MOUNT PROSPETC, Ill. - With the announcement of a June 1 release for the new Bosch Reaxx table saw with flesh-sensing technology, Bosch officials are standing firm that their new saw does not violate SawStop patents.

Linda Beckmeyer, a spokesman for Robert Bosch LLC, told Woodworking Network, “We are vigorously defending our case.”

SawStop has previously petitioned the U.S. International Trade Commission to block importation of the Bosch Reaxx saw to the U.S. on the grounds that it violates SawStop’s patents for flesh-sensing technology in a table saw.

FDMCDigital Video Bosch Reaxx jobsite saw running Reaxx Portable Jobsite Table Saw is Bosch's first saw with the company’s proprietary flesh-detecting Active Response Technology.

“Although we do not comment on pending litigation,” said Beckmeyer, “I can tell you that we are vigorously defending our case. Bosch protects its intellectual property rights and believes in the rights of other companies to protect their IP. At Bosch, safety is a priority, and we will work to defend consumers’ rights to buy our products.”

The new Bosch GTS1041A Reaxx jobsite table saw was originally planned to be released in the fall of 2015, but the launch was delayed. In the meantime, SawStop filed an action with the International Trade Commission trying to block the Bosch saw on the grounds it infringed on SawStop’s patents. That petition has yet to be ruled on, but SawStop recently did win a procedural action in the case.

SLIDESHOW Bosch Reaxx jobsite saw detailed Reaxx Portable Jobsite Table Saw is Bosch's first saw with the company’s proprietary flesh-detecting Active Response Technology.

“The Bosch Active Response Technology platform helps reduce the risk of injury to users by combining advanced Bosch sensors and electronics with mechanical injury-prevention systems,” according to a Bosch release. “The Active Response Technology system on the Reaxx table saw detects human flesh that comes in contact with the blade and rapidly drops the saw blade below the tabletop. This high-speed action helps reduce the potential of serious user injury. ”

The Bosch saw uses a gas cartridge system reportedly derived from automotive airbag technology to instantly drop the saw blade if contact with flesh is detected. No damage is done to the saw blade, and gas cartridges can be changed out in seconds to get the saw fully functional again. The competing SawStop system not only drops the saw blade, but also uses a spring-loaded aluminum block to stop the blade instantly. To put the SawStop unit back in service requires replacing both the safety cartridge and the blade.

TEST DRIVE Will Sampson tries the SawStop job site saw From the initial introduction of the SawStop flesh-sensing safety system, I’ve been impressed.

SawStop has continually maintained the Bosch saw violates SawStop’s patents for flesh-sensing safety saw technology. “A foreign corporation like Bosch, who takes advantage of the American patent system by filing multiple patent applications every day, should respect the patents awarded to others instead of relying on its size and financial resources to disregard those patents,” said Dr. Stephen Gass, SawStop’s president in an earlier release.

But Bosch officials continued to trumpet their new saw. “The Reaxx Jobsite Table Saw is not a reinvention of the table saw category. Actually, the Reaxx saw builds on the Bosch heritage of precision cutting tools and adds an extra layer of user safety,” said Jim Stevens, product manager, Robert Bosch Tool Corporation. “Bosch is a leader in the portable table saw market, and it makes sense that the Reaxx Jobsite Table Saw incorporates great precision with the latest user interface and injury mitigation technology.”

With a 15-amp 4.0 hp motor, the Bosch Reaxx saw has an MSRP of $1,499 in the U.S. It comes with a 25-inch rip capacity and built-in mobile stand with 8-inch wheels.