Panel Saw Buying Guide- The Basics
If you’re looking to purchase a panel saw, you have several options available depending on your specific needs and budget. Panel saws are typically used for cutting large sheets of material, such as acrylic, HDPE, Polypropene or Polycarbonate. Here are a few factors to consider when buying a panel saw:
Floor Space: The first consideration should be space- How much floor space can you allocate for your saw? Are you replacing an older saw with a new saw? What is the largest sheet you will need to process. Saws typically come setup to process 8’, 10’ or 14’ sheet goods. The larger the sheet size you need to process the larger the machine and floor space required.
Volume of Material: Do you cut one-off parts or multiple parts at the same time? Would you like to stack sheets to cut down on the processing time? How often are you changing material that would require changing your blade(s)?
Type Of Material: From really thin PETG to the toughest G10, glass based materials there is a saw configuration that can help you cut the sizes you need without sacrificing the edge quality you expect.
The two primary types of Panel Saws we see for cutting plastic are Vertical or Horizontal:
- Vertical Panel Saw: Vertical panel saws are designed to cut large sheets vertically. They are more compact, and space-saving compared to horizontal panel saws. You can position a vertical panel saw close to a wall. Loading and unloading of a vertical panel saw can be a little challenging depending on the size and weight of the sheet(s) you will be processing. Often, we see a vertical saw complemented with a vacuum lift to aid in the movement of the raw sheet as well as cut parts. You may need to allocate additional floor space if you are not able to hang the vacuum lift from ceiling rafters.
- Horizontal Panel Saw or “Beam Saw”: Horizontal panel saws cut sheets horizontally. They are often used for larger production environments and offer precision and efficiency. A horizontal panel saw will typically be equipped with a main motor and a scoring motor which can help with the chipping typically associated with thinner/more brittle materials. Horizontal panel saws will likely come equipped with Air Flotation tables designed to help mover the heavier stacks of material into the automatic grippers as well as between rip cuts and crosscuts.
- Once you decide the type of machine be considerate of the technical support, parts availability, and support as well as the software interface. Local support for your equipment is key especially as you are getting setup and used to your equipment.