Furniture Journal September 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017

ON THE COVER: Susanne Affolter-Steiner introduces Lamello.

Kastamonu steps up the pace Sanding: under the microscope Finger jointing with Weinig Viet in brief

rooms reshaped

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SEPTEMBER 2017

Contents 2

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8 On the Cover Susanne Affolter-Steiner introduces the unique Lamello jointing system.

Story: pages 34-37.

Talking Turkey A new global player is set to make an entrance to the UK panels, décors and flooring sectors – and it means business.

Awarded for PerfectSense It all makes perfect sense why Egger has been picking up awards.

Best-selling Décors It takes a while for new décors to filter down to the consumer. We ask Edward Quant from David Clouting Ltd which are proving most popular.

11 Renolit in Motion

Real Motion, Slow Motion and Speed Motion: the three new trends in Renolit’s Colour Road.

12 Wilsonart teams up with Panelco

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

Wilsonart’s super slim Zenith: now available from Panelco.

17 Bespoke Boards

Lightweight panels offer a lot of advantages. At Starbank, you can have them made to your exact specification.

21 Investing in a Bright Future

Ben Burbidge talks about the reasons behind his confidence in the future.

25 Inspiring Utopia 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, 2017.

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.

The technical support from Grass UK was as important to Utopia as the quality, style and engineering in the latest Grass products.

29 Fixed (by Häfele)

Kerry Baulch talks to Furniture Journal about the latest panel fixing products from Häfele.

34 Swiss Connection

Joining innovation with tradition, Lamello offers hi-tech jointing solutions for panels, timber and solid surfaces alongside its invention, the ubiquitous biscuit.

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

No glue, easy transport, fast assembly on site – all from a simple aggregate and some very clever machines from Weinig Group member, Holz-Her.

40 Pointing the Finger

When Cheshire Mouldings wanted a finger jointing line, it was the experience and the service record that persuaded him to go for Weinig.

44 It’s a Wrap

With a range of specialised adhesives and the backup of its own Technology Centre in Germany, Kleiberit has the business of profile wrapping all wrapped up.

46 Sanding: Under the Microscope

The job of the DMC laboratory is to ensure clients consistently achieve both perfect finish and cost-effective production - whatever the material they’re processing.

50 Viet in Brief

Viet has been making sanding and wood polishing machines since 1953. Now part of the Biesse Group, they have machines that cover every sanding application.

55 Opening New Markets

Acquiring a new Viet S213 sander has opened a new market for Gable Joinery – and provided major cost savings in other areas.

56 Handy Sander

The Mirka DEOS gives a perfect finish, even in the most inaccessible places.

58 Votecs gets Starbank’s Vote

When Starbank needed a new shredder to cope with extra long offcuts, the close partnership between Schelling and Votecs made their decision an easy one.

61 Productivity Enhanced

Draw in 3d, add detail in 2d, create a visual and start production – that’s what CAD+T offers.

62 Where Felder is Integral

Using a complete workshop equipped by Felder, Integral Collection is producing furniture for the KBB market as well as study, office and living room furniture.

64 Stage Performance from AXYZ

The RSC has bought an AXYZ router to cut elements for scenery, flooring and stage sets.

2 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Koton Latte

Floorpan in Shanghai

Acrylic Panel in Bordo

Talking Turkey A new global player is set to make an entrance to the UK panels, dÊcors and flooring sectors – and it means business.

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 3

Alabuga MDF factory

Lake Beyaz

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lthough the company is one of two big multinational groups that sit under the umbrella of Hayat Holding, neither Kastamonu Entegre, nor its products are well known in the UK. But all that could be set to change. Kastamonu has set a course for global expansion and it has Britain firmly in its sights.

With growth claimed to be well above the industry average, Istanbul-based Kastamonu has already caused a reshuffle in global rankings since it was established in 1969, and over the last 15 years its aggressive pursuit of strategic diversification has taken it from MDF production, flooring and door skins to the production of high gloss décors and worktops. Now with 18 factories in seven countries and a workforce of 5,700, Kastamonu’s annual turnover has hit the one billion Euro mark – and 40% of that is derived from exports.

