Furniture Journal May 2018

MAY 2018

ON THE COVER: Woodworking goes digital: Federico Ratti introduces SCM Maestro KBB 2018: Review and Highlights The Best from Holz-Handwerk 2018 Viessmann at Specialist joinery Finsa: 25 of the Best

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MAY 2018

Contents 2

On the Cover Federico Ratti talks about SCM Maestro as the company launches its all-encompassing digital solution.

Story: pages 32-35.

Xylexpo: in a few Days

If you haven’t yet registered for Xylexpo, download the free Furniture Journal app and click the picture for a link to get your free entry ticket.

5

Elements for Blum

Blum signs up with Montgomery to exhibit at this year’s Elements and the W exhibition.

6

Champions of Talent

An initiative from the W-exhibition and Elements team is set to help you find new talent.

8

It all Adds Up

You don’t have to be Einstein to work out 7+2=B9.

10 KBB: Vibrant and Buzzing

Editor: Melvyn Earle email: Melvyn@FurnitureJournal.co.uk Direct Tel: 01502 733438 Assistant Editor: Olena Earle email: Olena@FurnitureJournal.co.uk Circulation: Marie Earle email: Circ@FurnitureJournal.co.uk www.furniturejournal.co.uk

Despite the snowfall only a few days before the event, KBB pulled the crowds and there were some interesting surprises for those who made the trip.

12 Bins made Easy

Take a look at Salice’s new waste bin system: pre-assembled, easy to install, adjustable and even fits in narrow drawers.

15 Thinking Ahead

Hinges, slides, corner solutions, bins, taps, lighting, appliances – Häfele’s got everything you’ll ever need for the furniture of the future.

16 Going Green - Inside Please note: points of view expressed in articles by contributing writers and in advertisements included in Furniture Journal do not necessarily represent those of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in Furniture Journal, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for incidents arising from use of information published. All rights, including moral rights, reserved.

COPYRIGHT: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publishers.

Copyright CPC Ltd, 2018.

ISSN 13653-8969 Readers should note that a charge may have been made by the publishers to cover the cost of reproducing some colour photographs in this publication.

19 Titus clicks at KBB

Origination: CPC Ltd Published by: Craftsman Publishing Company Ltd, Landings House, Lound Road, Blundeston, Suffolk, NR32 5AT, England. www.craftsmanpublishing.co.uk

KBB proved a great success for Titus with much interest in its T-Type hinge, panel fixings and drawer system.

20 App for Installers

New, smart features for Blum’s Easy Assembly app include Live support and a blog.

New products and new ideas on the BA stand at KBB 2018.

29 Joining Forces

There are compelling reasons for using Lamello’s jointing systems, and most flow directly to your bottom line.

30 Holz-Handwerk Review

Record visitor numbers made for full halls at the biennial Holz-Handwerk exhibition in Nürnberg.

32 The Future has Arrived

SCM’s Federico Ratti talks about Maestro Xplore, Maestro Connect and Maestro Smartech, the first truly joined up and fully functioning IoT system so far to be launched onto the world stage

36 The Next Step

Small cabinet-making workshop?

Finding the prospect of CNC a bit daunting? Holz-Her has designed the software and the machine that’s perfect for you.

41 Maka goes Modular

A brand new Maka makes its debut on the stand at Holz-Handwerk.

45 Striebig Optimised

Striebig’s retro-fittable optimisation system, available from late autumn 2018, is shown for the first time at Holz-Handwerk.

46 When the Heat is On

Among a raft of innovative technologies at Holz-Handwerk, Kleiberit launched a new PUR that has been formulated to help smaller workshops that don’t have big demand or high consumption.

51 Designer Döllken

Holz-Handwerk saw the launch of three new edgebanding products on the Döllken stand – and matching handles for one of them.

22 25 of the Best

52 Striebig on Show

25 Turkish Delight

55 Hot Stuff at Specialist Joinery

Printing: Barnwell Print

Grass throws the spotlight on Tavinea Sorto and Tavinea Optima at KBB.

26 BA goes ballistic

Expressions by Finsa: a curated selection of décors that looks towards future trends.

PVC or PET laminated MDF panels and profiles from the Turkish manufacturer, Arkopa.

Woodworking machinery distributor, TM Machinery Sales Ltd, has opened its brand new showroom in Leicester.

Ciarán O’Hagan talks about the new Viessmann installed at Specialist Joinery Group in Maghera.

2 furniture journal | MAY 2018 - BUSINESS NEWS

Xylexpo:

in a few Days If you haven’t yet registered for Xylexpo, download the free Furniture Journal app and click the picture for a link to get your free entry ticket.

T

he biennial Italian woodworking machinery show, Xylexpo, is just days away. Held at the FieraMilano Rho showground from 8th-12th May, Xylexpo is a not-to-be-missed event for anyone looking for the latest developments in panel processing or solid woodworking and associated technologies. Unless you like the idea of paying at the turnstiles, and the lengthy queues that form early, it’s advisable to pre-register through the event’s website. This way, you’ll get a free entrance ticket. Pre-registration is easy – just download the free Furniture Journal app and, using the online edition, tap the picture marked with a link sign for an instant link to the visitor registration page.

At Xylexpo 2016, visitors were treated to three packed halls and in many the giants of Italian industry were showing their latest developments. At Holz-Handwerk in February, several indicated they were holding back the newest of the new until May and promised to unveil their biggest surprises in Milan.

For 2018, the number of companies increasing their stand area means there will be four halls rather than three. The halls will also be themed this year. Halls one and three will host companies specialising in the production of panel processing machinery, tools, surface finishing and related products like hardware, semi-finished materials and

Busy Xylexpo 2016

supplies. Halls two and four will extend through panel processing and into solid wood processing machinery, semi-finished materials and complementary accessories. Each hall will have a focal point provided by one or more industry giants. Biesse and Barberán will provide the focal point in hall one, SCM in hall two, Homag and Cefla in hall three and IMA and Weinig in hall four.

As in previous years, there will be an awards event at which the prestigious XIAXylexpo Innovation Awards will be presented.

Winners in 2016 in the Solid Wood Processing category included Griggio for its Unica Safe blade retraction system, Imal for its innovative FBC200 blister detection system, Salvador for an unusual application of the Superangle 600 in the production of sofas, while in the Panel Processing category, SCM took the top spot for its J-shape edgebanding solution developed in conjunction with Kleiberit’s adhesive technologists. Biesse’s Heat Control System for monitoring glue temperature during spreading, and Metal World’s Turbo System for surface cleaning during the milling operation also won awards.

To get your free entry ticket, touch the main image on this page in the interactive edition, or to find out who is showing at Xylexpo 2018, touch www.xylexpo.com/ index.php/catalogo_eng

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BUSINESS NEWS - MAY 2018 | furniture journal 5

Elements for Blum T

he specialist fittings manufacturer, Blum, has announced its attendance at this year’s Elements and the W Exhibition.

Taking place from the 30th September - 3rd October 2018 at the NEC, Birmingham, Blum, well known as a supplier of KBB components and assembly devices, will focus its attention on showcasing technical services and support for manufacturers, whilst offering visitors an exciting interactive experience at the show.

Blum will also be joining forces with the show’s organisers to drive the importance of education and apprenticeships and help to promote young talent in the furniture manufacturing industry during the four-day event.

Lisa Robinson, Marketing Manager at Blum adds,“We have decided to take a dedicated stand showing our wide range of services and jigs that are aimed at the manufacturers and fitters of kitchens.The last W Exhibition we did was extremely successful, offering us a great opportunity to engage with our customers and we have no doubt that this one will follow suit.”

Lisa Campagnola, Event Director of Elements and The W Exhibition adds, “We are delighted to have Blum on board and look forward to welcoming them into Elements and the W Exhibition. We agree wholeheartedly with Blum that providing a unique, all-round experience for our visitors is the way forward and this is exciting for both the shows and the furniture manufacturing industry.With 90% of space already booked, I am confident that Blum will be part of a fantastic event this autumn.”

The W Exh­­ibition and Elements will be taking place from the 30 September – 3 October 2018 at the NEC Birmingham and is free to attend for trade professionals. For more information please visit www. wexhibition.co.uk. If you haven’t booked your stand yet, download the free Furniture Journal app and touch the W Exhibition logo for a direct link to the booking page, or touch www.wexhibition.co.uk/visit-elements/news for the latest show news.

Blum signs up with Montgomery to exhibit at this year’s Elements and the W exhibition.

Lisa Campagnola

6 furniture journal | MAY 2018 - BUSINESS NEWS

Champions of Talent An initiative from the W-exhibition and Elements team is set to help you find new talent.

W

ith figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) suggesting an annual requirement of more than 3,000 new positions needing to be filled every year to support the sector’s continual growth, the need for fresh new talent has never been more fundamental to the success of the industry. But, when faced with a challenging new apprenticeship levy, common misconceptions of the industry and strict health and safety legislation restricting work experience, how do businesses attract and retain young talent?

