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Applications: Carbide circular cold saw brings turbulator production back in-house

Situation

Turbulator Co., located in Oklahoma City, Okla., makes turbulators for the cementing phase of the oil well drilling process. To produce these metal cylinders with blades welded to the outer surface, the company makes about 700,000 high-tolerance, precision cuts per year.

“With the volume we’re doing, we have to maintain a throughput rate that can make your head spin,” explained Jackie McHenry, president. “Finding metal cutting saws that can handle the load has been a challenge.

Until recently the company was using two automated band saws to process all the cutting jobs, but it often had to farm out work to job shops to keep up with production demands. As customer delivery schedules grew tighter and more new orders were entered, McHenry decided that approach wasn’t enough to remain competitive while maintaining or improving quality.

“We absolutely needed the saw to be able to perform high-speed, precision cutting with minimal operator monitoring on a near 24/7 basis."

Resolution

The company acquired a Behringer Eisele HCS 160 carbide circular cold saw for high-speed cutting of metal barstock. The fully automatic saw is designed for cutting high-alloy, heat-resistant steels.

Configured for workpiece diameters up to 160 mm, the saw delivers speeds of 20 to 250 RPM to accommodate wet and dry sawing applications. Its rigid frame helps dampen vibrations, and a new blade guide features a blade vibration absorber design.

This saw uses multifluid cooling technology to prevent heat transfer to product during mass cutting applications. Its flood coolant system enables rapid cutting over long periods of time with few interruptions. Operators don’t need to keep checking the work for heat buildup, so unattended operation is increased. Additionally, the saw has a vortex air blowing system to help improve cutting temperature control and to ensure material stays free of liquid when required.

The single saw has replaced the original two band saws, and the company no longer relies on outside machine shops for cutting.

“The saw helped us shorten our supply chain," said McHenry, “and in the oil drilling business, that is an important step toward being successful."