If that figure hasn’t already impressed you, here are a few more numbers that might: within its sector, Kastamonu is now believed

Gebze MDF factory

to rank 4th in Europe and 7th in the world, with a total annual capacity for 5.8 million cubic metres of wood-based panel products, 70 million square metres of laminate flooring, 19.5 million door skins and 500,000 tons of woodchips. It currently exports to more than 90 countries. In 1998, Kastamonu acquired its first overseas company in Romania and set about growing it into one of the top three door skin production facilities in the world. Then, in 2000, it acquired a second Bulgarian company and installed a particleboard facility, adding 220,000 cubic metres – and pellet production – to its production capacity. By 2005, Kastamonu and its sister company, Hayat Kimya, had jointly acquired the Natron Kraft paper factory in Bosnia Herzegovina and entered the Kraft paper production business – and more recently, in 2014, investment has resulted in Kastamonu starting production of MDF from a former green field site in Tartarstan. It is believed to be the largest single site MDF production

The man behind Kastamonu, CEO Haluk Yildiz.

4 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Antrasit

Elvira

Verde

Rose

Berry

Kum Tasi Evogloss in Kirmizi

facility in the world with a capacity for one million cubic metres of MDF per year and an additional 35 million square metres of laminate flooring. Earlier this year, Kastamonu Entegre purchased the two Gruppo Trombini sites in Italy, adding 800,000 cubic metres to its particleboard facility and setting it on track to take a 20% share of the Italian market.

Sufficient to say, Kastamonu is big, it already has a toehold in the UK, it’s determined to impress you with its products – and it has plenty to offer: In addition to its wood-based panels (which include raw particleboard and MFC, raw MDF and melamine-faced MDF, decorative and printed panels), Kastamonu Entegre offers some exceptional high gloss décor products. Its décor board range is divided into three areas: Glossmax, Evogloss and Acrylic panels.

The gloss surface on Glossmax high gloss panels is good, verging flawless. Produced by applying glue and UV lacquer to the surface of melamine faced MDF (or particleboard) through various industrial processes, it relies on advanced hot melt coating technology for a gloss that’s hard to beat. Applying lacquer after the hot coating process provides excellent adhesion to the melamine coated surface as well as ensuring the surface offers extremely high scratch and wear resistance.

The UV-hardened top layer is also resistant to discolouration by sunlight and chemicals.

Enhancing the natural look and texture of solid wood, Glossmax offers improved wear, impact and scratch resistance and is available in a wide range of colour options. The boards are supplied as extra wide 2100 x 2800mm panels and are produced with one side gloss finished and the other finished with a matching décor paper.

The second gloss décor product in Kastamonu’s range is Evogloss. Available in 1220 x 2800mm MDF sheets, the surface is finished with a high gloss PVC, while the rear is a white melamine décor paper.

Kastamonu’s Acrylic offer, available as double-faced 1220 x 2800mm boards, is based on a choice of MDF or particleboard that comes laminated with a scratch resistant, PVC-free, high gloss ABS/PMMA (Senosan AM 1800 TopX) surface on one side and a matching primer sheet on the other. The Urban collection of acrylic panels, launched last year, drew design inspiration from cities around the world and comes with AC4 abrasion resistance as standard.

Some of Kastamonu’s latest furniture products include the Technotop and Neotop laminate worktop brands and the Reflection range of veneer, stone, paint, “Golf” and “Geometric” MFCs as well as Urban and

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 5

Bambu

Arkadya

Dorpan in Patras

Nevada

Açik Safir

San Remo

Neotop in Kutup Beyaz

Boutique, the new Floorpan and Artfloor flooring brands.

Flooring is big business for Kastamonu.

Although perhaps not so relevant to furniture manufactures, no overview of the company would be complete without at least a mention.

