New at MACH from the German metal-sawing and storage equipment manufacturer Kasto (www.kasto.com), which has a UK subsidiary in Milton Keynes, was the KastoWin pro AC 5.6 — an economically priced bandsaw that has been optimised to “extract the best-possible performance from either a tungsten carbide tipped (TCT) blade or a bi-metal blade”.

Compared with standard KastoWin machines, this bandsaw can increase production efficiency by 50-100% — and more in some instances, depending on the type of blade and the material being cut.

The saw band is driven by an 11kW frequency-controlled motor that delivers steplessly variable cutting speeds from 12 to 150m/min; the maximum size of stock that can be cut is 560mm, and the smallest is 25 x 25mm.

The shortest residual length is 10mm for individual offcuts and 35mm in automatic operation. Helping to dampen vibration are guides mounted at the return side of the blade; these ensure accurate sawing and prolong blade life.

There is a retraction unit for separating the blade from the material to protect the cut surface when the saw head moves back. This unit also helps to minimise blade wear.

Another Kasto bandsaw to make a first appearance at a MACH show was a representative model from the company’s latest range of swing-frame pivoting-bow bandsaws for workshops — the KastoMicut.

This is designed for high-accuracy cutting to length and the mitre cutting of tubes, sections and solid materials. Four model variants are available: manual (P 2.6); manual clamping with hydraulic down-feed (E 2.6); hydraulically actuated clamping and down-feed (U 2.6); and fully automatic (A 2.6) with ballscrew-driven material feed, carbide blade guides and an optional chip conveyor.

A torsionally rigid vibration-damped cast-iron frame provides support for the saw blade, ensuring high-quality cutting quality, even in difficult-to-cut materials.

KastoMicut saws have a cutting range of 260mm for rounds and 310 x 260mm for flat stock.

The cutting accuracy is 0.1mm per 100mm, with mitre cutting from -45 to +60deg.

Also new at MACH was the Ecostore, an energy-efficient storage tower designed to provide a compact standardised solution for the automated storage and retrieval of material.

It is available in two variants: the first is for holding sheet materials, while the second is for storing bar and other stock up to 6.5m long.