Above: The DoALL horizontal swivel saw uses gravity to move the head down without changing stiffness or rigidity, regardless of the cutting angle.

Saw head design combats damages of heavy use, stays reliable cut after cut

March 2018 - Wear and tear accounts for the slow decline of all manner of organisms, whether machine or man. In the case of the vertical tilt-frame saw design, rigidity is sacrificed over time and physics takes its toll on alignment.

“With a vertical tilt-frame saw, as it goes right or left, gravity affects the head, resulting in inconsistent stiffness or rigidity as it moves side to side,” explains Kurt Plechaty, president at CMI, which distributes and manufactures DoALL sawing products. “As that stiffness changes, so does the likeliness for alignment issues as a result of gravity, leaving inaccurate angled cuts.

DoALL saws are equipped with Siemens controls, giving users the flexibility to cut many different configurations.

“As tilt-frame saws wear,” he continues, “those issues become more pronounced. But on a horizontal swivel saw, gravity is on your side because it helps the head come down without changing stiffness or rigidity, regardless of the cutting angle. Repeatability is reliable even as the saw gets older.”

Size matters

DoALL has semi-automatic (SA) and full-automatic (NC) models of its dual- column, dual-swivel saws to meet the needs of those shops managing big production runs or handling multiple parts per job.

“If a customer is producing parts in smaller batches that change frequently, there is no need for the full automatic model when dealing with different lengths and materials from job to job,” Plechaty advises. “Whether someone goes with a DCDS-600 versus a DCDS-750 is purely size based. For a cross section of material, a DCDS-600 might work better for those cuts; whereas a DCDS-750 is better suited to cutting such structural materials as channel irons, angle irons, square or round tubing.”

Operators can program the cutting parameters within the job library and save it for future reference.

Equipped with Siemens controls, DoALL saws allow for easy program storage. “Customers have the flexibility to cut many different configurations and produce parts that are accurate according to finish needs and dimension requirements,” Plechaty says.

If the operator is running steel, he or she can program the cutting parameters within the job library and save it for future reference. “They can pull that job up [repeatedly] and don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time or go back through the dialing process,” he says. “It gives flexibility between materials. They can also pull up reference jobs and alter single parameters, allowing them to copy over jobs with modifications without starting from scratch.”

Horizontal cutting is beneficial because from a durability standpoint, if a traditional tilt frame saw is cantilevered out, as the stiffness changes, the saw deflects. “In our dual-column models, we have two columns circulating linear wave systems with no friction and closed systems that do not wear out, don’t lose power, and remain tracking as consistent as the day they were set. Components won’t wear down,” Plechaty says.

Users can load directly onto a table and cross feed material to the saw, if necessary.

Practical applications

Material infeed between cuts can lengthen production cycles if not fielded efficiently. “A lot of our customers are cutting 20-ft. material, but if they want to cut 40 ft., we can easily extend the feed setup to accommodate those longer lengths without wasting time,” Plechaty says. Users can load directly onto a table and cross feed if necessary. “The index would just go back and feed the material as part of the overall simple loading process,” he explains.

Saws have optional right or left miter modular designed work conveyors in 40 in. and 80 in. lengths and the optional power roller conveyor makes moving heavy materials easier. Users can choose from a range of blade speeds and can use overfeed protection. Cast components help dampen noise and vibration.

DoALL’s StructurALL band saws come in round product capacities up to 21 in.-diameters and will cut multiple angles within the same footprint.

DoALL’s StructurALL band saws come in round product capacities up to 21 in.-diameters. The dual-column, dual-swivel unit will cut multiple angles within the same footprint. The dual-miter capability provides a range of up to 60 degrees right or left and includes standard work area lighting, optional right and left modular work conveyors, optional power work conveyors, lift conveyors, and right to left work roll table to ease material movement.

The saws can be fitted with accessories to customize the saw to perform particular tasks. “We can fit saw conveyors with input feeders, for instance,” says Janice Kovala, strategic marketing manager for DoALL. “Customers can outfit the machines with what they need to optimize performance.” FFJ