At present, there are many manufacturers of diamond wire saw machines in the market, mainly in Italy, China and Turkey, among which the most advanced technology is Italian diamond wire saw machines. We will introduce the diamond multi-wire saw machines produced by the four most famous manufacturers in Italy, including PELLEGRINI MECCANICA SPA, CO.FI.PLAST SRL, Bidese Impianti, MICHELETTI, and introduce the characteristics of their products.
Ⅰ POLYWIRE Series Diamond Multi-wire Saw Machine
This series of diamond multi-wire saw machines is produced by the Italian PELLEGRINI MECCANICA SPA. It is a diamond multi-wire saw machine with a stable structure and performance. It can install 5~32 diamond wire saws at the same time and cut 5~30 pieces of marble or granite slabs. It has the best cutting characteristics in terms of cutting speed, accuracy, bead rope cutting life and safe operation.
This series of multi-wire saw machines adopt a compact structure design pattern, which reduces the foundation volume required by the sawing machine, makes installation easier and takes up less space. Because the machine has a low noise level and excellent vibration absorption characteristics, it can be used close to residential areas without disturbing residents.
This series of diamond multi-wire saw machines use frequency converters to adjust the linear speed of the string of beads, with the adjustment range of 0~40 m/s. The PLC fully automatic control system is used to implement the operation of the whole machine, control the sawing speed, set the position of the sawing machine for cutting medium size stone blocks (plate/slab slicing) and other operations. In case of any abnormal situation that requires the saw to stop working, the system will automatically stop and give an alarm immediately. Its main structure and technical features are as follows:
- Host frame structure. The sawing machine has two vertical columns with regular sections welded by profile steel, which have high rigidity, bending resistance and torsional strength. Two guide rails are installed on the column for lifting and lowering the rope sheave skid, which can ensure the best movement accuracy, and have the maximum anti-vibration and damping characteristics. The column is protected by a bellows-type expansion sleeve with a rectangular section and connected with the beam. The transmission motor and transmission system driving the lifting motion of the diamond wire saw are installed inside the beam.
- Drive and driven sheave. The diameter of the driving and driven rope pulleys is 2.35m. The two rope pulleys are installed separately. They are made of high-quality magnesium aluminum alloy (alloy aluminum). They are characterized by high strength, high stiffness and lightweight. The design of all rope pulleys ensures the best combination of lightweight and dimensional stability and has the characteristics of high precision and vibration reduction. Outside the driving sheave. The cylinder is equipped with a polyurethane bushing whose outer circumference is made into grooves with a spacing of 10 mm to guide and drive the cutting movement of the diamond wire saw.
- Tensioning System of Diamond Wire Saw. The patented electronic hydraulic-driven pulley tensioning system is adopted. Each diamond wire saw is tensioned separately by a set of independently regulated tensioning wheels. The patented multi-wire tensioning system ensures that each diamond wire saw has the same tension force to offset the small differences in the length of the diamond wire saw and other characteristics of the rope. The driven sheave tensioning system structure adopts a large gear ring roller bearing to support each sheave groove. Each independent sheave has a radial movement distance of 5~10cm, which is used for independent tensioning of a single diamond wire saw. The axial position between independently driven sheaves is fixed. The radial relative position can be changed, but the sealing between them is maintained. The sliding bearing block inside each independent sheave is driven by a single oil cylinder and slides on two guide pillars, The diameter of the bearing inner race is different, so that the layers of each independent tensioning structure do not interfere with the arrangement.
- Guide wheel mechanism. The guide wheels of the diamond wire saw shall be used in pairs and installed at both ends of the sawn block as close to the block as possible without interfering with the block. The main function is to control the spacing between the diamond wire saw, ensure the uniform thickness of the stone slab, and support the diamond wire saw to bear the directional force when cutting the block. The structure can adjust the maximum rigidity of the diamond wire saw, limit and prevent the excessive shaking of the diamond wire saw, improve the flatness of the surface of the stone slab cut, and avoid the diamond wire saw breaking away from the groove when the sawing is completed or the equipment is raised. The mechanism consists of a guide wheel with a diameter of about 400mm and a limiting device. The outer cylinder of the guide wheel is equipped with a grooved guide wheel bushing similar to the drive sheave and polyurethane guide sleeve, which is used to guide and limit the spacing of the string of beads. It is equipped with a limiting device of the compressed air servo mechanism, which limits the string of beads in the groove of the guide wheel bushing to prevent it from separating from the groove of the guide wheel and the master-slave sheave.
