Safety is much better on upcut saws
Luna Up Cut machines use an interlocking safety circuit to prevent the raising of the blade if any of the safety devices are not engaged. This allows greater confidence for the operator and a much safer working environment compared with drop saw machines.
Part of the safety interlock is a two hand push button system that occupies the operators hands during the cutting cycle. If either hand is removed the blade will immediately return to its home position below the table.
The sheet metal safety hoods must be lowered for cutting to take place. However, it is at the discretion of the operator to raise the hood between cuts thus allowing for fast and efficient workflow.
Clamping is also required before any cuts can take place. Two vertical clamps and one or two (depending on model) horizontal clamps can be engaged by the operator before cutting. The clamping system allows the clamps to move very close to the blade allow for small off cut pieces to be clamped. This is a key feature the Up Cut saw has over the Drop Saws. Clamping offcuts on drop saws is nearly impossible. Unclamped material is the number one cause of accidents and mechanical failure on aluminium saws.
Better cut finish
The quality of cut can be better on Up cut saws v Drop Saw due to the design and strength of the Up Cut Saw. Drop saws pivot or “swing” from a single pin usually located on top of the rotating platter. This design allows for excessive linear movement parallel to the table. You can feel this in almost any drop saw, grab the handle and push it side to side.
Luna Up Cut Machines do not use the pivot pin. Instead they employ two ground linear rods for the whole motor, spindle and blade assembly to slide up and down on. This system totally eliminates the movement commonly associated with drop saws. This keeps the whole blade assembly rigid during the cutting action.
Blade feed during the cut is regulated by a Hydro-Pneumatic Feed System (air over oil) that allows for very smooth and stable cutting. This feed is easily adjustable by the operator via a simple control valve on the operating console. No manual intervention by the operator is required.
The advantages of these features are many. Most notable are the reduced back cutting during the retraction of the blade and increase in blade life. Blade life is very subjective to measure but we see a general improvement of 30-50% longer running times compared to drop saws that the customers have replaced.
Higher accuracy
As a by product of the extra strength and rigidity on the Up Cut Saws, accuracy is also improved. Having a mechanical raising of the saw blade has huge benefits as it keeps the feed rate of the blade consistent. This allows for the machine and blade to cut the aluminium in a uniform manner thus leading to repeatable and accurate cuts. Burrs should be non existent and cut faces should be bright and mirror like.
Higher reliability
Over the decades it is clear that the Up Cut Saws are more reliable and a lot less prone to breakdowns due to either component failure or operator error.
Drop Saws have high rate of damage due to the advanced levels of skill required by experienced operators to get the best out of the machine. Up Cut Saw operators tend not to require the same level of experience due to the safety systems in place. It is simply impossible to get into some of the more dangerous situation a Drop Saw can accommodate.
The inherent design of the Up Cut Saw eliminates the need for a “blade guard” as the machine itself houses the blade below the table. This reduces the amount of mechanical components that can be damaged.
Maintenance on an Up Cut saw is as simple as keeping the machine clean and lubricating moving components on a regular basis.
Better clamping
Refer to Safety section
Larger cutting sizes
Blade diameters exceeding 400mm are not practical on a Drop Saw due to the inertia created but the blade. It becomes a dangerous and difficult machine to use. This is where the Up Cut Saw design can be useful. Machines range from 420mm to 700mm in diameter and allow for cutting of extremely large profiles even at angles.
Any of the Up Cut Saws are capable of cutting any aluminium from the lightest extruded profile up to solid billets. There is huge misconception that Up Cut Saws are only good for heavy cutting. They are just as capable with light profiles too. Due to the rigid design and excellent clamping cutting light profiles is actually better and safer on an Up Cut Saw compared to a Drop Saw.
Wider range of angles
Because the blade, spindle, motor and associated hardware are located below the rotating table, Up Cut Saws have a larger range of angle. Most Drop Saws are limited to +/- 45º but the Luna Up Cut Saws have a rotating range of +/- 75º left and right. Having this range gives the Up Cut Saw huge versatility and a big advantage over Drop Saws. Any workshop would benefit from this feature alone.
MORE POWERFUL Because of the Hydro-Pneumatic blade feed system the machines have the ability to cut through material with more force. Most Luna Up Cut Saws are fitted with 3KW motors as standard with options of up to 7KW on some models. This extra power allows for smoother cuts of all aluminium profiles and solid billets.
To see our range of Luna Upcut Saws please click here or contact us on 1300 736 556.