Industrial Sawing Machines and Metal Band Saws

Industrial Sawing Machines for Metal Cutting

Industrial sawing machines cut metal accurately, with low material loss and at a predictable cost per cut. In most shops the saw is the first machine in the process chain: it cuts tubing, profiles, shafts and plate to length before turning, milling or welding. Throughput everywhere behind it depends on the saw. KNUTH supplies a matched program of metal band saws and cold saws, from a compact machine for occasional cuts up to a fully automatic saw machine for production runs.

Machine Types: Metal Band Saws and Circular Saws

Four types cover the program, each with a clear job.

• Horizontal Metal Cutting Bandsaws: the saw head swivels, so miter and angle cuts in tubing and profiles are made without re-clamping. Double miter models swivel both ways.
• Industrial Stationary Bandsaws: straight cutting machines, heavily built and geared to high cutting rates. Hydraulic workholding and hydraulic blade feed are available depending on the model. The choice for large cross sections in volume.
• Vertical Metal Bandsaws: the blade runs vertically and the operator guides the part. This is the machine for contour cutting and radius work, including internal cutouts: the blade is threaded through a drilled hole and rejoined on the machine welder. Standard in tool and die shops.
• Metal Cutting Circular Saw Machines: a rotating blade cuts fast and leaves a clean face. Cold saws run at low cutting speed and high torque, so the part stays cool and needs almost no cleanup.

Rule of thumb: the band saw is the flexible all-rounder for large and changing cross sections. The circular saw wins on smaller sections, short cycle times and finish quality.

Levels of Automation: From Manual Saw to Automatic Saw Machine

The level of automation matters more than the type. It sets how much operator time every cut costs.

1. Manual: clamping, feed and cut start are handled by the operator. Fine for one-offs, maintenance and training.
2. Semi-automatic: the cut cycle runs by itself, clamping and moving the bar stay manual. A semi automatic band saw is the usual answer for a shop with mixed work.
3. Fully automatic: bar feed, workholding and cut cycle are all controlled. An auto feed saw works through a batch while the operator does something else.
4. NC control: the heaviest automatic industrial band saws use an NC control. Cut length, piece count and cutting sequence are programmed and repeated.

A true CNC saw with freely programmable path control is not in the program, and cutting metal to length does not call for one. Start from the number of cuts per shift, not the machine price.

How to Pick the Right Sawing Machine

Five questions get you to the right machine.

• Material: carbon steel, stainless, hardened material, cast iron, aluminum or non-ferrous metal. The material sets cutting speed, coolant and blade choice.
• Cross section and shape: solid bar, tubing or structural profile, and the largest section you cut. That sets the machine size.
• Miter: are angle cuts needed, and to one side or to both.
• Volume: one-off, small batch or production run. The level of automation follows from this.
• Finish: how clean the cut face has to be, and whether a second operation is planned anyway.

Cutting capacities, blade sizes and cutting speeds of the machines currently available are shown in the product cards above.

Applications and Industries

Metal sawing machines belong wherever material is cut to length. In machine building, shafts, beams and tubing are prepared for machining. In fabrication shops and structural steel, profile and miter cuts are daily work. In maintenance and plant services the saw has to handle everything, from a repair sleeve to a replacement beam. In tool and die shops the vertical band saw does contour and radius cutting, and in contract manufacturing automatic saws run programmed cut sequences.

Saw Bands, Circular Blades and Accessories

Tooth pitch and band type decide the result: coarse pitch for solid material, fine pitch for thin wall tubing and profiles. Bi-metal saw bands are the standard for steel, carbide tipped bands and blades the answer for hard material and long tool life. KNUTH supplies saw bands and circular blades to match the machine, and the accessories range covers feed and outfeed roller conveyors, which support long material safely and cut setup time on an automatic saw. Coolant systems, length stops and chip guards depend on the model.

Sawing Machines for Training Programs

Sawing is a basic process and comes up early in every training program. Rugged machines with simple controls work better here than highly automated systems, because trainees should handle workholding, cut guidance and machine safety themselves. The overview Machines for Training shows what KNUTH puts together for schools and training shops.

Why KNUTH

KNUTH has been supplying machine tools for more than 100 years and is your single source for the machine, the tooling and the service behind it. We hold machines in our warehouse near Chicago, so many sawing machines are available at short notice. Every machine is quality-checked before delivery. Price and performance, availability and one point of contact: that is the difference from a catalog purchase.

Service, Spare Parts and Availability

Service and commissioning in North America run through our Americas service partners. Common spare parts come from stock, special parts directly from the producers. Every machine carries a spare parts supply commitment of 10 years. Need a recommendation or a quote? Contact us by email or phone. We advise you on machine type, level of automation and blade selection.

Further Machine Categories at a Glance

Here is an overview of our machine range. Select a category to learn more about individual machines and their technical data.