- Electric control cabinet. The control cabinet of the PLC system is installed for equipment program setting and operation control, tension control of each diamond wire saw, automatic diagnosis of abnormal working state of equipment, etc. The electronic control system adjusts the lifting height position of the sliding block to ensure the stability of the plate during sawing and when the diamond wire saw is raised. In addition to PLC system control, the machine is also equipped with a manual control device controlled by a hand-held keyboard.
- Emergency stop mechanism after rope breakage. The machine is equipped with an emergency system of sawing machine after the rope is broken. When a bead rope is broken, the sawing machine will timely detect the fault and immediately stop the rotation of the drive rope pulley, so as to prevent and eliminate the accident of damaging other diamond wire saws and sawing machines due to the random swing of the broken rope to the greatest extent.
- Hopper system. Because the maximum length and maximum height of the POLYWIRE series multi-wire saw machine are 3.5m and 2.1m respectively, and the width direction is unrestricted, the carrying capacity of the stone block hopper system matched with this series of diamond multi-wire saw is about 40t. The stone block hopper system adopts a heavy load-supporting structure, with its own power, and its movement speed is about 20m/min. The hopper system is controlled by the PLC system installed on the control cabinet of the sawing machine with microsecond precision adjustment and is used to cut the required thickness of large plates. It is also equipped with a mechanical handle for manual adjustment of its movement. Cable lines with plugs are equipped with chain guard brackets. At the same time, it is equipped with a wire control board, which is used for the onboard control of the hopper system. The rail length of the hopper system is 8m, and the gauge is accurate.
- Intelligent unloading equipment. The machine can also be equipped with a special intelligent stone slabs loading and unloading system, which is used for loading and unloading marble and granite thick slabs/plates, and can be used for single diamond wire saw and diamond multi-wire saw. Its mechanical arm and loading and unloading mechanical device are controlled and operated by the hydraulic system. The plate support frame is equipped with several groups of large-diameter vacuum suction cups, which are used to firmly fix the slabs when loading and unloading the slabs. The hydraulic power unit and vacuum power unit of the system are installed on the equipment foundation. The sawing machine is also equipped with a flushing water pump and a spraying system, which is used to automatically flush the slabs before the unloading machine loads the slabs.
- Other parts. Theoretically, the machines allow new and old diamond wire saws to be installed and used together, but the maximum allowable deviation of slab thickness should be considered because the thickness of adjacent slabs will vary after using diamond wire saws with different wear levels. If the deviation of slab thickness is strictly required, it is better to use diamond wire saws of the same diameter.
The POLYWIRE series(5~16) multi-wire saw machines use 24.4~25.4m length diamond wire saws, and the weight of the saw machine is about 30 tons. The POLYWIRE series(32) multi-wire saw machine uses 27.65m length diamond wire saws, and the saw machine weighs about 45 tons.
Ⅱ FUTURE Series Diamond Multi-wire Saw Machine
FUTURE series multi-wire saw machines are produced by the Italian MICHELETTI Company. FUTURE series machines are designed with closed gantry structures. Compared with the traditional frame sawing machine for cutting marble, granite and other stones. FUTURE series multi-wire saw machines have made new improvements in sawing marble, granite and other stones, and can sawing different kinds of stones at the same time. The machine also adopts a compact design, which can install up to 60 diamond wire saws at the same time, with the advantages of high output and multi-function control and ease of operation. Its overall structure, sawing and control performance features are as follows:
- Slab clamping device. The device is composed of a group of cylinders, which is a clamping and fixing device for pressing and fixing the slab from the top surface (slab section) of the slab during sawing.
- Safety devices. The machine adopts a pneumatic braking device, which is used to stop the rope pulley rotation immediately when the diamond wire saw breaks. There is also a system to prevent the beam from accidentally falling. An auxiliary lock nut is added to the lifting screw of the beam to prevent the accidental sliding of the beam and sheave components due to the damage of the bronze nut of the lifting system.
