In fact, there is a world of difference to a first class saw from Holzma, the German engineering company, part of the Homag Group of companies, that has carved itself a position as the world leader in beam saw technology.
For the engineers at Holzma, it’s not just about designing an efficient saw. Their remit is to create solutions that are guaranteed to make daily manufacturing quicker, easier and more efficient. Their goal is to improve product quality, prevent errors and increase both flexibility and output.
Bespoke products at mass-produced prices
The demand for low volume, one-off designs and bespoke manufacturing at competitive prices continues to be the dominant theme in manufacturing. These small production levels often require a wide variety of sensitive materials that need to be processed with extra care.
It used to be that such bespoke products commanded high ticket prices, but with the introduction of computerised manufacturing machinery those days are long behind us. Now, consumers want quicker production times and lower costs, all of which means manufacturers have an increasing need for technologically advanced machinery that can quickly and easily adapt to customers’ specific requirements.
Saws that meet specific needs
Producing beam saws that deliver new standards of machine versatility is ‘bread and butter’ for Holzma. The company has a policy of continuous improvement, innovating, revamping, streamlining and simplifying its range of products all the time. Its offering for the UK market is very straightforward: Series 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Series 2 – entry level
The Series 2 saws are designed and developed with the needs and wants of what the Homag Group refers to as, ‘Practive’ customers – those entry level manufacturers with a real need for simple features, quality and efficiency at a very competitive price.
The HPP 230 and 250 saws are extremely compact with plenty of power and functionality. In its standard form, the HPP 230 is Holzma’s smallest beam saw, but it is a lot of machine for little money, with its speed delivering shorter cutting cycles for improved productivity. The range of optional extras includes additional clamps, more power for the main saw, high precision laser alignment, trim stops for special materials, a label printer and stress-release cut option.
The HPP 250 is the flagship of the 2 Series and the ideal choice for fast cutting of smaller batches and books. With a rack and pinion saw carriage drive for greater precision and flexible pressure regulation clamps and pressure beam, the Holzma HPP 250 is a fast, versatile beam saw. Options over and above the HPP 230 include a rising scoring saw unit, a movable air table, a manual angle cut device and the Easy2Feed automatic feeding option.
Series 3 – mid-sized producers
For the mid-sized producer, Holzma has created its most popular range, the hugely successful 3 Series. These are technically advanced machines that have set the standard for beam saws worldwide.
The HPP 300 is the base model in the 3 Series, but its specification is anything but base. It is a compact and powerful saw featuring an 80mm saw blade projection, an exceptionally smooth running saw carriage and low energy consumption.
Optional extras include ascending and vertical post-forming packages, pneumatic trim stops, manual angle cuts, high precision laser guide beam, kerfing, a label printer, a stress-release cut option and Cut Rite optimisation software packages.
More recently, an Easy2Feed option has been developed which offers automatic feeding at a budget price and can be retro-fitted to both the HPP 300 and 250 models. The core element of Easy2Feed is a compact scissor lift table which is perfect for loading with a forklift truck.
The 3 Series HPL 300 model offers an integrated lift table for automatic feeding to speed up production and boost throughput. At the top of the Holzma 3 Series range is the HKL 300 angular system which cuts entire books of panels as accurately as it does single panels.
The HKL offers an optional waste flap which opens and closes in perfect co-ordination with the operating cycle of the system removing waste cuttings from the rip saw. It also has a transfer to crosscut saw option.
Completing the 3 Series offering is the HKL 300 combiLine. This breakthrough machine enables cutting and routing on a Holzma angular saw delivering many benefits. Flexible and highly cost efficient, it virtually eliminates extra work steps for recuts, resulting in a fully automated cut-to-size operation for batch size 1 customers at very high speed.
Series 4 – volume manufacturing
For volume manufacturers, Holzma has developed the 4 Series beam saws. These workhorses are at the cutting edge of technology and are capable of processing large volumes with high precision, day in, day out. The HKL 400 angular system offers fully automatic cutting with the latest technology. It copes effortlessly with large books of panels, all at very high speed, cutting larger quantities fast.
The HKL 400 is extremely productive thanks to automatic feeding and 110 or 125mm saw blade projection. It can cut lengths of up to 5600mm and is available as a profiLine version, with Power Concept as an option.
Series 5 – industrial level
The Holzma HKL 530 is the smallest angular system of the 5 series. The word ‘small’ seems rather out of context for the HKL 530 – this 5 series angular system has a cutting length of up to 5600mm and is a top class saw. Designed for industrial, multi-shift operation, it also offers an interesting solution for production in larger medium-sized establishments.
The saw body is made of Sorb Tech® mineral casting, making it very robust.
The saw is truly accurate and very powerful. It features a 130mm saw blade projection and the saw blade positioning is via a ball-screw spindle.
The HKL 550 and 570 models offer a saw blade projection of 150 and 170mm respectively. They have a cutting length of up to 5600mm and boast all the technological advantages of the 5 Series, such as the stable Sorb Tech® mineral casting saw body and the saw carriage that was designed especially for these models. The HKL 570 is the ideal model for integration into automated production lines.
ecoLine, Store and Saw, and much more…
Energy, time, materials and personnel are very precious and expensive resources. It makes sense, therefore, to use the most efficient production processes possible. Money can be saved even when panel sizing with a saw.
Compared with present panel-sizing saws, models with Holzma ecoLine technologies save up to 20% more energy. On top of this, there are other resource-saving effects which allow an increase in productivity and protects the environment at the same time. This delivers a sustainable economic operation with win-win potential.
One of the most important and, at the same time, most expensive resources is personnel, so it is vital to deploy each employee as efficiently as possible. ‘Store and Saw’, a collaboration between Bargstedt and Holzma, will help achieve this.
‘Store and Saw’ is an automated intelligent storage system that allows users to store panels efficiently, control stock, feed the saw on time, transport sensitive materials gently and later de-stack everything in an orderly manner or send it straight on to the next processing station. This means saving time and reducing unit costs whilst remaining in total control of the stock and the production processes.
To minimise control complexity and maximise productivity, the Homag Group has developed a host of software products including the latest edition of Cut Rite (version 9), the ideal optimisation package for Holzma saws, and CADmatic, Holzma’s proprietary machine control software.
With 3-D real-time moving graphics and online diagnostics, it is intuitive and easy to understand. CADmatic allows even inexperienced employees to master it quickly. Whether grooving, rabbeting or cutting to length, the ‘Manual Production List’ module allows users to control all the functions at the panel saw using just one input screen.
