Manufacturer designs blade that addresses challenges of interrupted cutting of pipe, beams and channels while increasing tool life and operational productivity
Interrupted cutting in structural materials is difficult primarily because there is a multitude of challenges that cannot all be addressed at the same time.
October 2023- Manufacturer designs blade that addresses challenges of interrupted cutting of pipe, beams and channels while increasing tool life and operational productivity
Service centers and fabricators that run saws want a blade that cuts faster and lasts longer, no matter what material grade, thickness, weight or shape is thrown at it. “That fact is always omnipresent,” says Jay Gordon, North American sales manager for saws at The L.S. Starrett Co.
The Athol, Massachusetts-based company released a new product, the Tennax-Pro Bi-Metal band saw blade, this summer. The blade is designed to cut tubes, pipes, profiles and structural shapes (beams, channels and angles) in both single pieces and in bundles. Providing lower noise and vibration as well as improved cutting performance, the Tennax- Pro blades were tested and found to outlast and outperform competitive blades, while making up to 25 percent more cuts per blade before they are no longer useful.
“As things change across the industry, you have to keep up. This is a competitive business,” Gordon says. “Our new blade design is made for making interrupted cuts on structural and bundled material. Anything you can do to make that process better is welcomed.”
MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS
“Cutting interrupted shapes, tubes, pipes and channels is hard on a blade. The biggest issue in interrupted cuts is entering and exiting the material.” The blade goes into the right side and comes out the left side, and “it’s hard to specify” one blade for so many multiple applications. For example, an operator may have to cut a 4-inch-diameter tube with an 1/8-inchthick wall. “In interrupted cutting, the tooth is hitting a sidewall, and it’s difficult to get the right tooth pitch.”
With the metal vibration, the blade can become fatigued and wear out. “Interrupted cutting in structural materials is difficult primarily because there is a multitude of challenges that cannot all be addressed at the same time,” he continues.
The Tennax-Pro Bi-Metal band saw blade is designed to cut tubes, pipes, profiles and structural shapes in both single pieces and in bundles.
“You can make adjustments. On angle iron, you might enter the piece in a vise and try different saws; that’s true with channels, too. You can try a different blade tooth pitch. But all of that takes extra effort. Most operators just throw anything at the blade,” he says.
A blade manufacturer must ask users a host of questions. Is the operator cutting along the short side or the long side of the material?
“To do it right takes thought. It’s hard to spec everything the way you want.”
Ordinarily, he says, if he had to choose to cut a 12-inch I-beam versus a 50-inch-diameter bar, he would choose the latter because it’s easier.
STUDY AND TESTING
The work to develop a new blade starts with Starrett’s R&D team and a thorough testing of different designs. “For a structural cutting blade, you need a thicker and wider tooth. The tip of the tooth, due to the way it hits, has to be strong to penetrate and then cut. The backing has to be strong, too,” Gordon says.
“We had a baseline with our popular Versatix blade, but the materials being cut and the required blade capabilities have changed over time,” he says.
“What do we do to make our blades last longer and take more abuse? Our engineers study back angles, width of the tooth, front angles and gullet shapes. It may be years of testing against our own blades and those in the market.”
One blade design might work great with tubing, but not with an I-beam. “We test across a wide range of materials. I expect this [Tennax-Pro] will become an ever-evolving product. We may have solved some problems, but we will come up against others. Ranging from carbon through carbidetipped and bi-metal blade designs, we are seeking constant improvement,” Gordon says. Starrett’s laboratory tests how well the blade wears when cutting material and shapes, the rate of deflection, forces, etc. The engineers use computer models and simulations as well as physical tests. “The engineering is not as hard as the testing,” Gordon explains. “It’s easier to come up with a new tooth pattern or shape, but through the testing, you find out whether it works or not.” Before sending new blades for customers to test out, “we have our own in-house cutting operation,” Gordon says.
NOISE MITIGATION
Gordon says he recommends that saw operators use hearing protection. “Many of the complaints you hear about blades is that they are very loud. From an operator standpoint, that’s annoying. From a blade manufacturers’ standpoint, that is teeth hitting the sides of material, which can be pretty loud. You probably won’t find a totally quiet blade for metal processing, but there is a movement over the last 20 years to lower the noise generation. Also, vibration, which typically comes in tandem with noise, hurts the blade,” he says.
PERFORMANCE
All of Starrett’s blades are custom made. They are shaped to a length that fits the machine. “Anything the customer can spec, we will cut and weld.” Tennax-Pro is proven to have increased blade life and provided boosts in productivity. “On average, compared with our other bi-metal blades and those in the market, we have seen a 25 percent longer life and higher production. This blade is also much quieter,” according to Gordon. Some of the productivity depends on whether the customer is using flood or mist coolant, and on a number of other variables, he says. Many customers will cut a tube, then an I-beam, then another tube. “The Tennax- Pro design is well suited for the shop that is cutting a lot of different materials and shapes—even solids. [For] structural, aluminum, etc., it’s a good all-around blade,” Gordon says.
The L.S. Starrett Co., 888/674-7443, http://starrett.com/
