Bandsaw Alternative
Hi guys,
I have a problem here at work. We have a vertical bandsaw which an operator uses to cut parts. Because of the production environment, they have been forced into the habbit of feeding the parts into the blade as fast as possible to make sure they keep up with production. They do not let the tool do the cutting which would be nice and easy, they force the part into the blade to get a faster cut (it can be sloppy, as the part gets linished after). Because of this, the operator uses his back too much, and gets sore after a few days, then takes time off work because of injuries.
I would like an alternative to the bandsaw. I tried making a jig up for a plasma cutter yesterday, which worked well. There were two problems.
1) The slag underneath stopped the part from sliding freely, so a nice straight cut is not possible.
2) It can only be used on certain parts, not all of them.
I am now thinking to go laser. I am completely unfamiliar with lasers, but I would imagine they just melt the metal at a concentrated high temperature. In saying that, I do not think I have ever seen a machine that is not an NC with a laser cutter on it.
I am just wondering if there is another tool out there that will be able to replace the bandsaw for cutting parts? I was tossing up the idea of a robot with a cut off saw at the end of it, but because all parts are different, it will be impossible to program the robot to make the cuts without spending a fortune on 3D scanning software to give the coordinates.
Thanks.
I have a problem here at work. We have a vertical bandsaw which an operator uses to cut parts. Because of the production environment, they have been forced into the habbit of feeding the parts into the blade as fast as possible to make sure they keep up with production. They do not let the tool do the cutting which would be nice and easy, they force the part into the blade to get a faster cut (it can be sloppy, as the part gets linished after). Because of this, the operator uses his back too much, and gets sore after a few days, then takes time off work because of injuries.
I would like an alternative to the bandsaw. I tried making a jig up for a plasma cutter yesterday, which worked well. There were two problems.
1) The slag underneath stopped the part from sliding freely, so a nice straight cut is not possible.
2) It can only be used on certain parts, not all of them.
I am now thinking to go laser. I am completely unfamiliar with lasers, but I would imagine they just melt the metal at a concentrated high temperature. In saying that, I do not think I have ever seen a machine that is not an NC with a laser cutter on it.
I am just wondering if there is another tool out there that will be able to replace the bandsaw for cutting parts? I was tossing up the idea of a robot with a cut off saw at the end of it, but because all parts are different, it will be impossible to program the robot to make the cuts without spending a fortune on 3D scanning software to give the coordinates.
Thanks.