Industrial Sawing Machines for Metal Cutting
Industrial sawing machines cut metal to length economically, accurately and with little material loss. In most fabrication shops the saw comes first in the process chain, cutting tube, profile, shaft and plate before any further machining. If the saw stalls, everything behind it waits. KNUTH supplies a matched range of band saws and circular saws for metal, from the compact machine for occasional cuts to the automatic sawing machine for repeat production.
Machine Types: Band Saws and Circular Saws
Four designs cover the range, each with its own purpose.
- Horizontal Mitre Cutting Bandsaws: the saw bow swivels, so angled and mitre cuts in tube and profile are possible without re-clamping. Double mitre versions swivel to both sides.
- Horizontal Straight Cutting Bandsaws: straight cutting machines, heavily built and geared to high cutting rates. The right answer when heavy sections have to be cut in volume, for example in structural steel and heavy engineering.
- Vertical Bandsaws: the blade runs vertically and the operator guides the workpiece. That allows contours and internal cut-outs, because the blade can be threaded through a drilled hole and rejoined on the welding unit of the machine. Common in tool and mould making.
- Circular Sawing Machines and Cold Saws: a rotating blade cuts quickly and leaves a clean cut face. Cold saws work at low cutting speed and high torque, so the material stays cool and needs hardly any reworking.
The band saw is the flexible all-rounder for heavy and changing sections. The circular saw wins on smaller sections, short cycle times and cut quality.
Levels of Automation: From Manual Saw to Automatic Sawing Machine
The level of automation decides how much operator time every cut costs.
- Manual: clamping, infeed and cut start are done by the operator. Sensible for one-offs, for maintenance work and for training.
- Semi-automatic: the cut runs on its own, while clamping and feeding the bar forward stay manual. The usual compromise in a workshop with mixed jobs.
- Fully automatic: material feed, clamping and cutting run under control and the operator only sets up. Useful where skilled staff are scarce and repeat quantities have to be met.
- With NC control: the heaviest automatic saws in the range work with an NC control. Cut lengths, quantities and cutting sequences are programmed and repeated exactly.
A true CNC saw with freely programmable path control is not part of the range, and cutting metal to length does not require one. To judge the right level of automation, work from the number of cuts per shift, not from the machine price.
Which Industrial Sawing Machine Suits Your Operation
Five questions settle it.
- Material: mild steel, stainless steel, hardened material, cast iron, aluminium or non-ferrous metal. It sets cutting speed and saw band.
- Cross section and profile: solid bar, tube or structural section, and the largest section you cut. That decides the machine size.
- Mitre: are angled cuts needed, to one side or to both.
- Quantity and throughput: single part, small batch or repeat production. The level of automation follows from this.
- Accuracy and reworking: how clean the cut face has to be, and whether a second operation is planned anyway.
The product cards above list cutting capacities, band dimensions and cutting speeds of the machines currently available.
Applications and Industries
Sawing machines for metal belong wherever material is cut to length. In mining and mineral processing, shafts, liners and structural parts are prepared for repair and rebuild work. In oil and gas, pipe and heavy wall tube are cut for fabrication. In heavy engineering and structural steel, profile and mitre cuts are daily business. In maintenance workshops the saw has to do everything, and in tool and mould making the vertical bandsaw takes on contour cutting.
Saw Bands, Circular Saw Blades and Accessories
Tooth pitch and band type are decisive: a coarse pitch for solid material, a fine pitch for thin walled tube and profile. Bi-metal saw bands are the standard for steel, carbide tipped bands and blades the answer for hard materials and long tool life. KNUTH supplies saw bands and circular saw blades to match the machine, and the accessories range includes feed and outfeed roller conveyors, which support long material safely and cut set-up time. Coolant equipment, length stops and chip guards depend on the model.
Sawing Machines in Training
Sawing is a basic process and appears early in every training plan. Robust machines with straightforward controls suit apprentices better than highly automated systems, because they should experience clamping, cut guidance and machine safety for themselves. The overview Machines for Training shows what KNUTH puts together for training centres.
Why KNUTH
KNUTH has been supplying machine tools for more than 100 years and acts as your single source for the machine, the cutting tools and the service behind them. Machines are held in stock, so many sawing machines are available at short notice. Every machine is inspected with documentation before despatch, built and tested to European testing standards, and quality controlled in Germany. The full documentation is available on request. Price and performance, availability and one point of contact: that is the difference from a catalogue purchase.
Service, Spare Parts and Availability
Commissioning, servicing and repairs run through our local service partners in South Africa. Common spare parts come from stock, special parts directly from the producers. Every machine carries a spare parts supply commitment of 10 years. Do you need a recommendation or a quotation? Contact us by email or telephone. We advise you on machine type, level of automation and saw band.
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.