After all, the 70 million square metres Kastamonu manufactures every year equates to around 7% of world demand, and that puts Kastamonu among the top producers worldwide. Floorpan and Artfloor – both based on prints from leading producers - are the main brand names and both are renowned for the quality and naturalness of their solid wood look and the breadth of the colours available. The special Uniclick locking system enables all the elements to be laid quickly and with minimal fuss by DIY enthusiasts, though Kastamonu offers not just domestic flooring products but also contract options for public flooring applications and wet areas. The seven

collections in Floorpan and Artfloor are classified as AC3 to AC5 and available as a range of 130 different décors with usage levels from 31 to 33.

Kastamonu also boasts the “world’s third largest door skin production facility with a capacity of 19.5 million pieces per year” and a worktop production facility that, in Romania alone, produces 200,000 worktops every year.

It’s easy to imagine that such a global giant might be less than careful about its approach to waste and its use of resources but that’s far from the case. In fact, Kastamonu’s environmental policy is to boost production and grow by consuming less and generating less waste. To date, it’s replaced 136 diesel forklifts with electric models, installed nine natural gas turbines and produces a megawatt of electricity from the solar panels on the roof of its MDF factory in Adana alone. Add to that the 60,000 cubic metres of waste

Ibiza

water it treats every year, the 600 tons of impregnated paper waste it recovers every year and the 3.1 million tons of carbon stored in its products and you’ll see its environmental credentials are up there with the best. It also has all the quality certificates you’d expect of a global player – from ISO 9001 to FSC accreditation and more.

Kastamonu isn’t taking a short-term view of the UK market. It’s no stranger to export markets and appreciates that getting established takes time. It’s looking for the right partners to work with and offering products it has researched carefully and tuned to the UK market place and it’s willing to work alongside its partners to ensure long-term success. If you’re looking for a new source of supply, take a look at the website www.kastamonuentegre.com.tr or call Kastamonu’s European representative for more information on 00353 1202 4905.

6 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Awarded for PerfectSense It all makes perfect sense why Egger has been picking up awards.

Main Image: U999 PM PG Opposite Page Top: U732 PM & U708 H3326 Centre: W1000 and U630 H1180 Bottom: Contrasting greys

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ood panel and laminate manufacturer Egger has picked up a clutch of awards across Europe for its super-smooth MDF boards with premium matt and gloss finishes.

Driven partly by the increasing popularity of slab doors, its expanded PerfectSense range is in demand for high-end residential and commercial areas both in upscale retail and for furniture design.The high gloss and velvety matt lacquered MDF boards give an appearance of exclusivity and luxury, while special UV technology makes them particularly durable and scratch resistant.

Egger UK’s Head of Décor Design, Elliott Fairlie is adamant there is more to PerfectSense than meets the eye – or the finger: “PerfectSense is much more than a conventional melamine-faced MDF board.

Thanks to a multiple sanding process and a sophisticated, precision lacquer it combines visual perfection with a unique feel.

“It received a special mention at the German Design Awards in 2016, won ‘Best of Best’ at the Iconic Awards 2016 and, in Cologne, won an award for ‘High Product Quality’ at the recent international Interzum surface and interiors show.

“PerfectSense Gloss represents pure luxury, comparable to glass or acrylic. Rooms appear lighter and larger thanks to its depth effect and the high degree of reflection.”

What Egger calls its ‘matt concept’ created a lot of interest at Interzum. Its PerfectSense Matt has a warm, velvety feel with antifingerprint characteristics that makes it ideal for elegant, modern fronts without handles.

This surface is well suited to use in furniture frontals or for sliding doors and wall cladding.

Texture innovations give even more choice and more authenticity – and matt is finding favour for interiors, doors and open shelving.

Complementing its PerfectSense Matt board, is a new Egger PerfectSense Topmatt

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 7

laminate that the company unveiled at Interzum. Seen for the very first time, this shares the matt surface and anti-fingerprint features but was specially developed for use on high-stress surfaces such as worktops and tables. ABS and PMMA edges with coordinated décors and textures matching the matt surfaces are available, and Egger anticipates that manufacturers will have specialist fabricators use it to create worktops with an upmarket understated look.

