Session: 18-01-05: Conventional Manufacturing

Paper Number: 149787

149787 - Modern Bandsaw Design Theory:a Detailed Review of Design Considerations for Metal Cutting Applications 

Bandsaws have long been an industry standard for separating a cut piece from a parent workpiece. Ever since the first bandsaw design by Englishman William Newberry in 1809, bandsaws have been used in the cutting of all forms of workpieces from wood to metal and beyond. It was not until the implementation of high-speed steel tipped saw by an American inventor Anne E. Smith, in 1922 that metal cutting was made highly efficient by the use of band saws for all forms of material and work piece sizes and shapes. Which then led to the advancement of carbide tipped saws by the Sandvik Corporation in 1955, unlocking much higher feed and speed rates as well as the ability to cut much ‘harder to cut’ applications such as all forms of tool steel and aerospace superalloys such as Inconel 718 and Ti6Al4V. These saws were not commercially available until the mid-1960s when carbide really started to take hold of the European market, leading to the global adoption of carbide blades for all forms of advanced metal cutting applications. Advancements in the machine itself have played a significant role in the progression of band sawing as well. The first saws, being hand fed machines, were not conducive to expected production rates and ‘straight steady’ cuts. As the industry demanded higher precision and feed rate control, advancements in saw technology led to the first CNC controlled sawing machine. Developed in 1979, the Canadian design firm Hyd-Mech was the first to create a fully automatic CNC actuated sawing system. Since the adoption of these types of systems, most major saw manufacturers have offered some level of automation and monitoring built into the saw itself. A number of feed systems are now available in the industry ranging from gravity fed scissor saws that feed into the workpiece from an axial focal location in a "Scissor" manner. As well as dual collum saws, where hydraulic cylinders are often run in parallel and offer very consistent and controlled feed rates of the saw into the workpiece[SR1] . To CNC / ball screw fed saw heads, resulting in the highest level of precision needed for the more demanding applications.

In this work, we will cover all the considerations needed and challenges/limitations when designing a metal cutting saw blade from the blade materials, design theory, and manufacturing concepts to the saw and workpiece considerations needed to create a successful design for the given application.

 

Presenting Author: Michael Lambert The M.K. Morse

Presenting Author Biography: Research and Product Develop Engineer for over 5 years. 20 years of industry experience. With a focus on continuous improvement, cutting tool design theory and manufacturing process design.

Authors:

Michael Lambert The M.K. Morse