Abstract

The objective of this work was to analyse the cost and the benefit of extending the useful life of bandsaws by improving their wear resistance in a parawood saw mill. Changeover of worn bandsaw causes downtime 15 minutes. Saw blade change frequency is two to four times per shift, at a sawn rate of 90-120 cubic feet per day. Reduced wear bandsaws can be accomplished by flame hardening, which would reduce grinding cost and losses from changeover downtime. This article therefore analyses scenarios of rubber wood processing plants in Thailand with between nine and sixty sawmills per plant and 300 working days per year. The annual scenarios analysis, based on saw blade grinding and additional flame hardening cost, has an annual fixed cost and variables cost. Implementing the flame hardening increases the costs by THB 80 319.53 to 1 021 737.99 per year. The benefits in this study indicate that reduced wear on bandsaws by implementing a flame hardening process in rubber parawood factories is economical, with benefits in the range of THB 643 577.34 to 11 446 939.60 per year.

Highlights

  • In rubber parawood lumber mills, bandsaws typically need to be changed two to four times per shift due to wear [1]

  • The benefits in this study indicate that reduced wear on bandsaws by implementing a flame hardening process in rubber parawood factories is economical, with benefits in the range of Thai Baht (THB) 643 577.34 to 11 446 939.60 per year

  • A cost benefit analysis was done for several scenarios in rubber parawood saw mills to assess the economic feasibility of flame hardening saw blades

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Summary

Introduction

In rubber parawood lumber mills, bandsaws typically need to be changed two to four times per shift due to wear [1]. Thailand is known to host 3,249 rubber parawood factories [2]. Their sawing machines are halted during the bandsaw changeover, incurring lost production time. The number of changeovers per shift depends on the wear rate of the bandsaw, and the wear rate depends on the band material’s properties. The properties of a band are largely determined by the chemical composition of the steel, its hardness, and the wear rate. A higher wear rate of the bandsaw will increase the number of changeovers and the grinding cost

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