This year, the W Exhibition and sister show, Elements, are continuing their pledge to help champion the industry’s future and promote

new talent in the furniture manufacturing industry. Lisa Campagnola, Event Director for the W Exhibition and Elements explains, “When I joined Montgomery in 2014 and took over the running of the W Exhibition, the first thing I did was go out and speak with the industry. Unanimously, there was one area that exhibitors and visitors alike wanted to hear more about - apprenticeships. It quickly became apparent that apprenticeships were vital for this industry but people were left feeling baffled by jargon and lots of questions were being left unanswered.Where do you find the talent? How do you pay for this talent? And more importantly, how do you retain that talent?

“We’ve addressed this problem and this September, the W Exhibition and Elements will be launching its first Education Zone.

With the support of our show partners – Didac Limited, the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and the National

Association of Shopfitters – we will be introducing an area within the exhibition that will be specifically dedicated to apprenticeships and careers within the furniture and joinery manufacturing industries. Whether you’re an employer looking to offer an apprenticeship, an employee looking for your next step in the industry or a student who is interested in the sector, industry specialists, career advisers and business gurus will be on hand to answer questions and offer sound advice.”

To find out more, or to be involved in the education zone, call Lisa on 0207 886 3116 or email at lisa.campagnola@montex.co.uk.

The W Exh­­ibition and Elements will run from the 30 September until 3rd October 2018 at the NEC Birmingham. For more information visit www.wexhibition.co.uk or follow @W_Exhibition and @Elements_ Expo on Twitter and like The W Exhibition on Facebook.

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 7

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8 furniture journal | MAY 2018

It all Adds Up You don’t have to be Einstein to work out 7+2=B9.

I

ntroduced in the autumn of 2015 by David Clouting Ltd., the B9 dĂŠcor collection has become a firm favourite with manufacturers wanting to offer a high quality, deep textured painted look that can be seen (and almost felt) from several feet away.

Originally launched in seven colours including White, Ivory, Porcelain, Mussel,

Stone Grey, Light Grey and Graphite Grey, the B9 collection has just grown by two new, on-trend colours, a soft Denim Blue and a deep Indigo Blue. And, naturally, the two new colours also have the tactile B9 quality of a genuine painted finish.

The B9 collection is perfect for manufacturers who want to free up capacity

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 9

on their painting lines, or avoid painting entirely and replace it with an altogether more durable product that can be either membrane pressed or flat laminated.

Fully FIRA certified and available ex-stock, the 0.4mm thick décors in the B9 collection are available in small quantities of bespoke products, so mixed colours can be

accommodated in an order, or they can be supplied in rolls of 1450mm wide and any length up to 200 metres. Alternatively, choose your own colour with David Clouting’s Make-to-Order service, available with a minimum order length of 2,000 linear metres. Whichever way you look at it, 7+2=B9 is a successful equation even Albert

Einstein would have been happy to have in his kitchen.

For more information on the B9 collection, or for an update on all David Clouting Ltd’s décor products, call 01376 518037, or download the free Furniture Journal app and tap www.davidclouting.co.uk for an immediate link to the company website.

10 furniture journal | MAY 2018

KBB: Vibrant and Buzzing Despite the snowfall only a few days before the event, KBB pulled the crowds and there were some interesting surprises for those who made the trip.

I

f you’d have asked me three or four days before KBB opened its doors whether I expected the show to be its usual success, my response would have been more than a little reserved. The snow was falling, the news was preoccupied with images of blocked motorways and more bad weather was forecast around the country. Just in time, the weather abated sufficiently in the Midlands for visitors to turn out and, incredibly, with more than 15,000 visitors attending across the four days of the event, KBB 2018 turned into the biggest and

most successful yet, returning a 25% increase in visitor numbers compared with KBB 2016.

Another surprise was the number of visitors who came to KBB from overseas: that was also up this year by a staggering 14% on 2016. The show organisers, UBM, say that “reaffirms economic and trading conditions are everimproving”. I’m not sure I’d go that far but we should certainly take it as a positive step in the right direction – and one I’d very much like to see echoed in the W-Exhibition and the Elements exhibition this coming autumn.

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 11

KBB has traditionally been much more about finished kitchens and bathrooms, appliances and brassware than about the components that can be found inside the furniture. To be honest, I hadn’t even included the show in Furniture Journal’s features list for that reason. But looking down the exhibitor list as the exhibition drew closer, it became clear that many of the industry’s top suppliers were showing alongside their clients – well known brands like Blum, Häfele, Grass, Salice,Vauth-Sagel, Titus and Lamello, décor producers like Finsa, Formica and Plasfilms and the always-inventive and inspiring crew from Cookstown, BA. There were new products and new ideas from most of them,

as you’ll see in the pages that follow. And for fitters, there were several stands with hand tools, among them Mirka and Festool.

Support was shown at the Retail and Design Conference by experts from brands including Houzz, Fitch, Formica Group and Futurist, who shared practical solutions for the home of the future, predicted future colour trends and demonstrated how to create retail theatre in a showroom.

Prominent features on the show floor included award-winning designer Colin Wong’s ‘The Rock’ concept, which reinterprets kitchen architecture in the home of tomorrow and involved leading material suppliers Corian, Neolith, Formica and Cosentino.

The organisers confirm feedback for KBB Birmingham 2018 has been overwhelmingly positive with many citing it as having a ‘vibrant’ and ‘buzzing’ atmosphere. Blum’s Sales and Marketing Director, David Saunders, confirmed KBB was the place to be, adding, “It has got a buzz about it. We have been here since 2012, when the show was half the size of what it is today.” For sure, in the two days I was there the aisles were busy, business was clearly being written on the stands and there were plenty of smiles to suggest things were going well for many. And isn’t that a major achievement when you consider the event coincided with the worst weather conditions we’ve seen in the UK for year or two?

12 furniture journal | MAY 2018

REVIEW

Bins made Easy Take a look at Salice’s new waste bin system: pre-assembled, easy to install, adjustable and even fits in narrow drawers.

Salice’s stand at KBB.

S

alice’s KBB stand provided an opportunity for visitors who didn’t get over to Pordenone in the autumn of last year to see the latest products launched at Sicam. Alongside its co-planar systems, Mover vertical sliding system, Wind lift and Pacta fall flap solutions – and the stylish Pin system – Salice used KBB to launch a new waste bin system for the UK. Based on the proven Lineabox drawer system, the removable bins are fitted into a carrier that’s mounted on the base panel of the drawer. The carrier is a sturdy steel plate that can be adjusted in three directions for perfect positioning and there are different versions that have been designed to take various different sizes of waste bins.You can choose whichever size of drawer you want

from 450mm up to 1200mm and both the Lineabox drawer and the waste bins are supplied in kits that can be assembled easily without tools.

The Lineabox slides are full extension, so the bins pull out beyond the cabinet, and each pair will take loads of up to 37kg. Bin sizes include 340mm, 440mm, or 600mm in height. Lineabox finishes include White, Titanium, Champagne and Stainless Steel.

The bins are available in black.

For more information call 01480 413831 or download the free Furniture Journal app and touch www.saliceuk.co.uk for a direct link to Salice UK’s website. To see how simple it is to fit Lineabox, tap the picture marked with a link sign and watch the video.

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MAY 2018 | furniture journal 15

REVIEW

Thinking Ahead Our philosophy for the stand this year is thinking ahead,” commented Becci Pell on the Häfele stand at KBB 2018.

“As a company, we’ve always had an innovative approach to the products we sell but our German roots demand that we try to help build furniture with a future.

“We hear more and more about spaces in houses becoming smaller. That drives how furniture needs to behave. Smart technology means you can connect everyone in the home. As a company, we think very carefully about the products we can introduce that make the best use of space and meet the demands of how we live.”

Siting its double-decker stand between Vauth-Sagel and Grass, whose products mirror Häfele’s innovative, forward thinking approach was a move intended to reinforce the partnership between the three companies. But alongside hardware and components that go into furniture, Häfele also offers Smeg appliances and the hospitality area on the second level of the stand was sponsored by the tap manufacturer, Grohe, another of Häfele’s partners. “At the show, we’re also showing Ninka Qanto as a showpiece, Hailo Eurocargo bins and the Hailo laundry carrier.

It’s all about configuring space while

concealing things. We have some lovely Perrin & Rowe and Grohe taps in bright colours that give the customer the flexibility to change the colours in their kitchen very easily, as and when they wish. We’re also showing Alu-Splash two-sided aluminium splashbacks – and we’ve brought in a new range of pendant lighting as well as the Loox system for smart homes.” Other displays included Accuride slides; Slido, Hawa sliding door gear; and the full range of Häfele IxConnect furniture fittings and MX drawer systems.

One small but highly innovative tool fitters will love was the Axilo adjusting tool, which makes it really easy to wind up or wind down even the most inaccessible of adjustable base unit feet. It’s a simple geared mechanism on the end of a short pole that can be hand-cranked or operated with a drill. Absolutely brilliant – and if ever there was a tool that encapsulated Häfele’s theme of “thinking ahead”, this was surely it.

