Martin presents the premium sliding table saw with a tilting range of 46° and a cutting height of more than 200 mm.  

In 1959 the first sliding table saw with a tilting range of 0° to 45° was invented by a German manufacturer of high quality machinery, Otto Martin Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG in Ottobeuren (Allgäu), Germany. 47 years later, in Febuary 2006, MARTIN presented the first sliding table saw with a tilting range of 2x 46°.

This March, MARTIN sets new standards again in terms of performance and flexibility with the new T75 PreX. It is the first machine worldwide where a cutting height of more than 200 mm is combined with a tilting range of 2x 46°. What started in Febuary 2006 with the T60 PreXision, has now, only four years later, resulted in this very unique machine. The technology of tilting a saw blade in both directions to up to 46° has now been established in the MARTIN line of premium sliding table saws.  “Many MARTIN users remember the original T75 as the first tiltable sliding table saw that was invented in 1959.  MARTIN did not simply invent a new saw, MARTIN also revolutionized work in cabinetmaker’s workshops and woodworking as a whole,” says  Rolf-G. Krupezki, managing director of the traditional family-owned enterprise. “It was sort of a quantum leap because with this solution, woodworking techniques had become possible that had not been possible before.” 

“With the new T75 PreX the saw blade that can be tilted to both sides emerges from the shadow of special-purpose machinery and into the spotlight of an efficient general-purpose machine. We are convinced that the 2010 T75 PreX will have a similar reaction as the original T75 did in 1959. Or today can you actually imagine a sliding table saw without a saw blade that can at least be tilted to one side?”, asks marketing manager Michael Mühldorfer. We at MARTIN wanted to construct an efficient all-purpose machine for cabinetmakers, carpenters, joiners, woodworkers, companies that process plastics and all others that need a reliable, premium-class machine with an efficient cutting performance. 

The 2006 T60 PreXision was limited to a comparatively small cutting height of 72 mm with a saw blade diameter of 315 mm. The T75 PreX has a saw blade with a diameter of 550 mm and a cutting height of 204 mm.  A powerful 7.5 kW motor that can also be equipped with a variable speed control makes certain that the remarkable cutting height of this machine can be used efficiently. “If this is still not enough,“ says marketing director Michael Mühldorfer, grinning, “the operator can also choose a 11 kW (15 HP) motor.“

Thanks to numerous innovative solutions, the operator is free to execute each angular cut at the cross-cut fence and  at the rip fence exactly the way it is best for the task at hand or the workpiece to be machined. Now it is simply up to the operator to decide how to machine a workpiece and not up to the machine. Based on our experience since 2006, the new machine’s swivel drive and the saw arbor bearings have been steadily improved. Refinements like increased motor horsepower of up to 11 kW (15 HP) and a cutting angle with an accuracy of 0.01 degrees have also been the focus.

The tilting drive as well as the saw blade arbor bearings differ significantly from all the technical solutions previously used in the construction of sliding table saws. The T75 PreX’s saw blade arbor is moved from two sides which is the only way to move the heavy trunnion over an angle of 92° so precisely and reliably. Only very little space in the machine was available for the saw-blade arbor, which was especially challenging for the engineers. In close cooperation with a big German producer of ball bearings an ideal solution was found to achieve precise cutting results with the large 550 mm diameter saw blade.  “Most sliding table saws can only tilt the saw blade to the right“, says Michael Mühldorfer. “Our T75 PreX can also tilt the saw blade to the left by up to 46°, which amounts to an unique angular cutting range of 92°. And the machine still reaches a cutting height of approx. 130 mm measured vertically from the table, which is very important to the operators.“ Where large bonded panels have to be cut, e.g. in construction companies or joineries, the cutting height is a  very important criteria. Where previously, single components had to be cut to an angle, which was a very complex task, today whole components can be processed in one process. Potential errors can be minimized and results become more accurate.

Even a 3-axis scoring saw is a feature of the T75 PreX. MARTIN is the only company worldwide to offer a 92° machine with a real three-axis scoring saw despite the confined space inside the machine. Early on in the development process, it was very important for our engineers that the saw-blade guard of the T75 PreX provided good functionality. A saw blade that protrudes by 204 mm with a tilting range of 92° has to be covered completely by a wider guard without interfering with the operator’s work process. 

Of course MARTIN also places great emphasis on efficient and user friendly touchscreen technology. MARTIN does not only set standards when it comes to technology but also when it comes to user-friendliness. MARTIN was one of the first manufacturers to introduce operation via intuitive touchscreen controller for all its sliding table saws in 2006. “This is a standard feature today and it is just the way you expect a MARTIN should be. Step by step, the operator enters all the necessary parameters and is guided through the process by the controller. All the necessary adjustments of the controlled axes, depending on how the machine is equipped, from the saw blade to the rip fence to the 3-axis scoring saw, are done automatically. This speeds up work, prevents errors and leads to more ease of use,“ says Michael Mühldorfer. 

A MARTIN machine is a safe and long-term investment since its controller can be updated as time marches on. “We are steadily improving our software and frequently offer updates to our customers. The controllers can be upgraded at the operator’s premises with an USB stick,” says the manager of development.  The Otto Martin Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG also wants to score with the high user-friendliness of its machinery in the future. “A modern machine needs a modern operator guidance. We have committed ourselves to this concept early on and are consistently pursuing this strategy. Other manufacturers are only just starting to follow suit. Where others follow, MARTIN offers tried and tested solutions,“ says Rolf-G. Krupezki, knowing that MARTIN has set a standard once again.  

The Otto Martin Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG does not only present itself as innovative manufacturer in the sector of sliding table saws but also in other categories with its shapers, jointers and planers.  In 2007 and 2008 MARTIN presented a new generation of the T12 and the T27 shapers. At  LIGNA 2009 in Hannover, the company presented a new acrylic polisher for its T74 premium sliding table saw. Edges of Poymethylmethacrylate and even glass fiber reinforced plastics can be polished with this option which offers new possibilities for exclusive store fixture manufacturers, interior design and trade fair construction companies.