Used Beam Saws 

What is a CNC Beam Panel Saw ?

CNC Beam Panel Saws are for sizing sheet materials. These include wood based products including Melamine Faced Chipboard (MFC) Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) OSB and Plywood. Beam saws can also be used to size Plastic and Composite sheet materials. 

The principle of the beam saw is that the pack or multiple sheets can be cut cleanly and accurately according to the cutting program.  This is due to the beam compressing the pack preventing break out. The process is : The CNC controlled pusher fence positions the material, the beam descends compressing the pack and the saw carriage then automatically makes the cut.   

Beam Panel Saws can be front Front Loading, where the material to be cut is placed on the air Floatation tables and then slid into the pusher fence clamps to start the process.  This is suitable where low volumes are needed or where there are multiple types of materials to be cut. Ideal for a modest furniture production company.  

Automatic Rear Loading Beam saws have the full stack of materials to be sized on the rear lift of the machine. The beam saw will automatically select and load the number of sheets required onto the rear of the machine to be aligned prior to making the first trim cut. Within rear loading machines Head Cut panel rotation or Turning units can be found to optimise the cutting pattern and time when grained materials are being cut.   They also can feature a Second Pusher system where on strip can be cut offset to the rest of the pack to reduce cycle time. Rear Loading Beam saws are for higher volume panel sizing production.

Both Front Loading and Rear loading beam saws require the operator to rotate the strips and carry out separate Ripping and Cross cutting cycles.  However an Angle Plant Panel Sizing beam saw manages this process automatically as it has two Beam Saws integrated into a single machine at right angles.  An Angle Plant Panel sizing system is for very high volume production and usually includes automatic or semi automatic panel handling systems for stacking the cut parts. 

For low batch high volume production Beam saws with Warehouse panel storage systems are a great answer.  The warehouse can be made to suit the available space and accommodate a vast number of sheets  and stacks. This is partly due to the fact that there is no need for forklift access to pick up the sheets so the shacks can be very close together.  In accordance with the cutting plan the sheet or sheets are retrieved and placed on the rear of the saw even during the current panel sizing operation.  Once this operation completed the saw will then collect the sheets, align and begin sizing.  Now the warehouse get the next sheets to size in preparation. This system is highly efficient as is reduces storage space for materials packs saving floorspace while reducing loading time by making the loading system automatic. 

Leading manufacturers of CNC Beam Panel saws include Homag with their Sawteq range. Prior to this these Homag Group beam saws were marketed as Holzma Beam Saws with the HPP front loading machines, HPL rear loading saws and HKL Angle Plants. Selco is part of the Biesse Group and are best know for the WN series of front loading beam saws WNT Rear loading and WNA Angle plants. Schelling produce highly respected beam saws but mainly for higher production. SCM Group and Gabbiani offer the full range of beam saws from the SCM Sigma series to the Gabbiani Galaxy series.