For more information, call Häfele UK on 01788 542020, or download the free Furniture Journal app, touch any picture showing a link sign on the online edition and you’ll be taken to more information.

Alternatively, touch www.hafele.co.uk for a direct link.

Hinges, slides, corner solutions, bins, taps, lighting, appliances – Häfele’s got everything you’ll ever need for the furniture of the future.

Alu-Splash behind the Ninka Qanto.

Grohe taps along the back.

The Axilo adjusting tool.

16 furniture journal | MAY 2018 Main image: Tavinea Sorto Below: David Shoebridge

REVIEW

Going Green

- Inside Grass throws the spotlight on Tavinea Sorto and Tavinea Optima at KBB.

Grass sponsored the entrance to Hall 17 at KBB

N

ot so very long ago, a drawer was a drawer and it either opened and closed softly, or it didn’t – and that was pretty much all the average consumer was offered. Nowadays, what goes on inside a drawer, and how it looks when you open it, are seen as selling points that hold the key to adding both style and profit. Rising consumer awareness of the advantages of organisation has given rise to a number of solutions for storing anything from pots and pans to cutlery – and this was the focus on the Grass stand at KBB. “The main focus for us at KBB is what’s inside drawers,” commented Grass UK’s Sales Director, David Shoebridge. “We launched Scala about a year ago. At this show we’re showing the additional components to create a system. The internal dividers give you more of a package, adding to the drawer.

“Our internal drawer solutions are Tavinea Sorto and Optima. It’s a colour coded system of components that allows the consumer to divide their drawers up to suit their needs.

Designed for a standard depth 450-500mm drawer, there are three components so you can make up your own drawer as you’d like it.

If your drawer is 800mm wide, and you want to make a six-section cutlery part, it’s very easy and it can be changed if your needs change. If you have odd-sized items, you can

use the same system because its flexible. There are three colour options, stone, silver and white. Stone gives you the dark lava grey that doesn’t show marks as easily as a black might and it’s not so contrasty, so it works better with woodgrains.”

Tavinea Sorto consists of two frames (B186 and B276) and a crossbar. The frames do not have a base and they are anti-slip, they are easy to position in the drawer without the need for anti-slip mats. The clear space between the frames is available for storing items. In combination with the appropriate accessories, such as the knife block and the cross panel, a perfect organising system can be created in the drawer. The surface is scratch-resistant and matches the material and colour of the drawer sides. There are four standardised adjustable frames with which it is possible to fit out drawers with nominal lengths of 350 to 650, while keeping the complexity of parts to a minimum. Tavinea Optima is the dividing system for Nova Pro and Vionaro pot and plate drawers.

For more information call Grass UK on 0121 500 5824, or download the free Furniture Journal app and, using the online edition, tap the picture displaying a link sign for more information, or www.grass.at/home.html?L=1 to browse the Grass website.

TAVINEA SORTO INTERIOR ACCESSORY SYSTEM

The ideal partner.

Focused on its purpose.

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Function, form and colour make the perfect match. Dimensional stability in steel: two frame units with slender 6 mm sections and one length divider create a structure that harmonises with Nova Pro Scala in material, form and colour.

Tavinea Sorto provides the systematic finishing touch to the new drawer generation Nova Pro Scala. No matter whether it’s in the kitchen, bathroom or living room, Tavinea Sorto organises every drawer with graphic elegance.

A small number of elements are all it takes for Tavinea Sorto to offer maximum variability. Easy to insert and hygienically ideal to clean. Aesthetic design becomes a functional eye-catcher.

www.grass.eu

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MAY 2018 | furniture journal 19

REVIEW

Titus clicks at KBB KBB proved a great success for Titus with much interest in its T-Type hinge, panel fixings and drawer system.

F

or cabinet hardware expert Titus, this year’s KBB show was hectic, exciting and ultimately rewarding! “We had an incredible show, and we never stopped for a minute!” said Phil Beddoe, General Manager of Titus UK. “There was a huge amount of interest in our new product introductions, particularly the revolutionary T-type hinges.

Visitors not only wanted demonstrations of these and our other innovative products, they were also asking questions that made it clear they were thinking about exactly how they could use them in their own applications.”

Titus T-type hinges offer convenient three-way clip-on installation, which makes them especially easy to use with large doors, as well as the unique Titus confident-close feature that is a big favourite with end users. T-type hinges can be used with door thicknesses from 18 to 24 mm and, whatever the door thickness, they show only a 2mm reveal. In addition, they

are ideal for use with the larger, heavier doors often found in the latest furniture designs.

“It was great to be exhibiting in the UK again. Titus started in the UK over 45 years ago, so it was great to catch up with old faces and introduce the advantages of Titus to new contacts,” Phil added. “We can’t wait to start converting the enquiries we received into new business relationships and to introduce even more customers to the benefits our products offer. Will we be doing KBB again next time? Of course we will – but we might need a bigger stand, as we have some exciting times ahead!”

For more information on Titus products, call 01977 682582, or download the free Furniture Journal app and tap www.titusplus.com/int/en/ for a direct link to the Titus website or tap the main image for a brochure and a video demonstrating the Titus T-Type hinge.

Top: The Titus T-Type hinge and The Quickfit TL5, full metal jacket dowel that offers exceptional pull-out resistance.

Above: The Titus stand at KBB.

20 furniture journal | MAY 2018

REVIEW

App for Installers New, smart features for Blum’s Easy Assembly app include Live support and a blog.

H

ow many times have you found yourself looking at a diagram or a set of instructions and wondering why manufacturers don’t always make things easy for those at the business end of installation?

One manufacturer has done exactly that by introducing an app that offers genuine onthe-job assistance – and at KBB, Blum demonstrated the new, enhanced features of its technology-leading Easy Assembly app. The app, demonstrated on a bustling stand at KBB, is free to download and now provides Live Support so fitters can get immediate and direct help on the assembly and adjustment of Blum fittings.

The Live Support feature in the app includes easy-to-use phone, chat and video functions that make it possible for cabinetmakers and fitters to contact experts easily and get direct and immediate support in the workshop, or if they encounter a problem on

site. The app also has its own blog, providing news and tips about general assembly topics and information about the app itself. Users can ask questions and discuss issues with experts, providing an interactive and immediate form of communication.

Another advantage of Blum’s digital tool is that cabinet-makers and fitters can compile and manage all app content to suit their personal needs. The specific information that users need for installation on site can be downloaded to the corresponding end device, reducing the data volume considerably. Menu navigation has also been optimised and is now easier and faster.

Tap the main image on this page using the Furniture Journal app to watch a video demonstration of Blum’s free app, or call Blum UK on 01908 285700 for more information on Blum products. Alternatively, visit Blum by tapping www.blum.com/gb/en/

Gets you closer. For perfection.

Gets you closer. For perfection.

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before. By getting you closer to the surface, we

bring your sanding experience to a completely new Mirka® DEOS boasts an extremely powerful brushless motor, level — you will never go back to hand sanding so we are able to shave off weight, size and height. Add smart Bluetooth connectivity and an integrated vibration sensor and again. you can monitor vibration levels while sanding.

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22 furniture journal | MAY 2018

REVIEW

Finsa’s KBB stand Background: Roble Azabache

25 of the Best Expressions by Finsa: a curated selection of décors that looks towards future trends.

Nogal Siena

F

insa’s new UK range of 25 décors has been selected to meet the upcoming trends in the company’s 2018-2019 Trendbook. The Trendbook was created in collaboration with the prestigious Londonbased trend agency ‘Colour Hive’, taking into account the most significant advances in technology, architecture, and interior design and is based on key factors that frame the context in which decorative surfaces are used.

Finsa brings to the UK an innovative pallet of colours and textures that can easily combine to create either fun and bold or soft and elegant spaces. The range, called ‘Expressions by Finsa’, includes deep-textured woodgrain décors, unicolours and unique décors that include on-trend patterns and design ideas.

Terrazo Mix, for example, is a classic tileinfluence melamine with a neutral tone that

makes it easy to combine with most of the unicolours and wood-species. Contrast this with Nogal Siena, a medium-tone walnut which can be combined with any other textured surfaces thanks to its supermatt finish. This woodgrain melamine goes perfectly with both vibrant colours and softer tones. The collection also includes a variety of woodgrain décors ranging from lighter tones like Maple Nomada to really dark, almost black décors like Roble Azabache.

Following the ‘Master’ trend in Finsa’s trendbook, which respects materials and considers a polished approach to design, offering high-end outcomes and luxurious aesthetics, is Copper Patina. This is an innovative and very ‘on-trend’ new melamine. Its metallic copper tint creates a true sense of luxury and sophistication when combined with other high-end materials and elegant colours.

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 23 Maple Nomada

Copper Patina Melamine

Oak Hercules

Classic unicolours like Azul Náutico are also part of ‘Expressions by Finsa’. This bold navy blue helps to bring a splash of colour to a minimalist interior. However, it is versatile enough to be combined with other colours and patterns from the collection, such as Terrazo Mix or a more natural oak décor such as Hercules Oak. Coupled with the Atlas texture, which highlights the natural features of the wood in a subtle yet effective way, Hercules Oak shows a rustic character similar to that in high quality veneers.