- Tensioning system of diamond wire saw. The mechanical device controls the tension of each diamond wire saw independently, which can avoid the influence on the stability of tension force due to the change of the pneumatic or hydraulic tension system. The tensioning system can operate continuously, accurately maintain the tensioning force of the diamond wire saw and eliminate the operator’s artificial influence. The system can adjust the sawing feed and sawing speed according to the slowest wire speed of the diamond wire saw, so as to minimize the probability of fracture of the diamond wire saw. The system can keep the tension value of each diamond wire saw continuously so that the change value between the set point and the actual machining set point is very small. These setpoints can be pre-programmed by the operator according to the sawing performance of the stone.
- Sawing performance. The sawing performance parameters include the time loss at the beginning and end of cutting. The efficiency of each diamond wire saw in cutting grade 3 granite is 1m3/h, and the efficiency of cutting CARRARA white marble is 4m2/h. The feeding and falling speed of the diamond wire saw is controlled and adjusted by the frequency converter. The linear speed of the diamond wire saw is adjusted by the frequency converter so that it can be arbitrarily set between 10~40m/s. According to the hardness of the stone to be sawed, the size of the block and the type of diamond wire saw, the correct cutting line speed can be conveniently selected. The diamond wire saw with a diameter of 8mm can be used, and the replacement operation of the diamond wire saw is fast and simple. Changing the cutting interval of the diamond wire saw and the connection of diamond wire saw are simpler, easier and faster, so the maximum production capacity can be obtained.
- Quality of cutting stone slabs. The quality of the machine for sawing marble and granite slabs is also excellent. When the machine is equipped with 16 or 60 diamond wire saws, the minimum thickness of the sawing slab is 2cm. The thickness of the cutting slab can be increased by reducing the number of bead ropes.
- Cutting procedure. The automatic sawing program controlled by PLC system can be used for multiple sawing. The accompanying software is practical and friendly. The control options include the feeding and sawing speed when sawing starts, when to stop diamond wire saw cutting, and when to stop the rotation before the rope sheave rises after sawing.
- Installation and use of the machine. Compared with the traditional sand saw, the diamond multi-wire saw machine can be installed and operated in the open air, but the water supply system in cold areas must take antifreeze measures, and the control cabinet is better placed in a relatively closed house. Just replace the diamond wire saw while cutting different stones, such as marble, granite and other stones.
- Environmental characteristics. The machine has the lowest impact on the environment. The waste discharged is only diamond beads, stone sawdust and cooling water, and there is no lime, strip steel chips and steel sand produced by traditional sand saws. The noise and vibration generated by the multi-wire saw are very low, and the processing environment is environmentally friendly.
Ⅲ FALCON Series Diamond Multi-wire Saw Machine
FALCON series multi-wire saw machines are the products of Italian CO.FI.PLAST SRL. FALCON Series machine adopts an open gantry structure, which can install 10~30 diamond wire saws. The FALCON series multi-wire saw machines are composed of the main machine for cutting stone blocks, the tensioning and conveying components of the string, the electric control cabinet and the stone block conveyer. Its main structure and technical features are as follows:
- Main structure. The main structure includes a steel main column with a large section size, four stainless steel cast steel guide rails and auxiliary columns, all of which are fixed on the foundation by steel structures.
- Rope sheave and driving mechanism. One driving sheave with a diameter of 2.3m and three guide pulleys with a diameter of 0.8m is coated with wear-resistant materials, all of which are made of special alloy cast by investment casting. The outer cylinder of the sheave is forged and prefabricated into a groove with decimal or inch rounding. The driving sheave is driven by a 115kW kinetic energy vector reduction motor, which is suitable for continuous heavy load operation. The rope sheave shield made of light high-strength alloy material and with a door-style structure is used for the protection of the driving rope sheave and guide pulley, and is convenient for the replacement of the diamond rope saw.
- Rope sheave lifting mechanism. 4 support sliders with special floating adjustment wheels to keep the sliders up and down A set of screw drive pairs is connected with the drive between the reduction motor and the slide block assembly, and the slide block is driven up and down by the encoder.
- Tensioning and conveying system of diamond wire saw. The tensioning of the diamond wire saw is controlled by the tensioning wheel and slide rail with the same number of bead ropes. The slide rail can keep the tensioning wheel moving forward and backward. The diameter of each tensioning wheel is 1.2m, which is used for tensioning the diamond wire saw. The position control of each tensioning unit can be programmatically displayed on the screen and operated by the wedge plate.
