Mine & Mill Industrial Supply Co., Inc. Resolves Band Saw Blade Failure Issues For Two Customers
February 20, Lakeland, FL - Mine & Mill Industrial supply outside sales representative, Shannon Burrows, was contacted by Mr. Tom Eady of Southeastern Construction & Maintenance in Mulberry, Florida to address a band saw failure problem. The customer is a steel fabricator, prefab assembler, and erection company operating three Hem-Saw model #WF140HM-DC band saw machines. They cut a wide range of steel products including wide flange beams from W4 through W24, black iron pipe, DOM tube, angles, flats, channels and more. The competitors blade was wearing out and failing at an unacceptable rate.
Shannon researched the applications and found that the best all-around blade would be a LENOX RX+EHS #93086, a 28' x 2.0" x .O63 x 2/3 variable tooth saw. This particular tool has a reinforced tooth design, a patented profile that reduces stripped tooth problems, and a tooth/pitch sequence that minimizes vibration and equalizes the tooth load to prevent blade pinching. The instant success of this application resulted in 37% more blade life and 22% increased productivity compared to the old competitor's blade. Fewer blade replacements meant less down time to change a dull blade, which in turn also reduced overhead cost.
In a second application, M&M outside sales representative Debra Rice was presented with a cutting problem experienced by Otis Bass of the Hillsborough Ironworkers. He was using a LENOX Classic 13' 11" x 1" x .035 x 5/8 variable tooth blade for cutting weld coupons from 1" x 6" carbon steel cold finish flat stock and the blades were breaking prematurely. The customer noted that this was a recurring problem, so Debra took down all of the cutting information including coolant type and delivery, feeds, speeds, and life of the blade. She noted that the only thing that was noticeably out of manufacturer recommendation was the SFM he was using in his cuts. They were cutting at 110 SFM and should have been running 265 SFM. However, changing that did not seem to make much difference.
With no obvious failure mode, Debra decided to contact the LENOX representative for an evaluation of the cutting parameters and an inspection of the mechanical condition of the Kalamazoo Model 13AV band saw. As a Lenox distributor, Mine & Mill Industrial Supply has access to the Lenox expertise in resolving machining issues. The LENOX representative performed a 13-point band saw tune-up and found that the band guides needed replacing, the idler wheel tracking needed adjustment, the chip removal brush needed replacing, and the water soluble coolant was dirty and not at a proper ratio of 10:1 for best cutting lubricity. Coolant should be checked with a refractometer to determine proper mixing so it can be adjusted periodically.
Since performing the maintenance, changing the coolant to LENOX Band-ade, and raising the SFM to 265, the saw is cutting straighter and the bands are lasting much longer without breaking. Additionally, on both of these applications it was highly recommended that the customers break in the saw blades according to specifications. This requires that the first cut be reduced by 20-50% of normal cutting rate and gradually increased over several cuts until the normal rate is reached. Because the new blade has razor sharp teeth, the reduced rate served to hone the teeth instead of chipping them, allowing for longer tool life.
About Mine & Mill Industrial Supply
Mine & Mill Industrial Supply has a comprehensive training program for both inside and outside sales representatives in order to assist them in better serving our customer base. Please utilize that expertise and call us at 1-800-282-8489 for assistance in resolving your industrial supply needs and manufacturing challenges. We are located in Lakeland Florida and are on the world-wide-web at www.minemill.com . We have been in business since 1909 and have constantly diversified in order to serve our customers changing needs and requirements. Mine & Mill is ranked as one of the top industrial firms in Florida and boasts over 100,000 feet of warehouse and steel storage. It was founded on the principle of fast, dependable, prompt and courteous service to all industries of central Florida. We make every effort to locate products, not stocked in our warehouse, in order to help you attain your production schedule.