Another popular texture present in this new range is Finsa’s Nude, a texture inspired by leather. When applied to neutral-toned décors, it gives the melamine a silky touch and a very elegant look. It’s perfect for bedrooms and interiors that require a calm atmosphere.

Presenting the complete collection at the KBB show in Birmingham from a spectacular

stand, Finsa drew interest from a wide range of visitors with a four metre high wall full of colours and textures from their main melamine range. The wall showed a full colour spectrum where woodgrains and unicolours melted perfectly, bringing some colour to the NEC. This new range is available on Superpan, a unique board developed by Finsa. This consists of two external faces of MDF and a core of chipboard, which combines the main advantages of both MDF and chipboard panels.

When coated with melamine, Superpan provides perfect cutting which significantly reduces surface chipping and thus increases tool durability.

For more information, call Finsa UK on 0151 651 2400, or download the free Furniture Journal app and tap www.finsa.com for a direct link to Finsa’s website, or any picture with a link sign.

Finsa’s new natural woodgrain veneers at KBB

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The Alberti T-Flight - a dedicated throughfeed drilling machine, which is extremely accurate and fast, with a small footprint and is very competitively priced. Machine a typical kitchen gable in 35 seconds and process butt and scribe joints on worktops, locking slots, sink cut-outs, cable tidy cut-outs – it will process everything.

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MAY 2018 | furniture journal 25

REVIEW

Turkish Delight PVC or PET laminated MDF panels and profiles from the Turkish manufacturer, Arkopa.

I

f you’re looking for PVC, or PET laminated boards on an MDF core, Arkopa is a company you might want to make contact with. Available through Ney Ltd of Coventry, who currently stock a range of 30 colours from the Arkopa range (which extends to around 110 colours in high gloss and 85 in matt, plus woodgrains), Arkopa’s panel products are available as 1220 x 2800mm sheets, or cut and edged by Ney’s manufacturing facility in Ireland.

Interviewed on the company’s KBB stand, Arkopa’s owner, Onur Kilicer, told Furniture Journal, “Arkopa is specialised in components.

We make panels.We have nine lines for moulding and wrapping and also produce many

kinds of profiles. Mostly, we are laminating PVC and acrylic onto MDF for the KBB sector.We can apply many designs from white to hologram effects, 3d designs and metallics.

“We are also offering wall panels, skirtings and a new product for interior doors – sets that include jambs, frames and skins as well as doors.

“The surfaces we use are from South Korea and Italy. We have a global swatch but we are keeping 30 of the most popular colours for the UK market in Coventry.

Now we have a warehouse in Coventry with Ney, we are able to offer next day delivery.”

“We have 8 Acrylic colours coming soon on 18mm. They will be single-sided with

matching matt on the back,” adds Ney’s David Canning. “Arkopa is different to other companies, both in the surfaces it offers and in the price. It’s a very competitively-priced product range. Both the PVC and the acrylic products have a UV coating that prevents yellowing, and that’s guaranteed. Despite the price, the quality is certified - tested by global testing companies. We’ve also just received FIRA certification for fire resistance. Arkopa’s products meet the B2 standard.”

For more information call Ney Ltd on 024 7630 8100, or download the free Furniture Journal app and tap www.ney.co.uk for a direct link to Ney’s website.

26 furniture journal | MAY 2018

REVIEW

BA goes ballistic New products and new ideas on the BA stand at KBB 2018.

Top Left: Textured concrete with matt black handles.

Top Right: Clic storage boxes.

Centre: Ultragloss Baltic Blue and Light Grey frontals.

Above: Wow factor: the metallic was also shown as a mirror.

N

ew doors, new complete Clic offers, new décor concepts and more were to be found on the BA stand at KBB 2018. “We are launching some new concept designs with Bella and Zurfiz to see what the networks think of them,” BA’s Sales Manager, Mani Bhambra, told Furniture Journal from a packed stand. “There’s a lot of demand for copper and brushed steel. Once we hear from our dealer networks, we’ll start producing.

“We’ve launched eight new colours in Zurfiz and Bella and some new designs, like the matt denim Blue in Bella. It looks like a painted door even though it’s a vinyl wrap.

Our Aldridge door style is very classical and looks particularly good in matt denim.”

Also new – and very striking – was a highly textured concrete style slab door with a novel, and very effective new inverted matt black handle design. I’m not a great lover of concrete but even I had to admit, set off with a simple but stylish matt black handle, it really did look the business.

“With Zurfiz we’ve just launched a new Baltic Blue door,” continued Mani. “The dealers love it. It’s very eye catching. Mixed with a white gloss door, it makes a very strong statement. It’s a true handleless style with a graphite or black matt system rail very slick and ultra modern.

“Sales for supermatts are also growing at a rapid rate. No fingerprints, easy to clean, easy to maintain – they’ve got a lot to offer.”

Another recent introduction shown at KBB was BA’s wraps. “These are mitred panels that go on the end of a base run or an island and wrap the whole side, either as a u-shape or an L-shape,” explained Mani.

“They save cutting on site and can be bespoke to whatever size you want in Zurfiz and Bella.” To find out more, go into the BA ordering system, put in the length, height and return you want and it will arrive ready mitred for you.

Clicbox, BA’s no glue, build-it-in-seconds carcase system, is now available in 30 countries worldwide and, for the first time, BA showed a brand new application on the KBB stand: storage boxes that use the clicbox concept. “We’re showing these mostly to get feedback,” commented Mani. “The reaction has been very positive. It’s quirky. They can be used anywhere – living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms… Wherever you want additional storage, and like all Clic products, they build up in a few seconds. We’re showing four styles in four sizes to test the market.”

For more information on BA’s product offer, call 028 8676 4600, or download the free Furniture Journal app and directly link to their website by touching www.byba.co.uk.

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Clamex P-14

The P-System by Lamello. Unbeatable when it comes to joining wood. | www.lamello.com Shaye Chatfield | Area Manager UK, Ireland | Mobile +44 (0) 789 1025 646 | s.chatfield@lamello.com

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 29

REVIEW

Joining Forces There are compelling reasons for using Lamello’s jointing systems, and most flow directly to your bottom line.

C

onvenience, efficiency, time-saving, improved quality, accuracy, costsaving – the list of reasons for using Lamello’s jointing systems for panels and solid timber is more than compelling. But judging by the number of people at KBB who were gathering around the demonstrations on the Lamello stand, there are still a lot of cabinetmakers, joiners and interior specialists who might well have used Lamello’s biscuits but hadn’t seen for themselves the benefits of the Lamello P-System.

“The P-System is our main focus at KBB,” commented Shaye Chatfield, Lamello AG’s Area Sales Manager in the UK. “It’s a good product, easy to use and very versatile. In the workshop, or out on site, the fixings in the P-System are very reliable and fast to use, saving hours of on-site time and making assembly of panels or solid wood components a lot quicker and smoother operation. The machines are Swissmade and very reliable. They make application of the various options in the P-System simple

and quick and most people find the quality of the product improves as well.”

Even complex joints with awkward angles that can’t be easily held with sash clamps can be accomplished easily with Lamello’s P-System. Once the slots have been cut, push the fixings in and snap them together. Job done.

“You can quite literally fit them and walk away,” says Shaye.

Once you buy into the system there is a range of fittings that can be used covering simple panel fixings for joining flat-packed panels through to pressure-exerting fittings that can be used to hold components while glue sets - and the very neat Divario, an invisible, self-clamping connector that’s really great for shelving.

For more information download the free Furniture Journal app and directly link to their website by touching www.lamello.com or contact Lamello’s UK representative, Shaye Chatfield, on 0789 1025 646 or email s.chatfield@lamello.com

Shaye Chatfield

30 furniture journal | MAY 2018

Holz-Handwerk

Review I

confess, Holz-Handwerk is not my favourite exhibition. Unless you’ve paid through the nose to stay at a hotel in the centre of Nürnberg, access by car from outside the city to the exhibition centre is awful, made all the worse by a series of traffic lights that seem ill at ease letting more than a handful of cars through at a time. Pile-ups and road works on the Autobahns made things worse, and a trip that should have taken less than an hour took more than three hours on two of the three days we were there. Once inside, the design

of the Nürnbergmesse makes navigation between the halls unnecessarily difficult and time-consuming. But, remarkably, HolzHandwerk is arguably one of the most successful shows in the biennial calendar and, although it is unashamedly a German exhibition for German manufacturers, its influence becomes more international with each event.

