The Granco Clark
Hot Saw: A Clear-Cut Advantage

There’s a lot of “buzz” around the Granco Clark Hot Saw—and given the benefits it can deliver in an extrusion operation, the interest isn’t surprising.

The Hot Saw cuts hot billets to the exact length needed just before they enter the press. This means the right billet size is always available, which eliminates the need to inventory different billet lengths—freeing up money and saving space and hassle.

While log shears have offered similar capabilities for a number of years, the Hot Saw has the advantage of delivering even cuts, with no deformation to the billet edge. It also operates at lower hydraulic pressure levels than a shear, which can cut down on maintenance requirements.

Of course, the true test of equipment is how it actually performs in day-to-day operation. First introduced in 2005, there are now ten Granco Clark Hot Saws in operation, one of them at Indalex Aluminum Solutions’ plant in Elkhart, Indiana.

Indalex began looking to replace an existing furnace and log shear at the plant a few years ago. “We’d bought a furnace and log shear from an Italian company seven years ago and it failed right out of the box,” says John Shotwell from Indalex. “We were spending $70,000 or $80,000 a year in repairs, more than if we’d bought a new furnace.”

The company chose the Granco Clark Hot Saw as well as a Hot-Jet Furnace, which were installed in the plant in December of 2005. The productivity gains since then have been significant, John reports.

“Before, we were waiting on the furnace and the log shear at the press,” he says. “Now, we can push 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of metal an hour, if everything’s in place at the press.”

The saw’s design helps ensure profile quality through perfectly even, precise cuts—delivering billets with uniform consistency and no edge deformities or length variance. An efficient chip collection system quickly removes chips created by the saw blade from the cutting area and relays them to a collection point for recycling.

Indalex has also seen a big decrease in downtime and maintenance since installing the Hot Saw. “The saw blade pretty much has infinite life—about the only time we change it is if there’s a lubrication problem,” says John. “If the guys have to change the blade, they always have to read the JSP [Job Safe Practice bulletin] beforehand, because they change it so infrequently.”

Always the right billet length on hand. Billets with no deformation or variances. Reduced downtime and maintenance. Clear-cut advantages to the Granco Clark Hot Saw that any extruder can appreciate.