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Saw upgrade

GiroDyno

Cast Iron
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Location
PNW
What determines how fast a band saw can cut?
We have had a Cosen C-325NC saw that has been great for 10 years. It manages to keep up with our CNC lathes now, but we are about to double our production and this saw will not cut it.
Are column style saws going to allow us to cut faster? Should we find something with more HP? Just buy a second saw? Run it overnight and clean up the mess in the AM?
We cut 6061 round bars, 7-11" diameter, 10 hours a day, Lennox blade 1.25 X 0.042 - 2/3 TPI
 
Do your Lennox blades have carbide teeth? Are you running the saw close to 328 surface feet per minute, already?
Have you tried an amp meter on the five-horsepower motor to see how much reserve you have?
 
In my opinion, it is always better to have another separate saw if you have the space and the money. obviously can double your output and when one craps out for some reason or other (blade breaks on Sunday and you don't have a blade welder or stock) you are still up and running.
 
Do your Lennox blades have carbide teeth? Are you running the saw close to 328 surface feet per minute, already?
Have you tried an amp meter on the five-horsepower motor to see how much reserve you have?

312ft/min seems to be the sweet spot for this configuration. We picked this blade because it was suggested to us by our local saw supplier. Will look into higher feed blades for sure, just kind of curious if other styles of saw are inherently more productive.

***Just went and tested max speed for the saw is 340 so higher feed blades aren't necessarily a solution***
 
I wish. Saw throat doesn't have the capacity and we also do a lot of variety so it would be hard to match lengths up anyways.
 
I'm with the suggestions of adding a second saw. Having double CNC capacity means nothing without material for them to process.
And not too hard to find a saw that can handle 2)7" bars at a time. Or even 4 at a time. Material handling needs to be a big part of the process too. The efficiency of loading and unloading is a big time factor.
 
Well, he didn't specify that he wasn't willing to throw stupid amounts of money at his problem.

It's not my money

Good point regarding material handling. We are currently trying to figure out a way to store and load material without the forklift.

8.5, 9, and 10" diameters account for 90% of our parts so I guess I should specify those sizes are where our saw capacity should be focused.
 
It's not my money

Good point regarding material handling. We are currently trying to figure out a way to store and load material without the forklift.

8.5, 9, and 10" diameters account for 90% of our parts so I guess I should specify those sizes are where our saw capacity should be focused.

I have seen jib cranes work well for loading saws without a forklift. One centered between the two saws could work nicely.
 
What determines how fast a band saw can cut?

Disclaimer - I deal exclusively in steel, not aluminum. I was taught that the speed is just a chart depending on the blade and material you are cutting. Then you increase feed pressure until you get "6" and "9" shaped chips. Dust is too light feed and big curly cues is too heavy feed. From there I think the blade pitch is just to make sure there is enough room in the gullets so they don't get clogged during the cut. There's some "rule of thumb" that says something like 12 teeth in the cut on solids, but I'm not exactly sure how that plays out with rounds.

I believe the dual column just helps keep the cut straight, not necessarily faster. Keep an eye out for going-out-of-business auctions....all those shops have auto-feed saws. Also, I agree with getting a second saw as opposed to trading up.

Good luck!
 
Sometimes the most obvious solution is the best one
Get a second saw. Up side of that you can be cutting 2 different diameters at the same time
If say at the end of the run of one part and starting up a different size one
 
Sometimes the most obvious solution is the best one
Get a second saw. Up side of that you can be cutting 2 different diameters at the same time
If say at the end of the run of one part and starting up a different size one

Running two different diameters at a time is a great point, with a high mix of parts that would be super helpful.
But does anyone know if 2x the HP allows you to cut 2x as fast? Wondering if we get a second saw do we get the same size or would a bigger one be significantly faster, or does it just let you cut bigger/harder materials?
 
Depending on the age of your existing saw and parts/model availability, consider getting a "twin" to your current saw.
Operators will immediately know how to use it and may not fight over using the new "better" saw..
Parts are the same.
Particular problems of the model should already be known.

The factor of doubling output is an easy calculation if material handing isn't am issue.
 
2x the hp usually equals a bigger cut width on a band-saw. thus larger gang cutting.

if its aluminum, a 20HP cold saw will be the fastest with automated bar feeder, could cut pieces in seconds. just need the $$$ to pay for it.
 
Figured I'd share results for anyone else looking to boost aluminum cutting production

To answer the original question: Dual column saws wont cut faster, but they work well for bundle cutting, and very straight cuts. And more HP doesn't help without more FPM.

We tired carbide tipped blades but couldn't feed fast enough for them at 330 FPM.
We switched back to our regular blades with a larger tooth gullet and were able to decrease our cut time by about 20% while maintaining our finish requirements, longevity appears about the same. Now we have issues with storing the blanks as the CNCs cant always keep up...

DoAll has saws with 420 FPM but for aluminum its still not fast enough for carbide.

Mastercut has saws with 1000 FPM specifically for aluminum which would be perfect for carbide.

If anyone else is trying to speed up aluminum cutting I'd suggest trying a larger gullet blade to start, it's much cheaper than buying a second saw.
 








 
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