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END USER: The M.K. Morse Co., (800) 733-3377, www.mkmorse.com. CHALLENGE: Eliminate dirt and debris from machine coolant when grinding cermet-tipped saw blades. SOLUTION: Filtration system capable of removing particles to 1μm. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Transor Filter USA, (800) 354-3040, www.transorfilter.com
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After more than 45 years in business, The M.K. Morse Co. is a stalwart presence in the field of manufacturing saw blades and power tool accessories. While serving the industrial, construction and welding markets, the Canton, Ohio, firm has introduced a range of sawing products, including bimetal and carbon bandsaw blades and specially engineered carbide-tipped blades.
With every new addition to its product line and services, M.K. Morse has had to negotiate new challenges and find new ways of doing things. One recent example is the company’s introduction of its Revolution thin-kerf, 360mm cermet-tipped saw blade for high-volume cutting of ferrous and nonferrous metals.
Courtesy of Transor Filter USA
The Transor unit provides 1μm filtered oil to this Vollmer grinding machine as it as it produces a M.K. Morse Revolution thin-kerf, cermet tipped circular saw blade.
Compared to the company’s other circular and bandsaw blades, the cermet-tipped products are more intricate and demand greater accuracy, said Ed Galosi, product engineering manager for M.K. Morse. “If you’re talking about a carbide-tipped blade for wood, the tolerances can be easily in the thousandths of an inch, maybe even up to 0.010 ". In a metalcutting, carbide-tipped blade, maybe 0.004 " or 0.006 "; but as we move into cermets, the tolerances could be 0.002 " or less in all dimensions.”
For the production equipment to make the cermet blades, M.K. Morse partnered with grinding machine builder Vollmer of American Corp., Carnegie, Pa. M.K. Morse produces the cermet-tip blades in cells consisting of various configurations of a Vollmer CHD270, which grinds tooth tops and faces; a CHF270, for grinding sides; and a ND270 robotic unit, which enables unattended loading.
Considering the demands of the application, Vollmer representatives emphasized the need for optimal coolant filtration and suggested that all the machines be connected to a Transor filter system, which is capable of filtering particles in coolant to 1μm.
“Coolant cleanliness if often overlooked, but is very important in grinding hard materials, such as carbide and cermet,” Galosi said. Dirty coolant, he added, interferes with the grinding wheels’ cutting and can lead to poor surface finish and overheating of the carbide or cermet tip, which can cause microcracking of the tip and premature tool failure.
Quality coolant filtration is also essential to hold tight tolerances. “When you’re not cutting the cermet (due to the presence of dirt and debris), you’re pushing and rubbing it and that, in turn, causes the blade to deflect and the tolerance won’t hold up to what you want,” Galosi said.
A chiller to monitor and maintain a consistent temperature ensures thermal stability.
In addition to incorporating a chiller to monitor and maintain a consistent temperature, the Transor system is also capable of self-cleaning. Irv Kaage, president of the Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Transor Filter USA, explained: “Obviously, the finer you go in terms of filtration—as in the case of filtering to 1μm vs. 10μm—the more frequently you have to replace the filter cartridge. But the Transor system incorporates a feature called edge filtration. Instead of having to replace the filter elements, edge filtration cleans them automatically with compressed air every 8 hours.” Thus downtime for changing filter cartridges is eliminated.
And along with the dirt and debris disposal, the Transor system removes carbide from the elements and places them into a cloth bag, according to Kaage. “As there is no filter media contained in the sludge, the resale value of the carbide is higher than other forms of filtration,” he said.
Looking back to the start of the cermet-tipped blade production and how Transor Filter helped his company achieve its goals, Galosi added, “We didn’t want to cut corners on filtration for the sake of sparing a couple of dollars, so we went ahead with [Vollmer’s] recommendation. And it’s proven to be a good choice.”
Related Glossary Terms
- bandsaw
bandsaw
Machine that utilizes an endless band, normally with serrated teeth, for cutoff or contour sawing. See saw, sawing machine.
