet operation and accuracy.

[caption id="attachment_30153" align="alignright" width="300"] Separated 3D printed parts fall safely into a container[/caption]

A build platform with additively manufactured parts is bolted to a fixture by means of a handling unit or crane, or can be fixed in position using an optionally available quick clamping system. The operator loads the 3D printed parts, closes the doors and enters the thickness of the build platform via an easy-to-use wizard in the Kasto SmartControl CNC system. The saw unit, which has a precise ballscrew drive, then moves to the exact height required and the parts are automatically separated within the specified tolerance.

A window is provided for visual inspection. The operator can open a flap or press a button to stop the sawing process and then continue it, allowing individual components to be removed from the container when several are being worked on.

The KASTOwin amc, which has a footprint of 2,455 x 2,325mm and stands 2,075mm high, has a standard cutting range of 400 x 400mm, although other capacities are available on request. The electromechanical infeed is infinitely adjustable and band speed is controllable between 12 and 150m/minute. The fully enclosed machine is prepared for the addition of a customer-supplied suction unit so that components can be sawn in automatic mode with minimum dust generation.

For easy troubleshooting and process optimisation, the saw can be monitored remotely over a secure internet connection by specialists in Kasto’s service centre at its German factory. By accessing information from the control, they can carry out fast, detailed diagnostics and provide targeted help. They can also transmit programs and adjust parameters, often considerably reducing set-up times and downtimes.

A video showing the KASTOwin amc in operation can be accessed at the following URL:

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Kasto www.kasto.com

 

Company

Kasto

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