|
Question:
What are the main factors that affect the cutting rate?
MR. HARRIS: Under
normal production conditions, while cutting a free machining steel
such as 12L14, a cutting rate of 15 square inches per minute is
practical and readily obtainable when using a high-speed electron
welded blade. (Though
under ideal conditions, up to 30 square inches per minute can be
obtained.)
Each
type of material has its own characteristics and some require unusual
measures to obtain satisfactory cutting performances.
More difficult materials, for example, will slow cutting rates.
As the material machinability lowers, so does the cutting rate. Surface conditions will also affect the cutting rate.
If there are places on the surface or in the material that are
hard, a slower blade speed will be required or blade damage may
result. Tough or abrasive
materials are much harder to cut than their machinability rating would
indicate.
Question:
How do I obtain optimum cutting?
MR.
HARRIS: Each blade
configuration will have an optimum width of material to be cut.
Below this width, tooth loading may become excessive and the
cutting rate must be reduced. When
the material is wider than the optimum width, the blade control begins
to diminish. For example,
a band saw blade 1” by .035” thick would successfully cut material
whose optimum width is about 4 inches.
But a 1.25” blade by 0.042” will have optimum cutting in
stock that is about 6” wide. This
is because the heavier blade has nearly twice the beam strength,
allowing higher pressure and straighter cutting in wider material.
For
each blade size there is an optimum size of material that can be cut:
a size that allows the saw to cut quickly and provide maximum
blade life. The Law of Physics governing the relationship between the
guide spacing and the beam stiffness of the blade determines this
size. (Anyone interested
in the theoretical aspects will find them discussed in the section
concerning “Beam Deflection” in any good Engineering handbook.
If you have additional questions about this topic, call or e-mail
us today.
|
