Cosen Saws, North America

In the 43 years since it was founded, Cosen Saws has developed a global business model every bit as sharp as the blades on its extensive lineup of sturdy cutting equipment. Headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, with an additional production facility in Taichung — handling the Asia-Pacific, African, and Middle Eastern regions — Cosen services North America from its base in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a separate distribution center overseeing European operations.

“The company was launched by Mike Huang in 1976, and it is still a family-owned and run business,” according to Hayden Peterson, marketing specialist at Cosen Saws, North America. “Members of the Huang family have played an intricate role in establishing operations both here in North America and in Europe, and in maintaining the quality our products are known for. It’s a matter of pride, and there’s no room for compromise.”

An examination of its North American network provides a fair understanding of its global activities. All equipment is manufactured at the two production facilities in Taiwan. Peterson mentions that the Taiwanese government strongly supports the quality of the manufactured goods the country exports, allowing for a robust industrial environment. Since the United States represents the majority of the company’s revenue stream, Cosen North America keeps a healthy stock of its 80 offered models in varying quantities; keeping more of the models that move most frequently, pre-inspected and crated, ready for immediate shipment from its Charlotte location and a satellite center in California. While customization is available, the wide variety often allows customers to meet their needs with a model that’s straight off the shelf. These include:

Peterson explains that the factors involved in choosing the best saw for a particular application include the size (in terms of width or height) of the material being cut, the density of that material (hardness), the angle of the cut, blade size, and available features.

“The horizontal saws are really our bread and butter,” he says. “They are perfect for aluminum, stainless, and tubing. For thicker, denser materials like stainless, dual-column saws provide a more stable cut. For materials like structural steel, H and I beams, you would probably want to go with a vertical tilt frame saw due to the built-in 5-degree blade cant. When it comes to miter cutting we offer both horizontal and vertical saws that can reach cuts within plus/minus 60 degrees. That all being said, we’re sure to have a cutting solution no matter the material, and no matter the industry. Aerospace or automotive markets, metalworking or fabrication, service centers or job shops, we cover it all.”

Beyond quality, availability, and selection, Cosen also offers the latest in technology. Mechalogix Cosen Predictive Computing is a cloud-based system that monitors blade performance in real-time, while also checking for vibration, overheating and changes in fluid line pressure. It accumulates this and other data on one or multiple machines, and keep operators apprised of running conditions regardless of their physical location. The technology can be adapted to run on other makes of saws, as well. Various packages are available with different features, depending on a customer’s needs, along with tiered subscriptions providing periodic software updates. Mechalogix can be purchased or leased with an option to buy, and training is included, with everything itemized in the initial quote. Real-time condition monitoring of this nature adds to the machine, all its parts, and systems, and to the cutting blades as well.

Another Cosen technology is V_Drive. The V_Drive works with the PLC to detect when a material becomes denser, adjust the blade motor’s amperage to make the cut more efficient. This allows users to work with harder materials like Titanium, Hastelloy and other nickel-based metals at significantly increased rates, reducing cut times by 25-50 percent. Blade life is also improved, and vibration decreased. In addition, Q-Cut — powered by Mechalogix — is a job management/tracking package that consists of a dashboard on the HMI into which an operator enters parameters. Job numbers and QR codes are then automatically generated and assigned, virtually eliminating human error as the project proceeds.

Choosing the perfect model and technology package is made with the assistance of Cosen’s network of representatives, in this case, throughout North America. They consist of dedicated Cosen employees, both in the field and inside the office, longtime representatives and established distributors, and a vast network of service technicians that ensure an immediate response when maintenance or repair services are required. Parts are readily available from a number of Cosen satellite warehouses or from its many affiliates.

All Cosen saws are able to perform lights-out machining, and can be incorporated into automated cells when mated with the appropriate in- and outfeeds.

Peterson says that everyone in the company is excited by the challenge that concepts such as AI and IoT bring to manufacturing. “It’s not just about being able to accumulate so much data, but learning how to actually use it,” he says. “That’s the best part of all of this.”