TPT March 2024

TECHNOLOGY

The art of cutting steel tubes CUTTING steel solids or tubes is a precision job and the many variables involved in the interaction between material properties, sawblade, machine and operator makes it complex to improve the production and efficiency. Circular saws for steel cutting are predominantly favoured in productions in which productivity and speed is important. Circular saws are used in highly productive industries in which a focus on the total cost of ownership in production is an important determinator for being successful. Often the cutting process is the bottleneck for production, and improving this critical process can contribute significantly to profitability. itself, based on production down time and waste generated. Therefore, the focus of the saw blade manufacturer is to improve the lifetime of the saw blade and seek solutions for the challenges the tube cutting industry is facing. High-speed cutting generates significant heat, risking material distortion and compromising structural integrity of both the workpiece as well as the saw blade and therefore reducing the blade life. So, the most crucial factor when cutting steel at high speeds is maintaining thermal control. Besides employing advanced cooling methods, such as oil and emulsions, the design of the circular blade and proper cutting parameters make the difference for optimal blade life during high speed cutting.

material interactions like stickiness of the material at elevated temperatures. Cutting multiple materials, without changing the blade, asks for the right compromise in blade properties and often needs testing prior to choosing the best blade. The operators overseeing the cutting play an important role in gathering the data of the process. Besides the uptime and speed, precision is an important differentiator for the cutting process. A precision cut with a tight tolerance will cut with less wear and prolongs the lifetime of the saw blade.

In this perspective, uptime of cutting process, the lifetime of a blade, is crucial for an economic cutting process, affecting both cutting productivity, cost of tooling and reduction of waste. As example the cost of changing a blade in productive flying-cut-off tube applications is in many cases higher than the cost of the blade

The design of the saw blade has to factor in the different geometries of the workpiece, being a tube, with or without scarf, profile or solid. In addition, the properties of the blade should be able to handle different tensile-strength and

Kinkelder www.kinkelder.com

“THE PUSH POINTER PEOPLE”

GEORGE A. MITCHELL COMPANY MANUFACTURER OF CUSTOM-BUILT MACHINERY SINCE 1963 EXPERTS IN DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF PUSH POINTERS AND SPECIAL FORMING MACHINES

• Push Pointers up to 1,500,000 Lbs. and 22” O.D. • OCTG Drill Pipe End Forming Machines • Cold Forming Machines to Produce Special Tubular Parts for Automotive and Related Industries • Hydraulic Draw Benches • R&D Cold Forming Projects • Machine Rebuilds • Experience with Metals from Aluminum to Zirconium

750 Ton Two Tool Pipe End Forming Machine for OCTG Products – PP-746

PO BOX 3727, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO USA 44513 www.mitchellmachinery.com Tel.: +1-330-758-5777

47

www.read-tpt.com

MARCH 2024