Above: After discussing the company’s requirements with Behringer Saws, iTOOLco purchased the HBE511A Dynamic automatic horizontal band saw.

April, 2023- A manufacturer of electrical tools overcame gridlock in its sawing department, and more, with an automatic band saw.

Eliminating a bottleneck was a major benefit for iTOOLco after the company purchased a new band saw but it was not the only one.

The research and development company began as an electrical contractor and then started designing and manufacturing products for the electrical tool industry in 2001, says David Jordan, president of Clinton, Tennessee-based iTOOLco. “We hooked up with some other companies along the way and, about 10 years ago, we decided to break out on our own again and start this facility.”

The company has a “full-capacity” machine shop and performs final assembly at its 100,000-sq.-ft . facility, which employs about 60 people, he adds.

When it came time to purchase a new band saw, Jordan reached out to several part manufacturers to gather their thoughts about the saws they were using and received a recommendation for one built by Morgantown, Pennsylvania-based Behringer Saws Inc. Although the recommendation came with the caveat that a Behringer band saw costs more than many competing brands, Jordan adds that he was not looking to save money up front. “Price matters, of course, but it’s more value-based than anything. What value does this add to our organization? That’s really why I bought the saw.”

    Supplier iTOOLco has a full-capacity machine shop and performs final assembly at its 100,000-sq.-ft. facility in Clinton, Tennessee.

Jordan says he spoke with several people at Behringer, including the company’s president, Richard Klipp, to help determine which model and accessories would best suit iTOOLco’s needs and purchased the HBE511A Dynamic automatic horizontal band saw. According to Behringer, the saw feed is carried out by means of a ball screw and servomotor, resulting in short idle times and precise feeds.

SAWING STRAIGHT

One feature prevents crooked cuts based on the way the saw applies pressure to the blade when cutting. “It knows when the blade is getting dull, so it applies less pressure,” Jordan explains. “It doesn’t overcompensate on pressure.” He adds that band saw will hold a tolerance of ±0.010 in. “all day long.”

The company uses bimetal saw blades, and Jordan says each one lasts from two weeks to a month. “Because of the way this saw applies pressure, it has increased our blade time on the machine.”

The company operates the saw about 60 hours a week, Jordan says. It primarily cuts steel tubing, including rounds, rectangles and squares, with wall thicknesses from 0.083 in. to ½ in., as well as aluminum solid rounds from 4 in. to 12 in. “We bundle feed everything, so those are 10 to 20 pieces wide by the same amount high. The saw is able to bundle cut at a much higher capacity with a much higher accuracy than what we were doing.”

Compared to the company’s previous 10-year-old band saw, which iTOOLco sold in good working condition, Jordan says the Behringer saw eliminated the bottleneck that the saw department was creating. He estimates the saw increased productivity 40 to 50 percent. “We don’t have a whole facility basically waiting for something to come off of the saw.”

The company produces a high mix and somewhat low volume of products, with several hundred SKUs, Jordan says, and developed work-in-progress areas that function as inventory buffers. The saw helps stabilize any fluctuation in inventory. “With this saw, we’re able to maintain a certain inventory buffer, and that prevents us from whipsawing back and forth, trying to get to this product from that product.”

     The Behringer band saw primarily cuts steel tubing and aluminum solid rounds at iTOOLco.

SAW IT ALL

In addition, the Behringer band saw eliminated the need to frequently purchase pre-cut workpiece material, Jordan says, providing a 10 to 15 percent cost savings. “Now we just buy the raw steel or blank aluminum and cut it ourselves.”

After having switched from a flood coolant system to applying a mist coolant on its previous band saw, iTOOLco stayed with mist coolant on the new saw, Jordan notes. The vegetable oil-based mist system eliminates parts becoming covered with water-based coolant, prevents saw components from rusting and makes machine cleanup quick and easy. “Sweep up the chips and blow the machine off and you’re done,” says Jordan.

Because of the significant amount of bundle cutting and feeding that iTOOLco performs, Jordan ordered the machine with a large, automated feeding table. “We can set it up and run the same job over and over, or we can dictate how we want to run the jobs on it.”

Although the company’s saw operators were well-versed in running a band saw, Behringer Saws provided a full day of training during machine setup, he notes. “It was fairly easy to pick up.”

Jordan says iTOOLco doesn’t plan to add another saw to its equipment lineup, but future business gains may alter that outlook. “If I do end up needing another saw, I would definitely buy another Behringer. Their service has been great.”

Behringer Saws Inc., 610/286-9777, http://behringersaws.com/

iTOOLco, 865/670-3713, http://itoolco.com/