For performing structural cuts with a band saw, a few simple tips will help in your quest to make straight cuts, which can ultimately lead to better welds.
If you are performing structural cuts with a band saw, consider these tips to help ensure that edges are straight and that welders can join parts easily and efficiently. Keep in mind the importance of routine maintenance on the band saw machine. If a machine has problems with its feed system or its variable-speed system, it will negatively affect the life of the band saw blade.
The proper amount of cutting lubricant, also known as coolant, will help extend blade life. Band saws use a flood-coolant or a mist system to lubricate the blade. Not only does lubrication help maximize blade life, it also helps minimize the buildup of metal chips that result when the material is cut. Coolant should wash over the blade as it enters and exits the cut. Although the coolant is recirculated and used continuously throughout the cutting process, be sure to replace water that evaporates from the mixed solution.
The right band saw blade makes all the difference when cutting structurals, where the desired outcome is a clean, straight cut that simplifies weld prep applications. Be sure to choose a blade that can withstand the stresses of structural cutting, produce a smooth finish, and ensure maximum blade life. Also, optimal tooth geometry is key to creating faster cutting rates, which increase productivity.
Band sawing efficiency was limited prior to the advent of bi-metal blades. The band saw blade used to be made entirely of high carbon steel because it was pliable enough to withstand the stress caused by its winding path around the band saw machine’s drive wheels and through the saw blade guides. Because it was necessary to use a softer, more flexible backing material, manufacturers were prevented from capitalizing on the sawing efficiency that could be gained by using a harder material that would provide a more durable tooth edge.
Bi-metal and carbide-tipped band saw blades changed band sawing tremendously and permanently. Since then, advancements in tooth configurations, tooth geometry, edge materials and backing steels, in addition to improved methods for welding carbide-tipped teeth, have continued the band saw blade’s march toward increased productivity and blade life at a relatively steady pace.
After being used on smaller cutting tools, such as drills, inserts and end mills for many years, coatings made their first marginally successful appearance in the band saw blade industry in the early 1990s. These first mono-block titanium nitride (TiN) coated blades were expensive and plagued by inconsistent manufacturing. Now, second generation coatings enable higher speeds and feed rates by making the tooth edge harder and tougher, protecting it from excessive abrasion and heat. Applying protective coatings to a band saw blade provides a demonstrable increase in productivity without decreasing blade life. These coatings are the next step of improvements that the band saw marketplace has been demanding—coated carbide for increased feed rate and coated bi-metal for improved blade life.
The last few years have seen blade manufacturers taking steps toward the mastery of the various processes (chemistry, material preparation, application technique and fixturing) necessary to apply coatings to larger cutting tools such as band saw blades. As manufacturers have improved their methods of applying coatings, coated blades have steadily gained industry acceptance, especially in high-production shops.
Manufacturers now offer a variety of blades with advanced, application-specific coatings such as titanium nitride (TiN) and aluminum titanium nitride (AlTiN) that deliver previously unheard of productivity and increased life.
Manufacturers have been making improvements in tooth geometry at a slow and steady pace for years. The pace quickened in the mid 1990s, when progressive design technologies such as 3D machining simulation software arrived on the scene, making it possible to minimize field testing, which was typically long and costly. Using these new tools, innovations such as variable tooth height/set forms were optimized, helping shops get the most from their band-sawing investments.
New developments, such as the recent introduction of a band saw blade with a tooth design that provides a larger tooth cross section, indicate that there is more room yet for manufacturers to make big breakthroughs in tooth geometry. This particular tooth design’s increased cross section provides a reinforced cutting surface, which eliminates tooth strippage, prevents premature failure, reduces burring, removes chips more quickly for long life and provides low vibration and noise levels.
If you would like to make an enquiry, please use the details provided above to get in touch with Marshall Machinery. If you have an enquiry about any of the machines on this website, please be sure to quote the machines stock number, as this will help us assist you more efficiently.
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