A Strong Partner

Powerful saws help fabricator provide customers with a wide range of cuts

utting complex geometries and large dimensions are California fabricator Metal Cutting Service’s specialties. The company is a partner and supplier for many well-known manufacturers in the aerospace, defense, aluminum and steel distribution, and semiconductor industries. In any given day, MCS can see a mix of plastics, acrylic materials, steel and temperature-resistant special metals in plate, bar, forgings and extrusions up to 50 inches thick and 700 inches long.

MCS was founded in 1956 by Milon Viel and his father-in-law, Ross Clarke. Initially the company focused on manufacturing aluminum window frames but quickly moved into specializing in cutting materials to customer specifications—especially for companies that did not have their own internal sawing capabilities. Today, customers supply materials, and they get them back cut exactly to their precise requirements.

“Without the special saw cutting available at MCS and the good service, there are many orders we would not get from customers. The capabilities of MCS increase our sales volume,” says John McFawn Jr., district sales manager for A. Finkl & Sons Co., Chicago, which forges die steels, die casting tool steels and custom open-die forgings.

Workhorses

MCS has more than 35 saws, offering contour sawing, large capacities and high production saw-cutting capabilities. The company’s saws must be powerful and robust and easily adaptable to varying requirements. Milon Viel’s son David joined the company in 1977 and became president in 1993 after his father’s semiretirement. He purchased the company’s first Kasto saw.

“In the past, we worked mainly with multipurpose saws,” says Curt Steen, plant manager, “so every machine basically did every job.” Steen has been with MCS since 1996. “As the requirements of our customers and the variety of their orders increased, however, we had to become more technically specialized, so we purchased different types of saws for the wide range of tasks we had to tackle.”

In 2004, MCS invested in its first Kasto saw, a KastoBloc U 5 log bandsaw. Five additional saws have been installed since then. The latest additions include three KastoWin bandsaws, with cutting ranges of 18 and 22 inches and two vertical saws from the Kasto BlocSaw line used for plate.

The KastoWin universal bandsaws have allowed MCS to increase productivity, improve cutting quality and significantly reduce the amount of remnants generated in the sawing process. The KastoWin line is designed for the serial and production sawing of solid materials, pipes and sections. These machines are suitable for a variety of tasks, and thanks to their sturdy construction, the saws are strong enough for their tough working life at MCS.

“We work up to six days a week, all year round, in two shifts—and we have to process large and heavy parts,” says Steen. “So, I definitely say we are not known for being easy on our machines.” MCS’ saws must also be suitable for operation with carbide blades to ensure a high level of productivity, and the KastoWin also meets this requirement.

“We’ve been a Kasto customer for 15 years, and the saws that we’ve been using all these years have totally convinced us due to their reliability and very short downtimes,” says Viel. “Whenever we need support, we always get it immediately—by telephone from the North American service hotline or personally from the local service staff. Kasto is really exemplary in this respect,” adds Steen.

“These machines have really given us a lot of quality and value for our money,” says Steen. MCS also benefited from the manufacturer’s short delivery times. “The saws we ordered have always been in stock at the American branch of Kasto, although they’re produced in Germany,” explains Steen. “For example, when we had a capacity bottleneck in the summer of 2018 and we couldn’t keep up with the orders, we ordered an additional machine from Kasto at short notice. It was working for us in less than a week. That was really sensational.”

Kasto also offers an extensive range of accessories for the KastoWin line, which enables MCS to adapt the machine for specific needs. Another highlight is the control system, with which several orders can be created intuitively. The orders are then processed automatically one after the other. “We can individually adjust all the parameters, such as cutting times,” adds Steen. This allows the saws to be optimally integrated into the MCS process chain.

Real-time monitoring

Steen also points out that the Kasto BandControl built-in saw blade monitoring system is useful. “The display gives us real-time information on the operating times and wear of the saw blades,” he explains. “This helps us to achieve better results and virtually eliminate scrap.”

The saw blades are also accessible, allowing for quick and easy replacement, and the built-in safety functions make the procedure safe for employees.

MCS’ team indicates it is satisfied with its purchase of the three KastoWin saws because it enabled the company to significantly increase its productivity and the quality of cut parts. Throughput has been increased and the scrap rate has been reduced to almost zero. The machines are also reliable, so there is virtually no downtime. “We’re very pleased with our relationship with Kasto,” says Viel. “Every saw we’ve bought from them has fully convinced us performance-wise and definitely contributes to our continued success. When we need a new machine again, Kasto will certainly be our first choice.”