Pairing Holz-Handwerk with Fensterbau Frontale, the exhibition for windows and window manufacturing, enabled the joint pull

Record visitor numbers made for full halls at the biennial Holz-Handwerk exhibition in Nürnberg. of the two fairs to achieve record visitor numbers – the organisers claim “more than 110,000 international experts from the wood and window industries” between 21st and 24th March. The combined exhibitor number was put at 1,329, an increase from 1,288 in 2016, and 515 of those exhibitors showed in Holz-Handwerk. That figure also represents an increase from 494 in 2016. Exhibitors from 19 countries showed at Holz-Handwerk.

Visitors came from 123 countries compared with 116 in 2016 – but, of course, these

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 31

figures relate to the combined exhibitions, not Holz-Handwerk alone.

Although many of the Italian exhibitors at Holz-Handwerk were holding back until Xylexpo to launch anything really new, the number of new technologies debuting at this show was unexpectedly high, given that the event is really aimed at cabinet-makers, joiners and carpenters rather than major manufacturers. Key highlights you’ll find detailed in the following pages included SCM’s presentation of its now all-

encompassing Maestro suite, while Maka showed a new entry level modular machining centre that will appeal to those who want customisation to suit their production in a heavyweight format but don’t want the usual wait for a bespoke machine to be built. Striebig, always known for playing its cards close to its chest when it comes to new launches, presented a prototype of a new retro-fittable optimisation system that should be available later in autumn 2018, while the

adhesives specialist, Kleiberit, launched several new products including a PUR you can keep in the gluepot for 24 hours without cleaning down.

Summing up the success of the show, Stefan Dittrich, the Exhibition Director for Holz-Handwerk, commented: “With the impetus provided by this successful event, we are highly motivated to prepare for our 20th anniversary exhibition in 2020.”

The next edition of Holz-Handwerk will take place between 18th and 21st March 2020.

32 furniture journal | MAY 2018 Shatterproof glass, waterproof IP65, dust resistant, multi-touch capacitive screen, fanless cooling, IP53 enclosure – that’s SCM’s new Eye-M console, launched at Holz-Handwerk.

REVIEW

The Future has Arrived SCM’s Federico Ratti talks about Maestro Xplore, Maestro Connect and Maestro Smartech, the first truly joined up and fully functioning IoT system so far to be launched onto the world stage

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Federico Ratti

ot so very long ago, wood and panel processing machinery shows were all about presenting the latest engineering developments: ever faster machines; more compact machines with increased specifications; faster cycle times and greater versatility; more bangs for your bucks. In the face of strong competition, engineering technology from all the major producers has matured rapidly and in recent times, emphasis has started to move away from cycle times and kilowatts and much more towards service and how best to deliver it to you, the user of the machines.

Over the last year or two, there’s been a lot of talk about IoT – the Internet of Things – and the benefits of IoT for users of woodworking and panel processing machinery. Several piecemeal solutions have been presented that address various elements of the service package most furniture and joinery manufacturers now

expect when they buy a machine or set up a line, but at Holz-Handwerk visitors had the opportunity to see the first truly joined up and fully functioning system so far to be launched onto the world stage. It’s all encompassing, it’s from SCM and the breadth of its capability is phenomenal.

Users of SCM machinery will already be familiar with Maestro software. From its introduction around six years ago, Maestro has grown to encompass every process from sawing to drilling, sanding, moulding and edgebanding, to panel storage and line supervision. In the last few months, however, Maestro has begun to take the spotlight not just for its ability to control individual machines and processes, but for its ability to help you decide on the best machines to improve your productivity and explore every aspect of them before you buy; for its ability to check and monitor the performance of your machines, predict potential breakdowns

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 33

and help you schedule predictive maintenance; and for its ability to provide immediate connection with remotely located experts who can both guide you via a real time video and audio link through the most efficient way to achieve the results you want, and assist your staff and on-site engineers to locate and rectify mechanical or electrical issues quickly and efficiently.

SCM’s Technical Director, Federico Ratti, takes up the story: “At Holz-Handwerk we are demonstrating Maestro Xplore, Maestro Connect and Maestro Smartech. Maestro Xplore software presents potential customers who are interested in big systems with a perfect working model of the whole factory and the production they want to achieve before they buy it. It enables us to understand in the pre-selling phase what we have to build and design and it enables us to build a virtual factory model that we can

present to our customer so he can explore, walk around and we check and improve for limits or bottlenecks in the design of even the most complicated lines. We design the solution and model it with a system that simulates the customer’s production exactly, even when there are non-SCM machines in the line. For each machine in the process, we enter all the information for the correct cycle time for each part the customer wants to make. Thanks to the built model, we run through the production in accelerated time and in five minutes we can check the production for a whole week, comparing desired production with actual production. It means we can ensure the solution we are proposing is the right one for the customer.

We can then put the customer inside the virtual factory with the virtual reality system using special glasses. The customer can walk around the system and see the solution, watch the panels through each process,

Giada Donati “Maestro Xplore is the simulator we use in the engineering department to calculate the productivity of a complex multi technology plant before it is physically installed. We put all the PLC and supervisor logics into the system to establish the productivity, including statistics about the plant and the machines. It is important to show all machines working together, so with Maestro Xplore, we can run a whole week’s production in a few minutes and see bottlenecks instantly.

It means we can improve productivity or rearrange the entire plant before it is built if we need to. In the latest version of Maestro Explore we can have true virtual reality so the customer can navigate around the plant and satisfy himself it will meet his production requirements before it goes in his factory.”

34 furniture journal | MAY 2018

Manuela Andreani “Maestro Connect is the IoT platform powered by SCM Group. Today we are providing proof of concept to show the market the idea behind it.We will launch it at Xylexpo.

“The story starts in the machine. The heart of the IoT platforms solutions are the machines that are provided with smart components and connectivity components. The smart machine has sensors and software that collects information about the machine’s usage and operations that it later transfers across the internet for analysis. The idea is to provide added value services: services that, using a smartphone or device, the customer can use to monitor and control the machine.

“Using the Morbidelli P200 at the other side of the stand as an example, we are collecting data such as the availability of the machine – is it working, is it ready to work, how long is it in error status, how long was it waiting to process pieces. Availability is connected with productivity so it gives the user information at a higher level about the productivity of the machine.

“Another key performance indicator is the efficiency and the idea is to avoid downtime and know exactly how much time the machine has been working, in error, or waiting to work. In area two, for example it shows how many pieces aren’t yet processed. If we see active errors we can monitor these.

“Maestro Connect also provides maintenance services, feeding back information on the usage of the spindles, the vacuum pump, the lubrication system, etc., that the user can compare with a fully optimised machine.This information enables him to schedule maintenance in advance at a time that suits him.

He can use it to monitor several machines and provide a set of reports and statistics.

“IoT is about smart components, data collection for later analysis and monitoring and control that enable proactive maintenance based on observation of the machine, usage of its components and its operations. It’s applicable to some older machines as well as new ones. Some older machines can be retrofitted so they can also pass data to the IoT platform for later analysis.

check the movement of the machines and the robots. He can understand before buying the system if production meets with his expectations and he can also see the dimensions of the line and walk around it.

“Another solution we are presenting at Holz-Handwerk is Maestro Connect. This is our IoT solution. We can connect all a customer’s machines to the cloud and the machines will send data during production to it – everything from uptime, downtime, temperature of electrospindles and vibration, to numbers of pieces produced. Everything.

Why do we want to do this? 20 years ago, we started to offer maintenance programs: every two months change the oil, every six months change this, every year do that. It was a lot. Maestro Connect is all about predictive maintenance. If the electrospindle starts vibrating, it shows in Connect and you have to check the tool. If the vacuum pump temperature increases, you check the oil, and so on. With a lot of data being collected

we are able to make the machine learn the data and predict before an incident whether it needs maintenance, or whether it will have a problem in the next few days. We take from the machine a lot of data to understand what the machine needs to work at its best. We can decrease the downtime of the machine a lot for our customers with Connect.” Connect was demonstrated with a live connection to a Morbidelli P200 at Holz-Handwerk that was continuously relaying data pertaining to its status, but Federico is adamant that what was on show, though fully functioning, was just the tip of an iceberg that will see much more development in the coming weeks and months: “The future will be intelligent maintenance,” he assures.

“The third solution we are showing is Maestro Smartech,” continues Federico, “And this is an augmented reality solution.

Maestro Smartech enables the customer to use glasses in front of a machine to relay

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 35

The SCM technician can send drawings and even mark up areas to draw attention to them in real time.

A camera, positioned in the centre of the bridge, sends real time images and audio to a technician back at SCM.

video and speak directly with an expert in order to locate and solve problems. A camera in the glasses shows a technician at SCM what the customer is seeing, and provides a video and voice connection that enables the customer to do whatever is needed to solve a problem or to make the machine work at its best. It’s also possible for the technician to send to the glasses more information, for example documentation or a plan that shows the assembly of a part. He can mark on the plan in real time using a pen to draw attention to something and at the same time explain what the customer needs to do. The customer sees what our technician sees. This kind of system can be used by our technicians as well. Each SCM technician has a pair of glasses like this, so it enables us to send service technicians to the customer and provide them with additional advice from a senior technician in the company if they need it to rectify a problem more quickly.”

