The drill/saw tandem system has many advantages such as:

• Requires less than half the space of a conventional split system

• Smaller capital investment

• Single operator

• The drill operator no longer waits for the saw operator or vice versa

Some fabricators point to the fact that in a traditional tandem system either the saw or the drill is idle at any point in time.  This is not necessarily the case with the Ficep multi-tasking tandem system. 

In the Ficep Tandem System the drill is positioned first and then followed by the position of the saw.  This orientation, in conjunction with the Ficep multi tasking software, permits the simultaneous drilling of the second piece while the trailing end cut on the first part is in process.  The section in the saw and the section in the drill can be completely different as the Ficep software essentially is processing two different programs simultaneously as part of its multi tasking capability.

The approach of Ficep with all six of their drill saw models is combining a saw in tandem with a drill to engineer a total integrated solution rather than placing a free-standing saw next to the drill.  This approach permits the tandem system to function as truly one CNC work center rather than two machines that sit side-by-side but do not perform as one fully automatic CNC work center. 

In engineering an integrated drill/saw tandem system, the drill and the saw share common electrics, hydraulics and software.  This approach eliminates the requirement to wait for the operator to decide when he wants to activate the saw, when the saw cycle is finished and it is time to recommence drilling, etc.

This design makes the saw truly a CNC controlled element in all its functions and eliminates the time lost for the operator to make decisions when it is time to recommence the CNC program.  Some of the unique features of the Ficep drill/saw tandem system can be summarized as follows:

CNC Controlled Blade Feed
The actual advancing and retracting of the blade during the sawing cycle is a CNC controlled axis in the Ficep system.  Since the software knows the size of the section that is to be processed, the blade is rapidly advanced to a position just above the height of the section.  From this point the blade is fed through the material based upon the cross section that is being cut at that moment.  This approach makes sure that the chip load is ideal and the cutting process is proceeding at maximum efficiency.

As the blade is about to contact the top surface of the web, the feed rate is reduced to compensate for the increase in the material cross section that is being processed.  As the blade exits the web, the feed rate is increased again as the cross sectional area is reduced.

Once the blade has completed the cut, the blade rapidly advances to a point where the entire blade is below the material pass line.  At this point in time the space between the remaining stock length and the cut part is automatically increased to approximately 1/2" to make sure that when the blade is rapidly withdrawn from the cut, there is no possible binding on either side of the blade.

This is accomplished automatically with software and without the requirement of any sensors or probes to become damaged by incoming material!
 

Elimination of Blade Pinching
Typically, band saws that are designed to process structural steel include a canting of the blade at a slight angle to reduce the cross sectional area that must be cut as the blade advances through the web of the section.  Band saw manufacturers can discuss and differ over what is the ideal blade angle, but the fact is the ideal angle can only be determined based upon a specific structural steel section. 

Since the section depth, web height and the thickness of the web and the flanges change on each section size, the fact is that each different structural steel section has a different ideal blade attack angle.  This canting of the blade is to reduce the cross section that is to be cut and to reduce the potential of the blade binding and actually stalling in the cut.

During the mill rolling process of structural steel there are normal stresses that are contained in the section that are released during the sawing process.  The Ficep CNC saw solution understands this challenge, and when this becomes a factor on deeper beams, the blade feeding action oscillates only during the period when the blade is required to cut through the web.  This oscillation, in conjunction with the set in the blade, opens up this portion of the cut to minimize the potential of the stresses binding the blade in the cut.

Automatic Blade Conditioning
When a new blade is installed, it is normally the responsibility of the operator to reduce the feed rate for some period of time to condition the blade.  This process is to remove any burrs on the sides of the blade that are the result of the blade manufacturing process.  If the operator does not observe this requirement, the blade life can be reduced to less than half its projected life.

The Ficep CNC solution automatically performs the blade break-in function.  The software automatically reduces the blade feed rate to ideal factors during the break-in period.  During this process the software tracks the number of square inches that have been cut during the blade conditioning and starts to increase the blade feed rate to the normal specification at the appropriate moment.

Time to Change the Blade?
The Ficep system takes the guesswork out of determining when it is time to change a blade.  The Ficep proprietary software constantly monitors and tracks the square inches of metal removal that have transpired since the blade was installed and advises the operator when it is time to change the blade.  The guesswork and reliance on the operator to determine when a blade needs to be checked is eliminated.

Control All of the Ficep drill/saw lines feature a PC based CNC control with proprietary software to ideally match the application of the line with the CNC control.  The Ficep approach is not to take a standard CNC control with its generic features for machine tools and adapt it to a structural steel drilling line.  The utilization of a PC based control reduces service cost over the life of the line as an off-the-shelf PC can be used to replace the PC based control of a Ficep line in minutes rather than have to experience the cost and delay of having a service technician perform the troubleshooting and replacement task.

The Ficep PC based control is provided with the proprietary Ficep software that permits remote troubleshooting with a phone connection through a modem.  This software not only permits checking of the software status, etc. but more importantly, the status of the machine and system hardware is checked and monitored.