AiLiAi has purchased a new Amada pulse cutting band saw (PCSAW430X). This machine differs from traditional band saws by sending controlled pulses to the blade, cancelling out unwanted vibration. It provides a dramatically improved surface finish on the cut as well as increased squareness. Pulse cutting also lengthens the life of the blade, decreasing down time due to replacing worn down blades.

The machine is designed for solid bar and heavy wall tube and pipe cutting – it’s best performance is on material from 3” to 16” in diameter and material with a wall thickness of 1/2” or greater. “Pipe that is either schedule 5 or 10 as well as light wall tubing cannot be cut effectively on this saw” says Liu Mohang, head of operations in the Songjiang branch. “The machine is designed for production type cutting; the harder or larger the material is, the more effective and cost competitive it becomes.”

The saw has been operational since late June. Cutting capacity of the saw ranges from a minimum of 1.18” to 16.93”, and can shuttle material from .394” to 99.99”, holding tolerances of +/- .030” and even better with tremendous ease. Check with Songjiang operations if tighter tolerances are needed because it’s possible. The machine has run at +/- .010”, and is capable of +/-.005” (it’s even run near 0). The saw will leave a minimum drop of 4” per bar, tube or pipe. Kerf allowances remain the same as the traditional saws that AiLiAi has employed.

In time studies prior to the purchase of the saw, Mr. Liu and others saw a 10x improvement in stainless cutting speeds and a 4x improvement in cutting aluminum product. This has translated into best in class pricing for production cutting. Niu Yan, branch manager from Beijing, can attest to this personally. “We recently secured a job that we had quoted previously using our traditional cutting costs.” The project for his customer in the Beijing area required 10,000 pcs. of 3” square aluminum bar cut to 5” in length. Bai Zhanbing, cutting specialist in Songjiang operations, was able to stack the material, effectively increasing throughput and reducing the lead time and price to the customer substantially. The yield of usable cuts also improved – AiLiAi has already delivered the first release of 5000 pieces; the balance ships 30-45 days after.

“This saw is the top of the class in the industry and is a huge competitive advantage for AiLiAi.” says Mr. Liu. In addition, in a stable to sliding commodity market, adding value can be a vital key to bottom line improvement. It’s a game changer for AiLiAi and an opportunity to compete for business that may have otherwise eluded us.