Fitchburg MA — In 2015, Simonds International embarked on a program to overhaul the production of its thin kerf bandsaw blades at its Fitchburg, Massachusetts plant. “We surveyed customers across North America and using the voice of the customer, we developed goals for the new product,” explained Ray Eluskie, product manager at Simonds International. Since the completion of the project there has been no looking back in terms of consistent quality and improved productivity.
Eluskie’s area of responsibility includes its PreSharp™ thin kerf bandsaw blades, large diameter circle saw blades, bandsaw leveling, and tensioning equipment as well as the company’s full line of industrial knives. He has spent his entire career in the wood industry, starting with Michigan Knife Company in 1988. He has now served over 24 years with Simonds. His well-rounded career has included a variety of roles, including customer service, product management, sales management, product development and process improvement.
‘Clean Slate’ Approach for PreSharp Blades
From the ground up, Simonds undertook a detailed process to identify a new equipment and manufacturing process for its PreSharp narrow bandsaw blades.
The goals of the project were identified as being to improve overall quality and consistency of its bandsaw blades, while also increasing production capacity. Through the two-year process, Simonds evaluated several manufacturing options and developed prototype products to determine the best equipment purchase option. In 2017, the company moved forward with an investment of over $1 million for custom-designed equipment. “It allowed us to develop a clean slate, state of the art production process,” Eluskie said.
“The equipment we chose addressed the desires and concerns of our customers,” he continued. The result was a completely new manufacturing approach involving new machinery at each step in the production process. Simonds selected the latest technology to “tooth” the bands, as well as to set and heat-treat the teeth. The result is a reliably uniform bandsaw blade that allows users to produce a more consistent product.
“The new technology is proving to provide the most consistent sweep and set that we have ever produced,” Eluskie affirmed. A consistent set allows the bandsaw to produce a smoother surface finish. It keeps the saws from deviating in the cut, resulting in a uniform thickness and smoother boards.
The final step of the manufacturing process is the PreSharp operation, a step which is unique according to Simonds International. It involves giving a final face grind to the teeth after the teeth have been set. The grinding squares the face, which allows the bands to hold sawdust in the gullet rather than pushing it out to the boards when cutting wood. According to Simonds, PreSharp delivers a cleaner product, better cutting performance and long run times.
The square face is a distinguishing point compared to conventional blades, which have a twist on the face. That twist pushes saw dust to the sides of the blade, rather than to the center, keeping the dust from spilling during the cut and heating the sawblade – which can cause sawing deviation.
The “Clean slate” approach also provided the opportunity to change the method of identifying its bands. One of the capital investments for the project is for a laser etching system which applies the logo and manufacturing lot number. “This provides traceability of every coil we produce,” Eluskie explained.
Managing the Transition from Old to New Production Operations
The manufacture of the new PreSharp product began in late 2017 and ramped up to full production in the summer of 2018. The original bandsaw operation was phased out in that September. “We now manufacture all products using the new production process,” he said.
As with any product launch, there were challenges. “Even with the best-laid plans, things go awry,” Eluskie reflected. “The original lead times to receive our new capital equipment investments were used to schedule when we would phase out the legacy equipment and ramp up the new improved process.”
As a result of external economic factors, however, those lead time estimates turned out to be overly optimistic. “As the economy started to boom, capital equipment manufacturing times began to increase and pushed our project back by five months,” Eluskie said.
The delays put some strain on supply because Simonds had begun the process of winding down raw material purchases and production associated with the old manufacturing operation. “The delay in receiving our new equipment caused a lapse in production that depleted our inventory to a level that required close scrutiny,” he said. Eluskie had to keep a close eye on order quantities to ensure that inventory was evenly distributed throughout its network until production from the new equipment replenished the pipeline.
With the inventory challenges of the transition now behind it, the new operation offers plenty of elbow room for future growth. According to Eluskie, the plant has the capacity to increase output by 250% above present levels before requiring any further capital investment.
Simonds ships finished PreSharp bandsaw blades from Fitchburg across North America, with some international shipments as well. The majority of its production, however, consists of bulk coils of bandsaw blade material, which are shipped both domestically and globally, an approach that reduces transportation costs as well as finished goods inventory. Strategically located regional distributors weld the finished bandsaws to meet local customer needs.
Simonds International has built its business on supplying customers in the wood industry with quality products, product expertise and offering a diversified product line. Simonds says it offers the widest breadth of products in the industry, representing the most manufactured brands available from one supplier. Because of the range of its filing room equipment, including Armstrong brand, Simonds is a recognized leader in filing rooms across North America.
Its regional warehouses provide an inventory of product solutions located near the customers’ needs and backed up by the largest combined sales team in the industry. The sales team provides excellent customer service as well as the technical expertise to provide solutions for a wide variety of problems.
Customers can order PreSharp blades from local stocking distributors. To find the nearest distributor to you, contact Simonds at 800-426-6226 or send an email to contactus@simondsint.com. Typical lead time is less than one week in most cases. Simply supply the blade specifications (length, width, thickness and tooth space) and the company’s stocking distributors will weld the band to your exact length.
Troubleshooting Tips for Blades
Did you know?…
Some common reasons for saws overheating are:
• Excessive feed speed
• Variability in wood – species changes
• Saw guides set too tight
• Insufficient side clearance
• Uneven side clearance
Did you know?…
Some common reasons why a saw snakes in cut:
• Hold downs not set properly
• Excessive feed speed for saw blade
• Poor wheel alignment
• Improper strain
• Uneven side clearance
• Dull teeth
• Inadequate gullet capacity
Did you know?…
Some common reasons why a saw deviates constantly in cut:
• Faulty wheel alignment
• Unequal side clearance
Did you know?…
Some common reasons for saw blade breakage:
• Dull teeth
• Incorrect tooth space or tooth shape
• Insufficient hook angle – blade or machine related
• Poor weld
• Excessive strain
• Saw guides improperly set
• Improper wheel alignment – cross lines
• Contact with back guide
• Excessive blade speed
• Saw gauge too thick for wheel diameter
• Wrong saw type used-Flex Back, Hard Back
• Worn bearings and vibration
• Improper sharpening technique
• Faulty wheel faces/surface