SCM’s Holz-Handwerk stand threw a spotlight on new hardware as well as new software: “In this show we are presenting for the first time our new console, the Eye-M” explained Federico. “I think it’s the first time that a producer of woodworking machines has introduced a console that includes an industrial solution – it’s a solution with a PC in the back. It’s fanless, dust and waterproof, vibration resistant, humidity resistant and resistant to environmental problems. It has a 21.5” multi-touch screen you can use with ten fingers. It’s a screen for the next generation of software and all our machines will have this system in future.”

If you’d like to explore Maestro Xplore, Maestro Connect or Maestro Smartech, contact SCM in the UK on 0115 977 0044, or download the free Furniture Journal app and touch any of the pictures with a link icon to immediately go to video demonstrations and more. Alternatively, touch info@scmgroup.com to send an email.

Lorenzo Monti “Maestro Smartech allows a wearable computer to connect you to somebody thousands of kilometres away in an office where we have the highest technical competence. By clicking a button you can scroll navigate a list of contacts, look for the one most appropriate to your needs and send a call request to him. All the hotliners are sitting behind computers, so you get immediate access without the wait you could expect of a service telephone line. The technician sees an incoming call and answers. The connection starts. The first feature you notice is live stream – the operator and engineer wearing this device is broadcasting what he sees.You see the guy you are talking to.You can disable the video and still listen if you wish.

“The Smart Glasses have 64gb of hard disc, an embedded microphone, a highresolution camera, a flashlight, a track pad and buttons that enable interaction and navigation through menus and features. It’s connected via wifi, or a mobile hotspot like a phone.

“If the technician needs to send you something to explain what to do or what to look for, he could send you an assembly drawing, a catalogue of spare parts, a bill of materials, electrical or pneumatic diagrams with high resolution pictures – whatever is needed.You can zoom in, or zoom out. The technician in the back office can annotate with colours on the page to show you something better – it really is augmented reality.You can take a picture using the device and send it to the technician - it could be a serial number, an aspect of a component or an electrical cabinet, or, using the flashlight, some detail in a dark area. It’s always in high resolution so you and the technician can zoom in and see detail. It’s like he is on the machine with you.You can clear the working area of documents by pushing them off the field of view, if you wish.

There are advanced features under development that will add to this in the future.”

36 furniture journal | MAY 2018

REVIEW

The

Next Step Small cabinet-making workshop? Finding the prospect of CNC a bit daunting? Holz-Her has designed the software and the machine that’s perfect for you.

Y

Markus Reisenegger

ou know it makes sense to look at a CNC machining centre because the guys down the road have one and they can do the same job as you a lot quicker, a lot more efficiently and a lot cheaper. If you are going to compete, you have to be more efficient – but you have neither the space, nor the programming skills to cope with a CNC, right? After all, you’re a craftsman, not a computer geek. Well, there’s one company that understands the issues you’re facing, and they’ve come up with a solution that’s as perfectly tailored to your situation as your furniture is to the needs of your clients.

The Holz-Her Nextec isn’t a machine, it’s a complete package comprising machine and specially designed, craftsman-friendly software - and if you can order a bag of spuds from Tesco’s online shop, you’ve already got the skills necessary to use the Nextec. The only difference is, when you drop your spuds into your supermarket trolley, select one bag and

press “buy”, Tesco wont peel them, cook them and turn them into fluffy mash for you.

The Nextec will optimise that 8x4 panel, cut out all the components necessary for the cabinet, cut the joints and even label each part without you doing anything more than hitting the “make it” button.

Holz-Her has stripped the technicalia right out of the Cabinet Select software that comes with the Nextec, enabling you to select from up to 300 cabinets, decide on the quantity you want to make, choose the material and your preferred connection hardware and have the cabinet made by simply dragging it into your shopping cart. If you want to change the dimensions of any item in the library to create a custom cabinet, you can do that very easily.You can also create your own cabinets, either by inputting directly, or by modifying what’s there already.

“The software creates the CNC files and nests, optimising without the user having to

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 37

1

2

3

4

The unique Clamex cutter.

5

1 Choose your cabinet from the library and drag it into the production zone below.

2 Produce, or process further through Warehouse.

3 One click starts the process.

4 Nesting happens in the background.

5 Check tools easily.

get involved in anything technical,” explains Markus Reisenegger, Holz-Her’s CNC Product Specialist. “It is designed to enable people who are not skilled in programming to produce furniture, or even an entire kitchen, easily and quickly.You can start producing from the first day the machine arrives.”

At its most basic level the Nextec concept includes the machine, Cabinet Select and Nextec Warehouse software. That’s fine if you want to control everything from the machine, but what if you need some flexibility to design away from the workshop, or you have a partner who visits clients and needs to send customer approved layouts assembled from your own library of cabinets back to the workshop for manufacturing? That’s when you need the office based version of the Nextec package, Cabinet Control Pro. “With Cabinet Control Pro, you can show your customer the entire room in 3d,” explains Markus.

“Cabinet Select will also show a 3d visual of a

Wherever you position workpieces or cups, vacuum is applied automatically.

cabinet set but you need Cabinet Control Pro if you are going to work in the office rather than at the machine.Your library of cabinets is held on a separate office based computer that comes as part of the package rather than on the machine itself, but it works the same way, doing all the nesting for you, machining the parts from the cabinets you drag into your shopping trolley.” There’s even a warehouse version that will control both stock and production – for when you really start to grow: Warehouse Pro. Holz-Her offers several machine options in its Nextec package. The smallest is the Nextec 7705, and it’s available in two widths (1560mm and 2200mm) and three lengths up to 6250mm. There are some quite unique – and very useful – time-saving features on the Nextec machine that are deserving of particular mention: As anyone who has used a CNC machining centre will tell you, controlling

vacuum can be a Royal pain. Holz-Her has made this blissfully easy to the point where, with the Nextec, you don’t even need to think about it. The matrix table is zoned and has automatic vacuum feed with up to 32 fields, each of which is controlled separately by the software according to whether you place a full panel, a half sheet, or an offcut on the table. Only the fields that are required are turned on. There’s no need to turn off the zones that are not required, or cover them up. The software knows how big the workpiece is and where it’s positioned, so you can forget about having to close zones, remove slave boards to plug the air flow to the table, or lay offcuts on the table to close off spare vacuum.Vacuum distribution is assigned by the program.

Another very clever feature is the way in which the Nextec makes the pockets for Lamello’s Clamex P-System panel fixings.

Normally, this operation involves several

38 furniture journal | MAY 2018

Top: The fence and the stops rise automatically.

Above: Laser lights help alignment and indicate cuts.

Right: Shown at Holz-Handwerk was the new optional label printer.

steps with at least one tool change. HolzHer’s Clamex package, which uses a tool specially designed by Leitz that’s unique to Holz-Her, allows all milled pockets to be machined on the surface or the edge in one operation – and it’s fully automatic, requiring no user intervention other than popping the fitting in the panel when the board has been removed from the bed. Uniquely, the Nextec machines the pockets out of the full board before the nest has been cut. The software knows when there are two panels with connectors to place side by side and the nest is worked out with a distance between them of just 80mm. Once the pockets have been cut for the Clamex fittings, the board is sized and, using a 12mm router, the whole board is cleaned up as the router passes. Holz-Her also offers packages for conventional dowels and Minifix fittings.

For those of you who might be wondering

how shoe-horning a Nextec into your workshop could represent a saving in space, let me tell you about Direct Cut. Direct Cut is a very neat feature that takes away the need for a sliding table panel saw, or a beam saw if you are cutting one sheet at a time.

Take an offcut to the Nextec and a projected laser light will tell you where to place it on the bed. Input the size of the piece you want and the machine does the rest – no programming. It’s direct input, just like a beam saw. “Beam saws and sliding panel saws take up a lot of room. This takes less and needs no programming either,” says Markus. “Direct Cut allows you to move your datum point anywhere on the table using the handheld device.You can even process a free shape, put the part in any position on the table and start the machine. Wherever you place the piece, the program runs in that space using that datum point. No programming. This is a feature our customers really like. It’s so simple.You can even draw angles, line a pencil mark up with your two-line laser and cut angles, or even compound angles if you go for the five-axis option.”

While Direct Cut is ideal for turning offcuts that involve straight lines into components, with the Campus package it’s possible to program free-form, or curved parts just as easily, and by using the laser system to teach the program the position, the offcut can be placed anywhere on the bed.

The Nextec really needs to be seen in action to be fully appreciated. The real beauty of the concept is the simplicity, the absolute ease with which Nextec executes complex, multi-faceted tasks at the push of a button – and without any skill or previous knowledge of CNCs. Everything demanding real skill is done in the background by the software. To a small workshop that hasn’t yet moved into the world of CNC, it not only holds the key to increased production, it holds the key to increased profit and the possibility of entering new markets. To see the Nextec in action, download the free Furniture Journal app and tap the picture with the link sign to connect with a video.

Prepare to be impressed!

