Choosing the right aluminium saw

Its flexibility, strength and light weight are some of the qualities that make it attractive in so many different applications. But it has applications in many other areas of manufacturing as well as ships, aircraft, motor vehicles, machines and household goods.

Although aluminium is light, strong, and resistant to corrosion and cracking, its special characteristics makes it different from other materials such as steel when it comes to sawing it. When cutting aluminium, cutting speeds must be higher and cutting forces lower. To ensure clean, exact cuts, it is especially important to have an optimum cutting geometry along with good lubrication and cooling. Chips can readily cause problems owing to the high speeds and must be removed in an effective manner. Users who saw aluminium on a regular basis are therefore advised to purchase a machine that is specially designed for this purpose.

When it comes to machining of aluminium, metal cutting saw technology specialist Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG offers a comprehensive range of machinery specially designed for aluminium and other light metals.

Floor-standing circular saws

The KASTOalu range comprises a number of floor-standing circular saws for use in workshops. They are especially suitable for aluminium, other light metals and plastics. Their high-performance carbide saw blades have trapezoidal flat teeth with a positive cutting angle, ensuring perfect results even at low cutting pressures. Users have a choice of saw blades with different numbers of teeth depending on the panel and plate thickness. This allows the creation of reproducibly precise, burr-free cut parts. Less work is required for reworking, and the parts can be further processed or installed right away.

This variety of floor-standing circular saws include the semi-automatic models E 12 / U 12, U 14 and U 20, which cover a cutting range from 100 to 200 millimetres (for tubes and profiles), as well as the fully automatic, numerically controlled KASTOalu A 13 with a cutting range of 100 millimetres (likewise for tubes and profiles). The semi-automatic saws are capable of straight and mitre cuts, with an increment-free mitre angle between ±45° and ±90° depending on the machine.

The KASTOalu A 13, in contrast, is suitable only for straight cuts. All the models have a hydropneumatic, infinitely adjustable saw feed plus pneumatic horizontal and vertical clamping elements. An efficient micro-spray lubrication system and an integrated air gun come as standard, and a connecting sleeve for installing a chip suction unit is standard as well. Various roller tracks and measuring systems are available as optional accessories.

Circular saw

The company developed KASTOspeed M line for low-cost, high-volume cutting of aluminium, copper and brass. This circular saw is available in two versions, with a cutting range of up to 90 millimetres or up to 152 millimetres (round stock). The robust machine construction with an obliquely meshing spur gear mechanism, combined with a hydraulically damped measuring stop and a bar pusher that can be moved rapidly into position, ensures precision cutting and very high output. Depending on the application, high-speed steel, carbide tipped or PCD saw blades are used. Material feeding and sorting can be adapted to the customer’s requirements by means of a well-designed modular system.

Band saw

The band saws of the KASTOtec M series provide a quick, economical solution for all common aluminium materials up to a diameter of 830 millimetres (round). A spindle-driven material advance slide exactly positions the material to be sawn. Precision-balanced drive elements permit very high cutting speeds in combination with smooth running that is kind to the tools. Specially designed blade guides support the tool and form short chips that are easy to dispose of. The product also has a self-explanatory control system with a clearly structured interface that makes operation much easier and reduces set-up times.

Saw for small aluminium

The KASTOvertical M is the perfect machine for efficient sawing of small aluminium ingots, plates, castings and test strips with a maximum height of 600 millimetres and a length of up to 1,250 millimetres. A moveable material support table ensures quick, safe handling of stock. Precision-balanced drive elements and specially designed blade guides permit cutting speeds of up to 100 meters per minute and high cutting performance while ensuring a smooth sawing process with minimal tool wear and an optimal operational lifetime. The bandwheel housing is designed to optimise the path of flying chips to a suction device. The cutting speed and feed rate are continuously adjustable, and the KASTO BasicControl system with colour touchscreen makes operation easy.

Gantry-type band sawing machine

The KASTOmaxcut is used for material with large dimensions. This gantry-type band sawing machine is suitable for fully automatic sawing of aluminium plates with a thickness of six to 2,000 millimetres. Depending on the version, this machine can handle ingots with cross-sections of up to 2,200 x 850 millimetres and lengths of up to 4,100 millimetres. Its heavy-duty design makes it suitable for medium-scale to very-large-scale production. The cutting speed is continuously variable from 300 to 3,000 metres per minute. Nevertheless, the saw runs very quietly and without vibration. It can be operated with both bimetallic and carbide blades.

This heavy-duty machine is used in aluminium mills and other facilities. For example, Gleich Aluminiumwerke GmbH & Co. KG in Kaltenkirchen, Germany, uses the saw to manufacture aluminium plates from ingots measuring 2,000 x 4,000 x 800 millimetres. The company supplies customers in the mechanical engineering, tool-making, aerospace, automotive and construction industries. The machine has significantly increased saw blade lives and reduced downtimes, at the same time offering a high cutting precision. And because it is fully automatic, Gleich was able to increase its production while maintaining consistently high quality. The sawing machine is equipped with strong roller tracks and transverse conveyors plus a vacuum transfer unit to handle the ingots, which can weigh up to 15 tonnes.