In line with its aim of offering high-end surfaces in trendy décors, Egger encourages the growing trend for mixing matt and gloss with its complementary colour palette across both ranges.The choice of available décors in the stock matt range is very much based on current trends, with décors such as U702 Cashmere Grey, U708 Light Grey, U732 Dust Grey, U222 Crema Beige and U727 Stone Grey. In addition to the classic W1000 Premium White and W1100 Alpine White, U999 Black (and the ‘nearly black’ décor U961 Graphite Grey) are also experiencing a comeback on matt surfaces.

The stock range of PerfectSense Gloss includes some on-trend bold décors such as the bright U323 Chilli Red and the woodgrain reproduction H3025 Macassar. A dark U961 Graphite Grey, as well as U999 Black, showcases the exceptional depth and glass-like finish of PerfectSense Gloss.

For more information contact Egger on 01434 602191 or visit www.egger.com

8 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Dark Springfield Oak

Edgebands

Best-selling

Décors T

he last 18-24 months has seen a raft of new décor products debut, but which are making headway in the market and which are proving to be the best-sellers? We put the question to David Clouting’s Edward Quant.

“Our emphasis has been on 2d lamination and 3d membrane pressing,” he told Furniture Journal in the weeks after Interzum. “The 3d products have all been about texture and solid colour and their popularity has meant we’ve introduced further colours to our B9 collection. We now have 10 in stock. Denim blue has just come into the range as a painted wood and we’ll be introducing a dark Indigo as a B9 painted wood later. The other texture that’s really made an impact is the K9 emboss texture - a concrete in a solid colour format.

That’s starting to sell well.We have introduced some woods – Springfield Oak and Natural Chalet Oak – but the main successes have been plains, gloss and supermatt in greys, light greys, cashmeres, creams - solid colours from our Hardcoat range.

Are there any particular colours emerging that could take us away from the creams, mushrooms, greys and beiges that have been with us for a while now? “The only colours that are showing some signs are blues,” Edward says. “I can’t see them being mainstream sellers like the greys.

They’re nice as accents and break up the creams and the greys, but it’s hard to see how they will sell anything like as well as the greys. Blues rather than greens seem to be emerging as the next colour area. Pistachio is one that’s coming through.”

It takes a while for new décors to filter down to the consumer.

We ask Edward Quant from David Clouting Ltd which are proving most popular.

So where might we expect to see most growth in sales over the coming months?

“You can’t get away from grey,” says Edward.

“As big as it is already, there are more variations to come. Light grey, Dust grey and Graphite grey have a lot of market area to grow into. It takes a while for colours to filter down through the industry. There’s a huge amount of growth to come from greys because the end user has only just started to see them in showrooms over the last year or so. It could be another year or two before you see whether blues will be a success.”

With so many new ideas shown on the LG Hausys stand at Interzum, which of these will David Clouting be stocking? “We’re doing a lot of background work to decide what people will actually purchase rather than just indicate they like and the results are still

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 9

Natural Chalet Oak

Gloss and Supermatts Light Springfield Oak

showing greys with some interest in blues,” confirmed Edward. “We’ll definitely be stocking Graphite grey in the supermatt and Indigo in the B9 format. Some of the more adventurous décors at Interzum haven’t come through yet but the mirror film will be one we’ll introduce.There’s a lot of demand for it.”

David Clouting has always offered matching edging to go with its décor films and carries a vast range of gloss and supermatt in stock. “We also stock the edging for doors,” he says. “As far as new introductions are concerned, we will be introducing Graphite supermatt and we’re getting that colour matched and ready now. We’ll be doing that for all the Hardcoat colours. We already have matches in Cashmere, Cream, etc.You can have as much as you want, or as little. The vinyl for the doors, we sell by the metre so companies can have 20 metres for a job. It’s all about the range we carry in stock: we offer any quantity and we service our customers very quickly.