More information: 01235 557600 or visit www.weinig.co.uk

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MAY 2018 | furniture journal 41

REVIEW

Maka goes Modular V

isitors to the Maka stand at this year’s Holz-Handwerk can’t fail to have noticed a brand new and very different machine taking pride of place and drawing curious crowds. In fact, not only was the Maka PM Modular a brand new machine with a brand new design of cabin to catch the eye, it represented a brand new concept of processing centre for Maka – and to make the point that this is a genuinely modular machine, the central module was shown at one side of the stand and one of the many bed options was shown quite separately at the other.

“The Maka PM Modular is a completely new machine,” Maka’s Klaus Kern told Furniture Journal on the stand.“It is a mixture of the Maka PE and the Maka PM and it is the first time we have shown it at an exhibition. It brings together all the strengths of Maka, the build quality and

the high quality engineering, but being modular, we can add modules to produce it in different lengths to suit our customer, and equip it with whatever he needs without having to build a completely customised machine.”

The robust, new moving gantry PM Modular is a machine that will undoubtedly see Maka’s appeal broaden, and it establishes a new entry level for the company.“This is a machine that has been designed from the beginning for customisation,” explained Klaus.“The first point to note is we can customise the length by adding modules. It starts at around four metres, then six, and up to eight metres.The width of the machine can be either 1300mm, 1600mm, or 2000mm.These are the standard sizes.We are also offering standard working heights of 400-600mm and, if necessary, we can make this a little bit more.

A brand new Maka makes its debut on the stand at Holz-Handwerk.

Klaus Kern

42 furniture journal | MAY 2018

“The format of the machine offers a lot of flexibility.We can supply it with a typical Maka spindle; with a three-axis aggregate; with two aggregates, one a three and the other a fiveaxis; or we can supply it with one five-axis aggregate. It can be equipped with a Maka spindle, or whatever type of spindle the customer wants to have. In principle, you could even add the new Galaxie spindle, though we do not plan to make this machine with a Galaxie drive unless a customer particularly wants it.

“Looking at tool-changers, we can supply the PM Modular with a drum tool-changer with around 20 tools or a chain tool-changer with around 33 tools. Each unit has its own tool-changer.

“We have different clamping units for parts and we can supply the machine with different

kinds of tables so the customer can use matrix tables or pods as he needs.With the pod and rail system, the vacuum pods can be moved either manually, by hand, or automatically according to the type of work the customer is producing. Moving the pods manually gives a lot of flexibility if you don’t need to produce a high number of different parts as standard. It’s less costly to have manually adjustable bars and pods but, of course, if you are producing many different parts and need to change from one to the next quickly, we offer an automatic system with this machine as well. Everything is possible. It depends on what the customer wants to produce.”

Those of you who may be thinking the Maka PM Modular is a lower priced alternative to the proven PE and PM models, let me assure you that’s not the thinking behind the

new machine. Not at all. Everything about the new PM Modular exudes Maka build quality and, although a basic specification might work out less than a PE, a top specification could work out more, so it’s not really about price differentiation.The key advantage is, being modular means Maka can build you a truly customised machine that fits exactly with your requirements – but quicker. “We don’t have different modules for a PE or a PM,” confirmed Klaus. “Delivery time is better because components are common to all the machines.

The technology in the PM Modular – the pods, the spindles – they are all much the same.”

For more information on the new Maka PM Modular contact Maka UK on 01952 607700 or download the free Furniture Journal app and touch www.maka.com for an immediate link to the Maka website.

One machine, five axis, limitles creativity Two Z axes Allows longer tools for thicker workpieces

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Tel. 01908 635 000 www.felder-group.co.uk

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MAY 2018 | furniture journal 45

REVIEW

Above: The retro-fittable option is a very neat unit.

Below: Specified as an option on the Striebig Control, the label printer sits below the main console.

Striebig Optimised Striebig’s retro-fittable optimisation system, available from late autumn 2018, is shown for the first time at Holz-Handwerk.

T

he Swiss vertical panel saw specialist, Striebig isn’t new to optimisation – it’s an option that’s been on the top model, the Striebig 4D, for a while – but in a move that will be welcomed by many existing Striebig customers, the company showed the prototype of its first retro-fittable optimisation system at Holz-Handwerk, which is expected to be available in the UK from autumn 2018.

“You can now have a panel optimisation program on any Striebig machine,” explains Sepp Furrer, Striebig’s International Sales Manager. “Regardless of the age or model of your Striebig saw, the new system can be fixed onto it. The clever system connects to your Wi-Fi, allowing you to send panel sizes to the machine quickly and efficiently. The operator can then start to cut the correct panel sizes immediately. The big advantages of this new system are time saving, material saving and personal costs.You don’t need to spend time considering how best to cut the panel into smaller pieces without waste. The new system does it all for you.”

The retro-fittable option consists of a computer (equipped with the optimisation program) that sits on top of a label printer. By

including a label printer, not only will it increase productivity and reduce waste, parts coming off the saw can be labelled, barcoded and printed with the necessary product information for fuss free handling.

The stand also showcased a new, fully integrated optimisation package for the Striebig Control.“This is a new option for the Control machine, and can be chosen by the customer,” adds Sepp.“The control unit is different to that on the existing Control saw and the display is bigger at 12 inches. Everything is integrated with the electronics of the machine. It moves the saw head, the saw beam and the electronic positioning system (EPS.x) automatically.You do not have to move anything by hand apart from loading the panel, simplifying the whole process.

Because of the wealth of benefits users can expect from using our new optimisation options, we expect this new technology to be a very popular addition to the Striebig range.”

For more information on Striebig saws call TM Machinery Sales Ltd on 0116 271 7155, or download the free Furniture Journal app and touch www.tmmachinery.co.uk to link to TM’s website. For the latest news, follow TM Machinery on Twitter: @TM_Machinery.

46 furniture journal | MAY 2018

REVIEW

When the Heat is On Among a raft of innovative technologies at Holz-Handwerk, Kleiberit launched a new PUR that has been formulated to help smaller workshops that don’t have big demand or high consumption.

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 47

W

Wolfgang Hormuth

here end use involves hot or steamy conditions, you probably know better than most that there is nothing to beat a PUR adhesive for prevention of water ingress, or peeling of edgebanded panels. Especially if you are a smaller manufacturer and you don’t run your edgebander continuously, even though it makes sense to switch from EVA for some products, you’ve probably been put off the idea of using PUR because of the unavoidable clean-down procedure after use. At HolzHandwerk, the adhesive specialist, Kleiberit, showed it is firmly on your side by introducing a innovative Polyurethane formulation you can use, leave in the melting pot and reuse up to 24 hours later.

“Companies are becoming more quality conscious,” commented Kleiberit’s Wolfgang Hormuth on the HolzHandwerk stand. “We are

seeing many companies make the first step from using cost effective EVA products to Polyolefin products because some Polyolefin products provide a higher heat stability compared with EVAs. We are introducing two new Polyolefin co-polymers here at Holz-Handwerk that offer a step up from EVAs in terms of performance. However, there is no substitute for a PUR adhesive, and this is where we have been doing a lot of development. We know there is resistance in the market to PUR, especially among smaller users. For this reason, we have formulated a brand new PUR for this very important segment of the market because we want to help small and midsize companies gain benefit from the increased product quality it provides.

“Our newest offer in the Polyurethane area is 707.6.40, a natural coloured PUR, and 707.6.41, a white PUR. What’s different about them? This new PUR allows the manufacturer to keep it in the melting pot for up to 24 hours without having to clean either the rollers, or the melting pot. If a small or medium size company consumes only half of the glue in the melting pot, they can switch off the machine after a couple of hours use without cleaning or dumping the remaining adhesive. A couple of hours later,

48 furniture journal | MAY 2018

Holz-Handwerk 2018

The new PUR is also available in convenient pouches.

or even the next day, they can switch on the machine and run it exactly as they did before. The glue will perform just the same.

“The nice part of this product is, despite its good stability in the melting pot, after the application and after the processing, once it is cross-linked it will have the same performance as standard PUR. That means heat stability of up to 150 degrees Celsius and very good water and steam resistance. It will perform exactly like you expect of a PUR, so you can almost run the handling like a thermoplastic product but still enjoy the properties of a Polyurethane product.”

Kleiberit 707.6.40 and the white version, Kleiberit 707.6.41, promise excellent green strength with no stringing as well as very good temperature resistance, running stability and final strength. Moisture, water and steam resistance are exactly as you would expect of a Polyurethane product that bonds the edge of the substrate. Both can be used with polyester edges, melamine resin edges, PVC, PP and ABS edges with prepared backing,

non-compacted resin paper edges, solid lippings and veneer edges.

“We think it’s a very good step to enable small to midsize companies to run PUR without it having a significant negative impact on their machine if they forget the cleaning,” added Wolfgang. “Up to 24 hours, you can run the machine with no cleaning at all but afterwards, it is recommended that it is cleaned. Like any other PUR, after 24 hours it will start to cross link. However, you can extend that period. If you run it one day, run it the next day within 24 hours.”

