See a high-production crosscut saw in action
The Opti 599 is an automated high-performance crosscut saw with the potential to increase productivity 30 percent more than traditional crosscut saws, says makers Bottene. Designed for use in high-production lines for heavy-duty non-stop operation, it employs a hardened steel helical toothed roller drive system with brushless motor that guarantees a 300 mt./1’ feed speed.
 
Cutting takes place by means of a connecting rod movement controlled by a brushless motor with 0.15 second cutting times. The rejects are ejected at the rear at the moment of cutting and the sizes are separated at the exit on the sorting belt by means of lateral ejectors.
 
The board dimensions and the defects marked with fluorescent chalk are detected by a separate reading station or automatically by an Opti Scan 4 scanner. The scanner controls every side of the board and reads its characteristics and defects in an accurate manner beyond the capabilities of an operator, says Bottene.
 
But are crosscut saws really capable of increasing yield?
 
"Yes indeed, such claims are valid," says Wood Doctor Gene Wengert. "They are valid because the computer and scanner work early on Monday morning as on Friday afternoon, but they also work for 10 hours a day without a v=break. Further, the computer can make a bunch of imaginary cuts and test solutions before arriving at the best solution. Plus, we can teach the computer that a 22 inch long cutting is worth a lot more than two 12 inch pieces—lower yield but longer cuttings is worthwhile to some extent. Note that these last two items are looking at value and not just yield alone."
 
 

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About the author
Robert Dalheim

Robert Dalheim is an editor at the Woodworking Network. Along with publishing online news articles, he writes feature stories for the FDMC print publication. He can be reached at [email protected].