Automatic Carbide Circular Cold Saw for Steel, Cast Iron and Other Ferrous Materials

Behringer Saws, Inc. (Morgantown, PA), a world-class provider of bandsawing machines, circular cold saws and structural fabricating equipment, offers the HCS-180 high-performance automatic carbide circular cold saw for cutting of ferrous material at 90 deg. This saw is ideal for cutting high-alloyed heat resistant steels along with other ferrous materials. With a blade diameter ranging from 16.5 in (419 mm) to 20.5 in (520mm), the HCS-180 saw provides fast, precision cutting of round stock up to 7 in (180 mm) in diameter.

This machine uses long lasting carbide-tipped disposable saw blades. A 34.8 hp frequency controlled blade drive enables blade speeds of 20 rpm to 250 rpm which accommodates most wet or dry sawing applications. The robust machine design helps assure long blade life. Vibration absorbers mounted between the machine base and the sawing unit further enhance long blade life by eliminating vibrations which also produces exceptional cut quality. Blade life is further extended by sensor-driven cutting pressure monitoring with worn saw blade interrupt feature.

The NC controlled sawing head with ball-screw spindle is driven by a servomotor with integrated encoder for precision movement. The head is mounted on pre-tensioned linear ways angled at 25 deg to ensure quality cuts. Pressure-balanced, controlled blade movement helps maintain consistent production rates and improves cutting accuracy on both solid and tubular material. There is also an automatic material retract feature on the input side, and an automatic material release on the output side. This protects the carbide blade when the saw head returns to its “Home” position after completing a cut.

The gripper feed unit is powered by a servo-driven ball screw spindle. This provides an infinitely variable feed or reverse feed rate of up to 39.3 in per second. Single stroke capacity is 0.314 in to 39.3 in and multiple stroke is up to 393.6 in (32.8 ft). To assure optimum alignment of material entering the gripper clamping area, a material shifting device can be added to the gripper feed unit. This option facilitates smooth handling of material to help prevent marking or scratching and is recommended for high volume jobs.

The HCS-180 features a pneumatically controlled micro-spraying cooling system which continually mists the carbide blade to prevent heat build-up. Optional on the HCS-180 is a multi-fluid cooling system which provides additional protection against heat build-up. The multi-fluid cooling option allows for extremely fast cutting operations or for duplex materials.

HCS saws feature a cutting stage designed to direct chips directly into an automatic chip conveyor. The chip conveyor is integrated with the coolant reservoir and coolant pump to permit rapid disposal of both chips and coolant. The conveyor is readily removable for ease of cleaning. The robust saw frame design reduces vibrations and enhances torsion resistance during cutting. This feature, coupled with an active chip cleaning system, improves saw blade life.

Another bandsaw from Behringer features a drive motor with application-specific gearing for increased cutting output and low power consumption. Designed for efficiency in high production metal cutting operations, HBE Dynamic Series bandsaws utilize a high torque, frequency-controlled blade drive motor. The specialized gearing in the drive is engineered to produce the blade power and speed needed to achieve fast cutting and peak throughput rates. Because the drive is low horsepower and energy efficient, power consumption is reduced while energy savings and high production are realized.

Joe Suydam, an inside sales engineer at Behringer, said, “In the HBE we can use a drive motor that doesn’t use much power without sacrificing torque. That means our customers can push production rates and still maintain control over energy costs.” Suydam explained that depending on which model HBE is used, the drive motor will be 3.4 hp to 6.4 hp. “The sophisticated gearing designed into the machine is the key,” he adds. “It assures sustained high output with lower power consumption than most bandsaws out there.”

In addition to efficient, high speed cutting and energy savings, the HBE saw offers numerous other features to make metal cutting more cost efficient. For example, to help reduce remnant stock, the HBE band wheels are inclined forward. This allows the feed gripper to be positioned closer to the bowframe of the saw. The remnant is therefore smaller and there is less waste after cutting making for more cost effective production. The inclined position of the band wheels also helps protect the bandsaw blade by eliminating a 90 deg blade twist thereby reducing flexural stress. This, combined with a stable saw frame made of vibration-damped gray cast iron and double-sided bearing for the band wheels, results in an increase in tool life of up to 30 percent.

Tested on 4140 material, the HBE Dynamic bandsaw blade life is rated at over 400 sawing cuts in 7.8 in diameter stock. The long blade life is due in part to the improved cutting pressure control which helps prevent tool overload with a visible improvement to the quality of cut surfaces. The resulting precise control of the saw blade to the material allows very high downfeed rates to be achieved.

Downfeed power is then balanced against blade wear via a blade pressure monitor which is linked to a cutting pressure sensing system. Based on sensor data, the HBE saw automatically adjusts blade pressure as needed to create the optimum balance between feed rate and blade pressure. This power/pressure balance assures that the material feed rate is always maximized without overloading the blade. In contrast to the start-and-stop production flow in bandsaws where operators have to monitor blade pressure, the HBE’s automatic pressure sensing system maximizes material feed rates and frees up operators’ time for other tasks. This means longer periods of uninterrupted cutting at peak rates. Controlling and optimizing blade pressure also reduces the need for frequent blade changes.

The solid cast iron construction of the HBE saw frame is rugged and rigid which reduces vibrations and enhances torsion resistance during cutting. Higher band tensioning is therefore possible which improves control over the application of downfeed pressure. The result is precise, accurate movement of the blade and tight tolerances. Cutting accuracy is further enhanced by the horizontal band arrangement and hydraulically tensioned, double-sided linear guide bearings for the band wheels. Besides enhancing accurate blade movement, the linear guides also help reduce noise.

Another innovation on the HBE dynamic bandsaw is the full cover design of the machine enclosure. Not only does the full front cover panel assure compliance with the latest CE guidelines, it also addresses the growing demand for user convenience, occupational safety and environmental protection. The enclosed cutting stage keeps the work environment clean and minimizes noise. A large observation window affords an excellent view of the work being done.

The HBE Dynamic saw is available in four models – 261A, 321A, 411A and 511A. Cutting range is from 10.2 in to 20.0 in diameter for round stock and from 11.8 in x 10.2 in up to 20.0 in x 20.0 in for flat stock. Blade speed ranges from 50 fpm to 350 fpm and the saw features a single stroke feeding length of 25.6 in.

Behringer Saws, Inc., 721 Hemlock Road, Morgantown, PA 19543, 888-234-7464, www.behringersaws.com.