A new range of five fully-automated bandsaws has been introduced by KASTO with maximum cutting capacities from 330 to 1,060 mm. Manufactured in Germany and called KASTOwin, they are suitable for processing a variety of materials, especially steels, in stockholding and manufacturing.
The bandsaws will find applications in a wide range of sectors including machine and tool production, automotive, aerospace and general engineering. Availability in the UK is through KASTO, Milton Keynes.
The various sizes of saw are similarly constructed and the components used are largely identical. Moreover, 25% fewer parts are used in each machine compared with their predecessors. KASTO is therefore able to offer the saws at considerably lower prices than comparable products.
Hilmar Gehrmann, product manager for KASTOwin, explained, “Our aim was to develop an all-round solution which would fulfil the majority of our customers’ usual requirements.
“Many companies do not want expensive, custom products and instead prefer economical, standard solutions.”
Armin Stolzer, KASTO’s managing director, added, “The high proportion of common parts within the range reduces costs for material procurement, manufacturing and machine build in modern assembly lines at our factory in the Black Forest.
“We are passing the economic advantage of KASTOwin’s lower cost of manufacture on to our customers.”
Quality remains central. All KASTOwin bandsaws feature a frequency-controlled drive that enables cutting speeds of 12 to 150 metres per minute. For all machine sizes, the saw band is hydraulically tightened and looped around hydraulic band guides, which now have interchangeable carbide inserts. The latter save 80 per cent of the previous cost of replacing an entire carbide guide.
KASTO engineers place particular emphasis on trimming both the hydraulic power unit and the drives for high energy efficiency. Each saw is available with a choice of two different band widths.
Ballscrew drives replace hydraulics to ensure tight control over cutting and material feed movements. KASTOrespond is a new system that senses saw frame movement via the ballscrew. The power drawn from the motor and hence the force on the band is constantly monitored and fed back to control. Newly-developed software controls the downfeed so that a constant chip load is maintained throughout the cut, irrespective of material cross section.
To reduce idle times, a highly innovative feature eliminates the need for a 5 mm stand-off from the material surface, which can waste a lot of time when the saw is programmed to cut tough materials at slower rates. Instead, the saw blade descends straight into the material and stops within microseconds to continue the cut at the programmed infeed rate, without damaging the teeth.
A screw conveyor ensures safe, clean removal of chips. The retractable material clamping vices have been redesigned to guarantee reliable cutting in automatic operation. The offcut length is just 35 mm, while the shortest possible cut length is 10 mm.
For simple, intuitive operation, KASTOwin saws are equipped with the innovative touch-screen SmartControl unit, which monitors and controls all relevant order requirements and sawing parameters using an in-built material library. The machine is fully enclosed to meet health safety requirements. Nevertheless, the operator benefits from easy access for set-up, single-cut operation and inspection.
KASTO offers an extensive range of accessories for its machines. They include various chip conveyors, hydraulic layer clamping equipment, a laser for cutting line projection and automatic zero measurement. For specific requirements, KASTO supplies saws with a performance package featuring a double chip removal brush and greater drive power.
