Sawing and storage innovations at this year's EMO

Storage technology
For many years, Kasto has been supplying its storage and retrieval systems for long stock and sheet with optional energy recovery, whereby surplus kinetic energy, such as that produced in braking or lowering of lifting gear, is converted into electricity and fed back into the grid.

Now the company can optionally supply its automated storage systems with an integrated energy storage unit that permits flexible use of the recovered power. It will be demonstrated on a KASTOunitower at EMO.

The solution, which can be retrofitted to existing installations, not only reduces energy costs but also improves the quality of the supply because power is continuously drawn and load peaks are avoided. Operators can often use smaller transformer stations, reducing investment costs.

Bandsawing technology
During 2016, the KASTOmicut swing-frame bandsaw range was introduced for workshops. A fully automatic version is now available, model A 2.6, which will be on show for the first time at EMO. Compared to the manual and semi-automatic variants, it features additional functions including monitoring of saw blade tension, carbide blade guides and an optional chip conveyor for virtually unattended operation.

All of the workshop machines are designed for high accuracy sawing to length of tubes, sections and solid materials as well as mitre cutting. The range extends to 260mm capacity for round stock, 310x260mm for flat. Mitre cuts are from -45 to 60° and the angle is continuously adjustable, as is the band speed, which can be set from 20-110m/min.

A torsionally rigid, vibration-damped, cast iron frame ensures excellent cutting quality, even when processing difficult-to-machine materials.

In the KASTOwin pro AC 5.6, the company will present a high-performance bandsaw offering short cutting times, long tool life and intuitive operation. The automatic machine is optimised for use with bimetal and carbide blades. Depending on the type of blade, processing times can be more than halved. Cutting range is 560mm and the smallest dimension that can be cut is 25x25mm. The shortest residual length is 10mm for individual cuts and 35mm for automatic operation, enabling operators to minimise waste.