- cermets
cermets
Cutting tool materials based mostly on titanium carbonitride with nickel and/or cobalt binder. Cermets are characterized by high wear resistance due to their chemical and thermal stability. Cermets are able to hold a sharp edge at high cutting speeds and temperatures, which results in exceptional surface finish when machining most types of steels.
- circular saw
circular saw
Cutoff machine utilizing a circular blade with serrated teeth. See saw, sawing machine.
- coolant
coolant
Fluid that reduces temperature buildup at the tool/workpiece interface during machining. Normally takes the form of a liquid such as soluble or chemical mixtures (semisynthetic, synthetic) but can be pressurized air or other gas. Because of water’s ability to absorb great quantities of heat, it is widely used as a coolant and vehicle for various cutting compounds, with the water-to-compound ratio varying with the machining task. See cutting fluid; semisynthetic cutting fluid; soluble-oil cutting fluid; synthetic cutting fluid.
- grinding
grinding
Machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece by a powered abrasive wheel, stone, belt, paste, sheet, compound, slurry, etc. Takes various forms: surface grinding (creates flat and/or squared surfaces); cylindrical grinding (for external cylindrical and tapered shapes, fillets, undercuts, etc.); centerless grinding; chamfering; thread and form grinding; tool and cutter grinding; offhand grinding; lapping and polishing (grinding with extremely fine grits to create ultrasmooth surfaces); honing; and disc grinding.
- grinding machine
grinding machine
Powers a grinding wheel or other abrasive tool for the purpose of removing metal and finishing workpieces to close tolerances. Provides smooth, square, parallel and accurate workpiece surfaces. When ultrasmooth surfaces and finishes on the order of microns are required, lapping and honing machines (precision grinders that run abrasives with extremely fine, uniform grits) are used. In its “finishing” role, the grinder is perhaps the most widely used machine tool. Various styles are available: bench and pedestal grinders for sharpening lathe bits and drills; surface grinders for producing square, parallel, smooth and accurate parts; cylindrical and centerless grinders; center-hole grinders; form grinders; facemill and endmill grinders; gear-cutting grinders; jig grinders; abrasive belt (backstand, swing-frame, belt-roll) grinders; tool and cutter grinders for sharpening and resharpening cutting tools; carbide grinders; hand-held die grinders; and abrasive cutoff saws.
- metalcutting ( material cutting)
metalcutting ( material cutting)
Any machining process used to part metal or other material or give a workpiece a new configuration. Conventionally applies to machining operations in which a cutting tool mechanically removes material in the form of chips; applies to any process in which metal or material is removed to create new shapes. See metalforming.
- sawing
sawing
Machining operation in which a powered machine, usually equipped with a blade having milled or ground teeth, is used to part material (cutoff) or give it a new shape (contour bandsawing, band machining). Four basic types of sawing operations are: hacksawing (power or manual operation in which the blade moves back and forth through the work, cutting on one of the strokes); cold or circular sawing (a rotating, circular, toothed blade parts the material much as a workshop table saw or radial-arm saw cuts wood); bandsawing (a flexible, toothed blade rides on wheels under tension and is guided through the work); and abrasive sawing (abrasive points attached to a fiber or metal backing part stock, could be considered a grinding operation).
- sawing machine ( saw)
sawing machine ( saw)
Machine designed to use a serrated-tooth blade to cut metal or other material. Comes in a wide variety of styles but takes one of four basic forms: hacksaw (a simple, rugged machine that uses a reciprocating motion to part metal or other material); cold or circular saw (powers a circular blade that cuts structural materials); bandsaw (runs an endless band; the two basic types are cutoff and contour band machines, which cut intricate contours and shapes); and abrasive cutoff saw (similar in appearance to the cold saw, but uses an abrasive disc that rotates at high speeds rather than a blade with serrated teeth).
- tolerance
tolerance
Minimum and maximum amount a workpiece dimension is allowed to vary from a set standard and still be acceptable.
