A metal-cutting saw cuts blanks to length from bar, tube, profiles or beams. The LUNA catalog carries two types. A band saw cuts with a thin blade joined into a loop: the kerf is narrow and the capacity is large, from Ø180 mm on the manual MEP PH to Ø1020 mm on the twin-column THOR. A circular saw cuts with a rigid blade: the capacity is smaller, up to Ø175 mm, but the cut is fast and clean, especially on tube and light profiles. The circular saws are MEP machines and the automatic BLM GROUP TS72 for tube.

Band or circular

First decide which tool to cut with: it determines which group to look in.

Type	Capacity at 0°	Best for	In the catalog
Manual band saws	round bar Ø180–Ø300 mm	maintenance shops, stock preparation, one-off cuts of varied stock	MEP PH and SHARK, including CCS versions
Semi-automatic band saws	round bar Ø250–Ø1020 mm	identical cuts of tube, profiles and beams, massive round bar and bundles	MEP SHARK SXI EVO and THOR
Automatic band saws	round bar Ø230–Ø660 mm	batches from bar stock to programmed lengths	MEP SHARK NC 5.0, DIRECT, KONNECT and HS
Circular saws for metal	round bar Ø65–Ø175 mm, tube up to Ø102 mm	fast, clean cuts of steel or aluminium tube and profiles, small-section bar	MEP FALCON, TIGER, COBRA, VELOCEX and BLM GROUP TS72

Manual, semi-automatic or automatic

The second question is how much time the operator spends at the saw. On a manual saw they lower the frame or head and clamp the workpiece themselves; the SHARK CCS versions control the frame feed but remain manual. A semi-automatic cuts and returns the frame on its own after the start: the operator only loads the workpiece. An automatic also feeds the bar to the set length and cuts the whole batch to a program. MEP circular saws come in all three versions: manual FALCON, TIGER and COBRA, SX EVO semi-automatics, and NC 5.0, CNC and VELOCEX automatics.

What to compare

Capacity at an angle. “Ø250 / 280×220 mm” in the specs is the cut at 0°. At an angle the window is smaller: on the MEP SHARK 282 it is 230×200 mm at +45° and 120×80 mm at +60°. Check your largest profile at the angle you actually cut.
Mitre in one or both directions. Machines rated –45°…+60° or –60°…+60° mitre both ways, so a frame member does not need to be turned over. Models rated 0°…+60° swivel in one direction only, and the SHARK HS cut at a right angle only.
Material. The blade and speed are chosen for the metal. MEP circular saws for steel run an HSS blade at low speed (FALCON, TIGER); for aluminium and light alloys they run an HM carbide blade at high speed: up to 3400 rpm on the COBRA and 1400/2800 rpm on the TIGER HR.
Blade speed. Two-speed band saws such as 36/72 m/min have a lower speed for stainless and alloy steels and a higher one for structural steel. The automatics and large semi-automatics adjust speed steplessly: 15–100, 15–150 or 20–100 m/min.
Blade. Blade size is fixed by the model, from 2130×20×0.9 mm on the PH to 11000×67×1.6 mm on the THOR 1020. Tooth pitch is chosen for wall thickness and section: thin-wall tube and solid bar need different blades. Blade life depends on speed, feed and cooling.
Shortest piece and remnant. On an automatic it matters how short a piece it can cut and how much bar is left at the end: the SHARK DIRECT cuts pieces from 6–10 mm and leaves a 210–400 mm remnant, the SHARK HS — from 10 mm and 70–130 mm.

Common mistakes

Choosing by maximum round-bar diameter when most of the work is rectangular section cut at an angle.
Buying a manual saw for batch work: the operator has to stay at the saw, and every part costs operator time.
Cutting everything with one blade, from thin-wall tube to solid bar.
Buying a steel circular saw for aluminium profiles: the blade and speed are different.

Send the material, largest section, angles and number of cuts per shift — we will select the model and blade and quote delivery and commissioning. For straight cuts in sheet metal, see guillotine shears.

Questions and answers

How does a band saw differ from a circular saw?

A band saw cuts large sections with a thin blade and a narrow kerf: solid bar, heavy profiles, beams and bundles, up to Ø1020 mm in the catalog. A circular saw cuts faster and cleaner with a rigid blade, but its capacity is smaller, up to Ø175 mm. So batches of tube and light profiles are usually cut on a circular saw, and large sections on a band saw.

Manual, semi-automatic or automatic — which to choose?

Look at the number of identical cuts and whether the operator has to stand at the saw. For varied one-off cuts a manual saw is enough. For many cuts where the operator only loads the workpiece, a semi-automatic. For batches from bar stock to programmed lengths, an automatic with a feeder.

Can it mitre in both directions?

Yes, on models rated –45°…+60° or –60°…+60°. Among band saws these are the PH 262/HB, SHARK 282 and 332-1, SHARK SXI EVO from the 282 up, SHARK 332 DIRECT and both KONNECT models; among circular saws, the FALCON and COBRA (up to ±45°) and the TIGER and TIGER HR (–45°…+60°). The other band saws mitre from 0° to +60° in one direction, and the SHARK HS cut at a right angle only.

Which blade do I need?

The blade size is set by the model and shown on its page. Tooth pitch is chosen for the material, section and wall thickness, and the blade type for the metal: HSS for steel, HM carbide for aluminium. When selecting the saw we will recommend a blade for your workpieces.

How much does a metal-cutting saw cost?

The price depends on the model, configuration, blades and equipment, as well as delivery terms, so it is not listed on the site. Send a request and we will prepare a quotation with delivery, commissioning and training.

What should I send for a selection?

The material and grade, the shape and largest section of the workpiece, the angles you need, bar and part lengths, and the number of cuts per shift. From this we select the model and quote delivery, commissioning and training.

Not sure which model fits?

Send your part parameters — we'll select and quote.

Call