The L.S. Starrett Company has recently launched a mobile version of its popular PowerCalc band saw selection tool, developed to help with the selection of the correct band saw blade for any specific metal cutting application, and also provide guidance on the correct blade size for a huge range of popular band saw machines. Free to download and use from the Starrett website, the original PowerCalc software is easy to install and runs on any Windows-based computer device. Now, the free PowerCalc app has been developed to work on mobile device technology, including handsets running Apple, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry operating systems.
Starrett Technical Support Team Leader, Graham Munro, explains that whichever version of PowerCalc is used the data required by the software is straightforward and very user friendly. “It requires the composition of the material to be cut to determine the hardness. From a simple table the shape and size of the raw material to be cut is selected and the details regarding any bundling are input, along with the band saw machine being used and if it is a cooled cut or not. This allows the software to determine the optimum blade type that should be used as well as the blade dimensions,” he says.
As well as the Starrett band saw blade, the software will also display the recommended operating information relating to the number of break-in cuts, cooling recommendations, and cutting time and speeds under both break-in and normal conditions.
Graham Munro adds: “Starrett produces a wide range of bi-metal and carbide band saw blades that offer exceptional cutting performance and extended blade life. Choosing the right blade for the job and applying the correct blade speed and feed rate are really important factors and will directly influence the performance and life of the blade. The PowerCalc software, used on a desktop PC or mobile device, takes the stress and strain out of blade selection and application cutting data.”
PowerCalc is available as a free download from the Apple App store for iPhone and iPad, Google Play for Android devices, Windows Store and Blackberry World.
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