TPT November 2014

Technology News

The MultiCut tube cut-off machine series

MANAGERS responsible for service and maintenance are normally pragmatic by nature when it comes to tool life and repair costs. In practice these managers improve and modify the equipment using their first-hand experience on the factory floor. Sometimes the gap between the promise from machine tool builders regarding performance and tool life seems to be very wide. However, there are also moments where the trust in such manufacturers and the faith in the person you are dealing with will bring good returns. “We plugged in the Linsinger MultiCut and it has been running from the first minute,” recalled the manager responsible for the maintenance department of the German tube specialist Mannesmann Line Pipe MLP in Hamm. The start-up of the Linsinger tube cut- off machine was a textbook installation in 2004 and has worked since then continuously without problems. The construction and installation of the cut-off machine into an existing and linked pipe production line was smoothly integrated by Linsinger and its technicians. The 50 ton machine has shown its pedigree from the beginning. With low tool costs and optimised sawblade life the MultiCut MC 4-610 cuts the burr-free inner and outer edges of longitudinal welded tubes in record time. A logical development of the Linsinger cut-off machine Multi-Cut MC4, which works with four independent controlled drive assemblies, is the Multi-Cut tube cut-off machine MC3, which revolutionises the tube cutting with Ø between 150 and 660mm. The

The MC3 machine

stations. Furthermore the cutting time can be synchronised optimally to the sawblades. Compared to the large and expensive sawblades of conventional steel circular saws, the Multi-Cut-machine can use smaller and accordingly lower-priced disposable sawblades. The longer durability of the smaller sawblades enables a massive reduction of the tooling costs, which after 20 years in use saves many times more than the cost of the machine itself. Additionally, the thin cutting width saves material. The MC3 has fully automated tool changing performed by a robot after a present number of cuts. The robot changes all three sawblades in only 90 seconds. “The MC3 is state-of-the-art. The additional charge compared with conventional saws amortise within two to three years,” said the managing director of Linsinger, Hans Knoll. The tube cut-off machine, Multi-Cut MC3 and MC4 made by Linsinger have made the tube cutting technology even faster and more efficient. Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH – Austria Fax: +43 7613 8840 951 Email: maschinenbau@linsinger.com Website: www.linsinger.com

stationary tube cut-off machine MC3 is suited particularly for the sampling of tube end-cuts, and is deployed both for welded tubes and seamless tube mills. It possesses three smaller circular saws, which are fixed on a radial revolvable disc and deliver a clean, ready-for-sale cut. Considerable shorter length of cycle results with the simultaneous engagement of all three saws in the tube and the afterwards rotation about 120°; the pure cutting time for a P110 steel tube of the dimension 244 x 13.5mm is about eight seconds. Another essential advantage is that if one sawing station fails, with reduced line speed the tube line operation can be continued with the remaining

The Multi-Cut in use

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N ovember 2014