Method and apparatus for cutting mults from a billet

An apparatus for cutting mults from a billet in the form of an elongated casting of a high strength alloy, said apparatus comprising:

• a horizontal mounting surface;
• a machine bed having a planar surface disposed parallel to the mounting surface;
• said planar surface having a long axis and a short axis;
• a rotating headstock fixedly attached to the machine bed and having a first axis of rotation parallel to the long axis of the planar surface;
• said headstock having a front face and a rear face, said faces being parallel to each other and orthogonal to the long axis of the planar surface;
• said headstock capable of providing rotation at least one speed and capable of providing rotation in at least one direction;
• said headstock having an orifice extending from the front face to the rear face, said orifice being of a size sufficient to accommodate a billet;
• said front face adapted to removably attach a clamping means parallel to the front face;
• said rear face adapted to removably attach a clamping means parallel to the rear face;
• a pivotally mounted saw arbor movably mounted parallel to the first axis of rotation, said saw arbor disposed to rotate about a second axis parallel to and spaced from said first axis;
• a means for rotating said saw arbor at a plurality of pre-selected speeds;
• means for changing the pre-selected speeds at which the saw arbor may be rotated;
• an abrasive cut-off wheel removably mounted to said saw arbor;
• means for adjusting a distance from the abrasive cut-off wheel to the front face of the headstock thereby allowing an operator to determine length of the mult to be cut from the billet;
• means for causing the abrasive cut-off wheel to pivot toward the headstock, thereby causing the rotating cut-off wheel to engage the rotating billet to cut the billet into pre-determined mults while producing particulate matter;
• means for cooling the abrasive cut-off wheel and the billet;
• and
• means for removing and collecting particulate material produced by the cutting process from a vicinity of the abrasive cut-off wheel.

A method for cutting mults from a billet of substantially regular cross-section, comprising:

• selecting a billet having a substantially regular cross-section;
• clamping the billet in a rotating headstock using a three-jaw chuck mounted to a front face of the headstock and a four-jaw chuck mounted to a rear face of the headstock;
• adjusting the clamping of the billet using an indicating device to minimize rotational wobble of the billet;
• setting a displacement of an abrasive cut-off wheel from front face of the headstock using a digital display and a switching means to determine a point at which to cut the billet;
• providing an appropriate number of Hertz to be input the means for rotating a saw arbor based on a cut-off wheel diameter and a desired cutting speed;
• activating a means for cooling the abrasive cut-off wheel and a fluid recovery system;
• activating a means for removing and collecting particulate material produced by a cutting process from a vicinity of the abrasive cut-off wheel;
• activating a means for causing the abrasive cut-off wheel to pivot toward the headstock;
• and
• monitoring the cutting of the-mult from the billet.

A method for cutting mults from a billet of irregular cross-section, comprising

• selecting a billet having an irregular cross-section;
• clamping the billet in a rotating headstock using a four-jaw chuck mounted to a front face of the headstock and a four-jaw chuck mounted to a rear face of the headstock;
• adjusting the clamping of the billet using an indicating device to minimize rotational wobble of the billet;
• setting a displacement of an abrasive cut-off wheel from the front face of the headstock using a digital display and a switching means to determine a point at which to cut the billet;
• providing an appropriate number of Hertz to be input the means for rotating a saw arbor based on a cut-off wheel diameter and a desired cutting speed;
• activating a means for cooling the abrasive cut-off wheel and a fluid recovery system;
• activating a means for removing and collecting particulate material produced by a cutting process from a vicinity of the abrasive cut-off wheel;
• causing the abrasive cut-off wheel to pivot toward the headstock by manually pulling a handle removably attached to a pivoting portion of a pivotal mounting of the saw arbor toward the rotating billet so as to maintain an even cutting speed on the billet;
• and
• monitoring the cutting of the mult from the billet.