MEBA success stories

Are you working in the metal or steel industry and wondering how metal sawing machines can take your production to a new level in terms of quality and productivity,
regardless of whether you are a small or large company?

In our latest blog post, we highlight success stories from the field and take you on a short journey through the world of MEBA saws. We will show you how different metal bandsaws, whether mitre bandsaws or double mitre bandsaws, can be integrated into overall concepts. This results in tailor-made sawing solutions for small companies as well as automated sawing systems for series production or digitalized sawing technology for large companies. You will also learn first-hand about the benefits of efficient sawing solutions for metal construction. Because we report on real customer experiences with MEBA sawing systems.

Last but not least, in addition to the machine and the perfectly fitting saw concept, expert advice on the right saw bands for a metal band saw is also important. Here, too, we have exciting results from tests with MEBA saws in use. Let us inspire you and discover how you too can benefit from these advanced sawing solutions.

The current market environment demands a high degree of efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all companies, whether small or large-scale industry. So it is not enough to have a top band saw. You need intelligent solutions around the saw. The trend has therefore long been moving away from individual saws and towards intelligent overall concepts: top modern band saws for metal are at the heart of this. These are embedded in systems for automation, material handling, measuring stops, additive manufacturing or even IT solutions such as an intelligent control system for a high degree of networking and efficient processes from start to finish. Of course, MEBA does not implement these systems alone, but has strong solution partners in its network. This is how the return on investment in sawing technology is achieved in the first step. In the next step, the overall concepts make a fundamental contribution to the efficiency and success of MEBA customers.

Sawing machines for the steel industry as an overall concept:

High productivity and process reliability thanks to smart technology

A steel center in Dornbirn, Austria, offers one of the best-stocked warehouses for steel and metal in Central Europe with 10,000 items in 100 different qualities. As a “single source partner”, the company supplies major customers. The Managing Director’s brief was: “As part of a replacement investment, we were looking for a sawing system for the commercial steel sector – mainly beams, hollow sections and tubes. Our aim is to achieve perfect saw cuts and smooth processing for our customers. To achieve this, we need a sawing concept with high productivity and flexibility that also supports our digital order processing.” In collaboration with MEBA, a customized system concept was developed, the heart of which is the MEBAsteel 1100 DGA-3300 double miter saw. The system is optimally positioned to utilize the capacities of the overhead crane and enables workpieces of up to 18 meters to be cut to length. The high productivity is supported by driven roller conveyors and an automatic bridging roller conveyor, which ensures safe cut-off removal.

A central element of the overall system is the digital connection, which enables automated order processing via the company’s internal outsourcing system and automated order processing via an e-commerce connection. The WEB-capable control of the MEBAsteel system integrates seamlessly into the existing data infrastructure and offers functions such as the creation and import of sawing programs. The patented double mitre technology enables mitres on both sides and contributes to efficiency. In addition, the integrated central lubrication system reduces wear and maintenance costs. Overall, the MEBAsteel system significantly increases the productivity, cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency of the steel center. The tailor-made system concept offers optimum capacity utilization, extremely high process reliability thanks to digitalization and energy efficiency thanks to electrical systems.

Efficient sawing solutions for metal construction:

3 generations of MEBAmat under one roof

A metal construction company from Heroldstadt in the Swabian Alb has three MEBA saws in use and recently expanded its MEBAmat 330 straight-cutting machine to include automation with a robot. Together with the existing MEBAmat 407A and MEBAmat 434 models, the company now uses three generations of the carbide-compatible machines, which are designed for efficient use in industry and the steel trade.

The MEBAmat 330, just like the other models in the MEBAmat family, is characterized by its ability to effortlessly cut solid or difficult-to-cut materials and offers technical features that increase productivity, quality and user-friendliness. An employee of the company emphasizes the reliability and ease of use of the 330 model, which includes a material database that facilitates the selection of cutting values. The machine offers a search function for materials and automatically recommends the right saw blade.

Material dimensions can also be transferred and the 0-point saved. Laser-monitored height detection and material width detection with collision detection are optionally available, making the sawing process safer.

The MEBAmat 330 is fully bus-networked. A fast Ether-Cat bus system enables communication between drives, controllers and controls. All important components are monitored – restrictions or faults are detected at an early stage. This clever technology results in high system availability, which in turn boosts the efficiency of the MEBAmat and ensures precise sawing results. The efficiency factor is of course also of fundamental importance for the metal construction company.

The company processes many expensive materials, such as titanium, and is therefore very pleased that the MEBA saws, especially the latest MEBAmat, leave very short offcuts. As a result, there are few losses due to waste or saw cuttings. The company is also very satisfied with the quality and reliability of the MEBAmat saws in daily use. Thanks to the fact that all of MEBA’s straight-cutting machines run excellently, the supplier says it can react flexibly to current order situations. The MEBAmat easily handles the sawing tasks at night in two-shift or even unmanned three-shift operation. For large orders with short sawing sections, the machine runs around the clock.

Automation in sawing technology:

Robot colleague provides additional help and compensates for the shortage of skilled workers

Quickly and thoroughly cleaning sawn metal parts and depositing them in the correct position: these are the kinds of tasks performed by the robot colleague at the manufacturer of bar-turned parts. The expansion of the MEBAmat 330 to include the MEBArobots system was an additional, important step towards becoming even more productive. Good skilled workers are very valuable. Robots offer the possibility of freeing these valuable employees from monotonous and physically demanding work and assigning them other tasks instead. This includes loading, unloading, cleaning and other tasks downstream of sawing.

