SO FAR BUT SO NEAR: "THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO BEINGS CAN ALSO BE FILLED BY THE CLOSENESS OF IDEAS"

Case history

Can two apparently so different realities really be similar? This is how, despite the significant physical distance, Mep was able to find the best steel cutting solution for a well-known New Zealand supplier.

We are in New Zealand and the protagonist of this adventure is Steel & Tube, one of the majour national service centers for steel with around 24 branches all over the national territory. The supplier provides a comprehensive range of structural steel, iron, plate products and steel profiles in order to meet the requirements of demanding new building designs. Among the wide portofolio of stainless steel products manufactured by the supplier, there are also coils, bars, tubes (including hygienic tubes and associated fittings), handrail and architectural products ideal for both small and large scale projects. The huge quantity of processed steel is then distributed throughout New Zealand, in particular to stainless steel fabricators, major corporations and businesses operating in the construction, diary, water, food processing, energy and manufacturing sectors.

Thanks to the collaboration with Scott Machinery, our New Zealand dealer, and a series of negotiations and visits, we managed to understand what the customer's needs were, namely a high level of safety, precision and technology while executing cuts on mainly structural and stainless steel products. Therefore, we decided to recommend our models Shark 350 NC HS 5.0 and Thor 860, with which the customer replaced some old band sawing machines.

SHARK 350 NC HS 5.0

The SHARK 350 NC HS 5.0 belongs to the range of Mep automatic band sawing machines: being dual-column and electrohydraulic and executing 0° cuts on structural, stainless and alloy steels, solids and profiles, this sawing machine is ideal for both large size production batches even on multiple work shifts and cuts in series in continuous cycle on a wide range of metals.

This structurally heavy-duty, silent and safe sawing machine was designed to also execute bundle cuts up to 350x350mm, thus being versatile and able to solve the wide range of cutting needs related to modern workshops and turnshops.

In this case, the customer decided to purchase three sawing machines and to equip them with the following accessories: spray mist system, blade deviation control device, hydraulic overhead bundlings and Kit IOT - Industry 4.0.

Why the automatic band sawing machine Shark 350 NC HS 5.0

The two working modes (semi-automatic and automatic ones) allow to perform any kind of cut in the most efficient way.

The control allowing to store up to 100 cutting programs, each one with different quantities and lengths, and the automatic acquisition of the saw head cutting start position reduce programming time.
The saw head motion is powered by a hydraulic cylinder on linear guides with preloaded ball screw slides and ensures a mechanical vibration reduction and stability during the cut.
The blade tensioning through brushless motor is constantly checked and adjusted in real-time, thus granting a higher cutting precision and longer blade life.
Self-regulation in real-time of head down feed rate according to the type of material or blade wear.

The customer chose the Shark 350 NC HS 5.0 sawing machine due to its high level of quality, technology and safety: actually, the operator's safety is ensured by both the safety guarding surrounding the machine and the safety interlocks in accordance with current regulations. In addition to the maximum operator's safety, the "saw in the box" style both ensures excellent visibility and accessibility to all working areas and facilitates the blade change.

THOR 860

The THOR line is made up of dual-column semi-automatic band sawing machines designed for heavy-duty works and characterized by large cutting capacities.

In this case, the customer chose the THOR 860 model, which executes 0° cuts of structural steels with size up to 860x860 mm. Moreover, the sawing machine was equipped with the following options: 6° canted saw head, head down feed rate on display, blade deviation device, spray mist system, vertical vice, laser beam and, finally, HMI control.

Why the semi-automatic band sawing machine THOR 860

Motion of the saw head on linear guides with preloaded ball screw slides that grants both a mechanical vibration reduction during the cut and greater cutting stability.
The set of hard metal blade guide plates, equipped with anti-vibration rollers and extremely wear resistant, helps ensure maximum blade durability and cutting stability.
The interdependency between the cutting vice and the vertical support of the front blade guide head reduces setting time of the sawing machine, thus allowing their automatic positioning according to the section to cut.
The fast approach device of the blade to the material to cut maximizes productivity.
The chip auger ensures better operating conditions and reduces processing time by preventing passive working times of the production process for the manual waste disposal.

"Born to last": the same slogan that defines the range of Thor sawing machines also communicates the main reason why the customer chose this model. In addition to the durability, its user-friendliness played a major role in the purchase of the sawing machine.

On first impression, because of the approximately 18 thousand kilometers that divide them, Italy and New Zealand are often considered two not comparable realities. Actually, these two countries have many common features, among which the best known are certainly that New Zealand and Italy are both boot shaped and New Zealand upside-down looks like Italy. The same thing is true for Mep and the customer of this collaboration: in fact, thanks to the negotiations and dialogue, we have with pleasure discovered that there is a significant sharing of ideals between the two companies, such as the love for their territory and the constant desire to improve and help our customers to build better and innovative solutions.