KastoMaxcut A 6 x 16 ALU cuts cast aluminium blocks horizontally to produce plate
1 min read
German sawing machine manufacturer Kasto has developed a horizontal bandsawing machine for cutting cast aluminium blocks into plate called the KastoMaxcut A 6 x 16 ALU. Rather than sawing a billet vertically, which would leave the problem of how to handle and stack the plate after each cut, the machine deploys a horizontal blade that has been turned through 90º to allow successive slices to be taken off the top of the material.
The 12 m long by 6.8 m KastoMaxcut A 6 x 16 ALU was developed for German firm Gleich Aluminiumwerke which produces low distortion, dimensionally stable aluminum plates from 5 to 600 mm thick which are cut from blocks measuring up to 2000 by 4000 by 800 mm. The company supplies customers in the machinery manufacturing, aerospace, tool manufacturing, automotive, mould manufacturing and construction industries worldwide.
Changing the aluminum blocks takes less than three minutes, leading to short non-cutting times. Once set up, the machine can operate automatically for several days. It is believed to be one of the strongest bandsaws on the market and is designed to withstand tough production conditions. Either bi-metal or tungsten carbide tipped blades can be used.
Blade life has doubled on the KastoMaxcut to 3,000 m2 compared with previous saws used at Gleich. Other strengths of the bandsaw are its ability to be interfaced with the customer's ERP-system and improved efficiency of chip evacuation compared with similar equipment.
The machine has an inclined saw head to shorten the length of material engaging the teeth when a new cycle begins. Feedrate is from 0.5 to 500 mm/min, while band speed is from 300 to 3,000 m/min, both ranges being infinitely variable. The saw blade is cooled by a minimum flow lubrication system with fill level control.
Cast aluminum blocks weighing about 15 tons are fed to the KastoMaxcut automatically via an infeed roller conveyor and a lateral transfer unit. The position of the latter is monitored and, if not correct, the automatic sequence stops. The blocks can be buffered in two park positions between the infeed conveyor and the material support table to maximise unmanned running.
After a cut is completed, each individual plate is removed from the saw with a vacuum manipulator and placed onto a roller conveyor to be transported into store or directly to manufacturing. The plate transportation system is equipped with five rectangular suction units capable of carrying up to 3.5 tons. Heavier plate is handled by crane.
The machine is supplied with Kasto's own TechnoControl saw control, allowing automatic setting of the appropriate cutting parameters to suit material quality and the type of saw blade (bimetal or carbide). Up to 2,000 material data records can be saved – the memory being designed for entry of 1,000 combinations of plate thickness and number of pieces to be cut.