The company reports that employees can be deployed much more flexibly thanks to the robot. There were also frequent stops in the production line during cleaning. Since the robot has been carrying out the tasks, this happens much less frequently. The MEBA robot works around the clock and always delivers the same high level of work. The robot has often processed the parts unmanned overnight on the band saw for metal so that work can continue straight away in the morning. MEBArobots contain know-how specifically geared towards sawing applications. Not just any robot is connected to a saw. With the robot manufacturer Nachi and MEBA, two professionals are working together to ensure that robots and saws communicate smoothly with each other. The user receives an integrated, customer-specific system solution from a single source. The company from Heroldstadt also worked together during the planning phase to determine what exactly the robot should do and how it should support the further processing of the parts.

The managing director of the company is satisfied: The combination of the MEBAmat 330 straight-cutting machine and robot has increased productivity in our production.” The time required to insert the parts into the machines and the automatic processes lead to significant time savings in the company. “The integration and operation of MEBArobots in combination with the saw is very simple and can be done almost intuitively,” says the company boss. MEBA is committed to offering benefit-oriented saws for industry and trade. When developing robots, the metal band saw manufacturer was also guided by the premise of finding an easy entry into automation for any size of business.

Industrial sawing systems for series production:

Economical sawing thanks to intelligent double miter technology

A steel construction company from Eislingen has expanded its machine park with the MEBAsteel 1250 DG, a band sawing machine with innovative double mitre technology. The company processes around 7,000 tons of steel per year for various industries in multi-shift operation, including industrial and trade fair construction. The MEBAsteel 1250 DG enables the precise sawing of a wide variety of materials and cross-sections, whereby miters of up to 60° on both sides can be easily set. This leads to considerable advantages, as the material does not have to be rotated, which shortens sawing and set-up times. The production manager emphasizes that the machine is versatile and that MEBA’s DGA technology has proven its worth. He also emphasizes the quality of the saws: “MEBA saws are very high quality. The accuracy that the saw provides in the miter and in the length gives us advantages. This makes it easy for the fitter to assemble the part later. He has no reworking to do. This is exactly where the quality of the saw makes itself felt.”

The design of the saw ensures smooth material transport and high resistance to faults. In addition, the MEBAsteel 1250 DG is equipped with a powerful, energy-efficient saw drive that guarantees a high cutting performance. One particularly important aspect is the ease of operation of the MEBA saws. One employee reports that the machines are intuitive to understand, which enables new employees to be trained quickly. This is particularly advantageous in times of a shortage of skilled workers, as changing machine operators can be easily trained.

The user-friendly control system with touchscreen and self-explanatory symbols makes operation even easier. MEBA specializes in offering tailor-made solutions that meet customers’ individual requirements. This can also be seen in the development of a special measuring stop in collaboration with the steel fabricator, which makes it possible to saw longer parts than the roller conveyor is long. The production manager is impressed by the quality of the MEBA saws and the company’s fast response time in the event of problems. Overall, the integration of the MEBAsteel 1250 DG has significantly increased efficiency and flexibility in the company’s production.

Case studies MEBA:

Double cutting times with the right band saw blades

Industry specialist MEBA offers a customized band saw blade check to increase the quality, productivity and effectiveness of metal band sawing machines. Customers can send in their material and a MEBA band saw blade expert will determine the right band saw blade for their specific requirements, regardless of whether it is a small metal band saw or sawing systems for small and medium-sized companies or machines that are integrated into sawing technology for large companies. In one case, a contract sawing company found that the cutting performance and service life of the band saw blade used were inadequate. After intensive testing, the expert recommended the MEBA H2 saw blade, which has a special clamping angle and a wear-resistant cutting material. Although the price is higher, the use of this band saw blade leads to a significant increase in efficiency: the cutting time was halved from 7 minutes to around 3.2 minutes, and the material surface improved considerably.

The tests included various cutting parameters and showed that the adjustment of the saw frame feed and the correct amount of coolant are decisive for the sawing result. The customer was very satisfied with the results and was able to successfully saw a large amount of steel in a short time. An important feedback was that the quality of the cut depended directly on the correct emulsion mixture. In summary, it can be said that the choice of the right band saw blade and the optimal adjustment to the machine and the material are decisive for the economic efficiency of sawing. MEBA customers benefit from the expert’s detailed analysis and recommendations, which in some cases has been proven to double cutting performance and significantly increase service life. High-quality blanks are the result, which can be processed more easily, underlining the importance of sawing as the first step in the production chain.

Conclusion:

There are many more customer reports on sawing technology that could be highlighted. The fact is: regardless of whether you are a small or large company, whether it is a single cut or series production, the metal band saw comparison is worthwhile and much more: investments in customized sawing concepts with top band saws at their heart are worthwhile. Whether it’s saws for metalworking stores, technology solutions for metalworking, customer-specific sawing systems for mechanical engineering or many other areas of application, the first step in the value creation and production chain is too fundamental for all subsequent manufacturing processes to simply buy any metal band saws without considering the possibilities and advantages of individually developed complete systems with digitalization, automation and connections to material transport systems.