In cost terms, Kleiberit 707.6.40 and 707.6.41 sit within the range of a standard polyurethane glue, so you get all the advantages – plus a significant time benefit.

It’s also available in a range of packaging options that’s designed for smaller users.

For more information contact Kleiberit UK on 01530 836699, or download the free Furniture Journal app and tap www.kleiberit.com/en/home/ for a direct link to the Kleiberit website.

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MAY 2018 | furniture journal 51

REVIEW

Designer Döllken T

aking pride of place on the Döllken stand at Holz-Handwerk was the recently launched 2018 Kronospan collection of edgebands. Already available from stock in all standard dimensions from the Instant Edging Programme (KSP), the new collection was launched in January 2018 and, remarkably, although the collection runs to around 150 different edgings split roughly 50/50 between unicolours and woodgrains, Döllken’s experts managed to match the entire collection in under a month. Döllken’s edgeband finder details the classifications for the 2018 Kronospan Collection and the dimensions 23, 28, 33, 45, 54 and 100 mm x 2.0 mm, as well as 23, 28, 33, 45, 54 and 100 mm x 0.8 mm are now available from stock.

Another product making its show debut was Döllken’s Compact-Style, a product that emulates the effect of a solid laminate surface over a natural-looking inlaid wooden panel.

Compact-Style provides a modern accent but, at the same time, looks altogether more upmarket than a simple edge.

Digital printing technology has advanced rapidly over the last couple of years and more and more designers are beginning to realise the creative freedom and the possibility for endless customisation it can bring to their products. Döllken’s Digital Edge Core-Design is a digital solution that enables the décor of a splashback, or a fascia to be included in the core of an edgeband, connecting elements within a kitchen to create a fully co-ordinated look.

Incorporating the tiles used in the kitchen in the core of the edgeband around the worksurface makes it appear fresh and completes the overall picture of the kitchen.

Combine stone and wood for a warmer feel, or end grain and long grain for a unique look – all are possible with Digital Edge Core-design.

For more information call 01282 686861, or download the free Furniture Journal app and touch info@uk.surteco.com to send an email. Touch the picture with a link sign for an immediate link to Döllken’s edgeband finder.

Holz-Handwerk saw the launch of three new edgebanding products on the Döllken stand – and matching handles for one of them.

Top left: Core-Design.

Above: Compact-Style.

52 furniture journal | MAY 2018

Striebig on Show Woodworking machinery distributor, TM Machinery Sales Ltd, has opened its brand new showroom in Leicester.

S

New and refurbished machinery is on display and available for demonstrations.

panning over 80 square meters, TM Machinery’s new showroom, which has been completed alongside an extended stores department, spacious open-plan offices and upgraded employee rest area, features three Striebig vertical panel saws.Visitors can now experience live demonstrations on the ‘Compact’, ‘Standard S’ and ‘Control’, talk to technical staff and learn more about TM Machinery’s sales and after-care service.

“We had a very clear vision when it came to building our new showroom,” explains Matt Pearce, Managing Director of TM Machinery Sales Ltd. “We wanted to showcase our business and our machinery brands to our visitors, whilst also offering everything they would need to make an informed decision about the purchase of their new machine.”

With this in mind, TM Machinery has installed an entry level, middle and top end vertical panel saw into its demonstration area.

Each machine features various additions,

including manual measuring stops, digital reads outs, automatic positioning systems and backing options, giving visitors a unique opportunity to learn about each model and its capabilities.

As well as new machinery, a variety of refurbished vertical panel saws are also on display and available for demonstrations. Matt explains, “We have been refurbishing second hand Striebig’s for many years. Because our used machines sell so quickly, we rarely have a fully refurbished machine available to view.

These permanent fixtures give visitors a good example of the lengths we go to when refurbishing and installing a used model and it has already proven to be a great sales tool.”

For more information on the complete woodworking machinery range offered by TM Machinery Sales Ltd and its servicing division, TM Services & Spares Ltd., visit www.tmmachinery.co.uk or call 0116 271 7155. For the latest news, follow TM Machinery on Twitter: @TM_Machinery.

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 53

MAY 2018 | furniture journal 55

The new Vitoplex 300-FSB Viessmann Boiler Mawera UK Ltd installed.

Main Image: Ciarán O’Hagan

Hot Stuff

at Specialist Joinery

I

t’s hard to imagine a better endorsement for a brand than when a long-standing, satisfied customer returns to buy again, but that’s exactly what Ciarán O’Hagan, Managing Director of Maghera-based Specialist Joinery Ltd did when he wanted a new heating system for his family-owned factory.

Ciarán doesn’t come across as someone who’d buy on a whim. He’s straight-talking, down to earth and analytical. His company is well known for exploring every detail of the huge office, stadium, airport and hotel fit-outs it regularly wins against stiff competition; so, when Specialist Joinery Group decided to add 60,000 square feet to the factory they’d already extended substantially in 2003, Ciarán took the opportunity to explore the market carefully before commissioning Mawera UK Ltd to supply and install a new boiler and move the silo.

“The original boiler we installed in 2003 was a Mawera,” he recalls. “We looked at many up to 2003 but most of them were warm air heating systems. Blowing air down a ducting means you lose a lot of heat. We visited a lot

of factories to see what they had, both in England and Ireland. We definitely did our due diligence and in 2003 we decided on Mawera.

That was the best money we ever spent bar none. It’s been very easy to maintain and very reliable. It has running costs like fire bricks that have to be replaced as time goes on, and it was probably 50% more expensive than the hot air machines, but it was the right decision. It’s been running 15 years and it’s not done yet. Another good service and a few pounds and it would have been good for the next five years but it just wasn’t big enough to heat the factory we have now.”

Ciarán looked at the possibility of putting another smaller boiler in alongside the existing boiler, which he’d already had modified in 2013 to cope with the 48,000 square feet the company added back then, but when he explored the figures in depth and compared specifications with the features now available on the new Vitoplex 300-FSB Viessmann Boiler Mawera UK Ltd installed in the first quarter of 2017, overall it was a better option to install a new system that would cope with the whole

Ciarán O’Hagan talks about the new Viessmann installed at Specialist Joinery Group in Maghera.

The back of the boiler

56 furniture journal | MAY 2018

So recent was the installation that when Furniture Journal visited the pipes were still to be lagged and the boiler house roof was still to be finished.

Inset: The Vitoplex 300-FSB is fully automatic.

of the extended 125,000 square foot factory and the offices. “All maintenance had to be done manually on the old boiler,” he says, “And human error sometimes means problems. The new machine is self-cleaning and automatic, and that’s the right way for our business. This machine can take recordings of what we’re burning all the time, and it’s capable of burning about 20 tonnes a week.” With the new system, Ciarán also has the facility to take extra dust away and use that for cattle bedding in the family farm – and he’s effectively bought a future-proofed system that will cope easily with any further extensions the company may need in years to come.

The factory processes MDF, chipboard and plywood as well as soft and hardwood timbers.

The Vitoplex 300-FSB burns wood, both as offcuts that have been chipped with a Mawera RMZ200 chipping machine and as dust, and both are fed into an existing storage silo that Mawera UK re-positioned. The silo is constructed of galvanised steel panels and has a storage capacity of 125 cubic metres – sufficient to keep the boiler running for two weeks without any top ups. The Silo discharges into the boiler combustion chamber through a series of feed screws and a rotary valve and fire flap safety unit before feeding into the combustion chamber where ignition takes

place automatically. The combustion chamber has a complete moving grate system for automatic removal of the ash. Flue gases are re-circulated automatically, and air volume, oxygen and flame temperature are controlled automatically throughout the combustion process.The boiler produces hot water to 110 degrees Celsius that is circulated via a distribution header around the factory and offices. It is fitted with automatic tube cleaning to reduce on-site maintenance time. The Flue gases are directed into a multicyclone dust collector and then into wheel away bins. The complete plant has low energy, frequency controlled motors that draw the minimum load and consume only the minimum power necessary to run the plant.

Ciarán is adamant he has made the right choice. Asked about the service he received from Mawera UK Ltd., and its Managing Director, John Clissett, he is nothing but complimentary: “I’ve dealt with John for many years,” he says. “He’s very good, very knowledgeable. Everything was good in terms of the information he gave us before we bought the boiler and the installation went smoothly. We hoped it would be delivered before Christmas but that depended on us having the plumbing ready and the electricians having the M&E work done. We weren’t

Mawera UK supplied a RMZ200 chipping machine and repositioned the existing storage silo.

ready, so that was our fault. The service we’ve had from John has always been good. He is a great man to deal with – his after sales service is excellent. Really first class.”

To find out what Mawera UK Ltd can offer you, call 01543 258844, or download the free Furniture Journal app and touch www.mawera.co.uk for an immediate link to the Mawera UK website, or the Mawera advertisement on page 54 to email John Clissett.

To view some of the prestigious projects Specialist Joinery Group has undertaken, touch www.specialistjoinerygroup.co.uk/ project_category/prestige/

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