- Electric control system. The electric control system is used for the drive of the main motor, the drive of the block car motor and the drive control of the slide lifting motor. All functions are managed and controlled by the PLC system.
- Stone block conveyer. The stone block conveyer is driven and controlled by a reducer motor and a special power unit and adopts a rhombic section and plane guide rail structure for the traveling support of the ferry conveyer.
- Sawing machine features. The most important feature of the FALCON 600 sawing machine is its ability to cut different types of stones. It has the excellent performance of sawing marble, granite and various kinds of stone without adjusting the equipment. In fact, the same diamond wire saw that can cut granite can also be used to sawing marble or other stones, and the proportion of its hardness range reaches 8:2. For example, the machine can cut 2 pieces of marble or sandstone, or slate block, and then can also cut 8 pieces of granite block without changing the bead rope. It is difficult to cut serpentine stone or other marble with traditional sand saw. Of course, if the sawing machine is only used to process a single variety of stones, it is better to choose diamond wire saw suitable for the stone.
- Production cost and capacity. In terms of the unit time (per hour) output and production cost of FALCON 600, the multi-wire saw is highly competitive compared with the traditional frame saw. The sawing cost for sawing granite is 5.95~10.7 US dollars/m2. Although the maximum output of sawing granite plates can reach 15 m2/h, the speed of bead rope falling is 50-60 cm/h. The cost of sawing marble is only USD 1.575-2.753/m2, the maximum output is 40m2/h, and the sawing speed of bead rope is 1.5~2m2/h. The largest proportion of the total cost of granite sawing (81%) is the consumption cost of diamond wire saw, while only 19% is the operating cost of equipment. On the surface, it is absolutely opposite to the traditional sand saw. The fixed cost of the equipment operation of the sand saw accounts for about 85% of the total cost (maintenance, power consumption, steel grit, human resources, etc.), and only 15% is the consumption of the saw blade. This reflects that the diamond multi-wire saw is completely different from the traditional sand saw in terms of cutting cost distribution.
Ⅳ GOLD Series Diamond Multi-wire Saw Machine
GOLD series multi-wire saw machines are the products of the Italian Bidese Impianti company, which also adopts a closed frame structure. The main features of the machines are as follows:
- Machine traveling mechanism. GOLD 60 diamond multi-wire saw machine adopts a sawing machine walking and no block conveyer moving structure. The slicing accuracy of cutting slabs is guaranteed by the rotary encoder and the accuracy of the moving system in the sawing machine traveling mechanism.
- Rack structure. The column, cross beam and other components of the machine are welded structural members made of section steel, which have undergone annealing, stress relief, sandblasting and anti-corrosion treatment. They are very solid and can withstand all cutting forces to the maximum extent, with minimum overall deformation.
- Multi-wire saw cutting feed system. The driving and driven rope sheave components vertically rise and fall along the flat guide rail fixed on the column, supported by the roller movement with adjustable clearance. The servo motor drives the ball screw, and the hydraulic balance reflects the precision and dynamic characteristics of the sawing machine.
- RopeTensioning system of diamond wire saw sheave drive. GOLD series diamond multi-wire saw adopts four rope sheave supporting structures with a diameter of 1m, one of which is a motor-driven rope sheave. The motor spindle is supported by a large, well-lubricated roller bearing. The driving flywheel adopts an independent structure to adapt to the speed change caused by the change of the rubber layer thickness of the bead rope. The main motor is driven by a V-belt.
- Tensioning system of diamond wire saw. GOLD 60 diamond multi-wire saw adopts an independent guide pulley tensioning mechanism. Each set of tensioning guide pulleys adjusts its displacement through a cylinder equipped with a highly sensitive and high-precision adjustment device to achieve the tension control of each bead rope. In order to make the design and layout of the tensioning mechanism of the guide wheel more reasonable, the tensioning mechanisms of two adjacent bead ropes are staggered on both sides of the sawing machine, which prevents the interference of the mechanism due to too small spacing, and also makes the maintenance of the machine easier.
- Lubrication system. The machine adopts the method of automatically adding lubricating grease to lubricate the ball screw and the trolley drive roller.
- Safety system. The safety assurance system will automatically stop in case of lack of cooling water, lack of tension control and breakage of the diamond wire saw.
- Parts manufacturing. Moving parts such as spindles, bushings and flanges are made of hard and specially treated steel.
