Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Following a recent investment in Leitz RazorCut Saw blades and a new Homag beamsaw, SD Manufacturing is seeing a significant boost in demand for their panel processing services as well as an improvement in production output. Based in East Kilbridge, Glasgow, SD Manufacturing is a joinery and shopfitting business that was founded in 2023. In addition to producing a wide selection of custom-manufactured shopfitting and joinery items, SD Manufacturing regularly works closely with customers to deliver superior bespoke joinery solutions. Additionally, SD Manufacturing is an authorized fabricator and installer of Solid Surfaces (Corian, Hi-Macs, Krion, and Hanex), and their 13,000 square foot facility is fully furnished with specialised CNC equipment.
David Donaghue, Managing Director, remarked, “When we were looking at the next phase of growth for the company, we knew that we had to invest wisely in our machinery, so last year we decided to purchase a new Homag Beamsaw and Edgebander. This investment in new machinery naturally meant another look at the saw blades we were using and whether or not they were still meeting our needs. We have worked with Leitz Tooling for many years, so when we purchased the new Homag Beamsaw, we contacted Norrie Good of Leitz Tooling to discuss new blades for the Homag Beamsaw”.
To cut and size their material, SD Manufacturing used Leitz premium saw blades. Leitz Tooling, however, introduced SD Manufacturing to the RazorCut saw blade because of new manufacturing challenges that necessitated shorter cycle times. The RazorCut saw blade has an irregular tooth pitch and a unique trailblazing geometry. Because of its unique tooth shape, the RazorCut can cut faster than traditional circular saw blades, increasing productivity by up to 50%. With premium carbide from the Leitz carbide factory, each tooth is tailored to its specific use to provide a high-quality final cut on a range of materials, including chipboard and duroplastics. Compared to traditional circular saw blades, RazorCut saw blades have specialised gullets and other decorations that lower noise pollution during cutting by -4 dB(A). By reducing vibration, these design features help increase cutting accuracy and lessen tool wear.
David goes on, “When Norrie suggested the Leitz RazorCut Saw blades, we did our research and decided that they would offer an opportunity to improve our efficiency and productivity. Before we purchased the Leitz RazorCut Saw blades, we generally worked with 8 sets of saws, so our operators tended to have 4 sets getting serviced and four sets in use in the factory. The new RazorCut Saw blades have resulted in an immediate saving as we now only have to work with 4 sets of saws at any one time because they last a lot longer than the Premium Blades. At least twice as long between services, and even as much as 3 times depending on the materials being cut.”
By increasing feed speeds and lowering operating expenses, RazorCut saw blades also helped the company boost the profitability of its manufacturing. “The investment has also resulted in an increase in production output from 20 metres per minute to 50 metres per minute, more than doubling the feed speed, a marked improvement to the quality of finish, and a near-zero changeover downtime. In the past 6 months alone, we have increased our panel processing production by at least 30%. We take on a lot more projects now, which are solely panel processing. Work which we never proactively sought until now”
Norrie, the Leitz Tooling Glasgow Manager, emphasised that the tool’s impact on SD Manufacturing’s servicing costs. “When David contacted me to discuss the new Homag Beamsaw, I suggested the Leitz RazorCut Saw blades because I knew that they would have a massive impact on production output. The Leitz RazorCut Saw blades have given SD Manufacturing a longer tooling life between sharpens, reduced production costs, and reduced downtime from tool damage and wear.”
David noted how the new saw blades affect downtime, sharpening costs, and performance post-servicing. “One of the other many benefits is that after servicing, the downtime in changeover from one set of blades to the other is near zero. They come back serviced and sharpened, exactly matched as a set as they were previously. There is no adjustment, and the operators never need to adjust anything with the scoring blade about the main blade. It is just change and go, which is an excellent benefit.”
Leitz Tooling’s national network of 8 centres offers high-quality tool sharpening services, including diamond sharpening, emphasising quality and traceability in their service program. Sales Manager Brian Maddox highlights Leitz’s commitment to excellence. “When the saw blades are returned to the service centre, we examine the saw blades for wear and tear. If the saw blades are overrun, we can identify that, and we also track how many sharpenings the saw blades have had. It is something Leitz is immensely proud of, and there are many benefits to the customers. This type of self-policing ensures that we can get enough regrinds so that the customer is not spending money when they don’t have to. The advantage of tracking the saw blades and how many sharpens they have had is that we can estimate the end of life for the saw blade and warn our customers.”
Concluding, David Donaghue said: “Our collaboration with Leitz Tooling UK is very beneficial to our company. They understand what our needs are and guide and advise us on the best solution for our business, so it truly is a win-win situation for everyone.”
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