“Interior Film is another product that’s proved to be very popular. It’s a self-adhesive film with high fire and IMO rating for marine use. It was developed for shipping industry but can be used in shops, hotels and other commercial areas. It’s a very quick renovation product that allows you to refurbish furniture or walls very easily. There are about 400 colours from LG and we stock about 60 in the UK. Interior Film crosses all spectrums from decorative to woods and stones. It’s a very wide portfolio.“ For information on all the product stocked

by David Clouting Ltd call 01376 518037 or visit www.davidclouting.co.uk

Denim

Glacier

Graphite

Oxidised Noble

Light Grey Concrete

Cashmere Concrete

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 11

Renolit

in Motion

Real Motion, Slow Motion and Speed Motion: the three new trends in Renolit’s Colour Road.

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longing for authentic feelings and experiences in life are defined in three different trends within Renolit’s Colour Road 2017/18. The title “Authentic Emotions” encompasses a total of twelve colour trends, which are also reflected in the thermo-formable 3D Stock Range Highlights collection of Renolit Design. The three trends are entitled Real Motion, Slow Motion and Speed Motion.

Nature has the ability of making people happy and above all, it can give us what the digital world deprives us of. Blue and green shades are contained in this colour spectrum that are as diverse as nature itself.

Match the Conifer Green Supermatt in Real Motion with warm oak pieces for comfort and value, or HG Arctic Blue Metallic for a modern tone into kitchens, bathrooms and offices. The intense dark Wave Blue embodies the exact opposite and looks both elegant and sophisticated.

Slow Motion embodies fascination with slowness. More and more people are trying to slow down their pace and enjoy the benefits of slowness. Seeing is increasingly accompanied by touching and feeling, which is why Slow

Motion emphasises tactile experiences. The light tone of Pearl Grey Suedette Matt is an explicitly neutral embodiment of these trend colours. Cement Supermatt creates a harmony of cool and warm tones and mellows down energetic colours such as Cosmic Orange Supermatt. Linen Supermatt, which is composed of equal amounts of red and yellow, brings warmth into kitchens, living rooms and even offices or shops.

Speed Motion is defined as the fascination of risk and includes the bold new Peak Yellow Supermatt, a colour that can turn kitchen, living or office furniture into statement pieces. It fits particularly well with calm and balancing shades, such as Chicago Concrete 1 SC. Dried Date Supermatt has an almost equal balance of black and colour and its dark shade of red is suitable for large-scale applications in the furniture sector. But this season’s must-have is Bronze Metallic, a dark bronze that continues the vogue for gold and copper. An expressive oak or a soft neutral shade can be integrated to emphasise its valuable elegance.

For your Colour Road presentation call Renolit on 01670 718222 or email renolit.cramlington@renolit.com

Speed Motion

Peak Yellow Supermatt

Cosmic Orange Supermatt

Bronze Metallic

Dried Date Supermatt

Real Motion

HG Arctic Blue Metallic

Wave Blue

Fern

Conifer Green Supermatt

Slow Motion

Pearl Grey Suedette Matt

Linen Supermatt

Cement Supermatt

HG Anthracite Metallic

12 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Wilsonart

teams up with Panelco Wilsonart’s super slim Zenith: now available from Panelco.

F

Top to bottom: Pyla, Topia and Caldeira

ollowing exponential sales of Zenith to specialist kitchen retailers via distribution (through JP Distribution in England, Llandaff Laminates in Wales, and Potter Cowan in Scotland and Northern Ireland), Wilsonart has just announced it will also be distributing through Panelco, Tay Firth and Meyer Timber.

Zenith, the easy-to-install, super-slim work surface from Wilsonart UK with a solid black core, has built on success with national retail DIY chains to persuade consumers of the design and adaptability benefits of a range that is just 12.5mm thick.

“We could see there was an opportunity to offer our retailers and merchant customers the range,” Paul Holstead, Commercial Manager for Hadleigh Timber Group, explained. “Wilsonart has created an

impressive demand for this innovative range and we are perfectly placed to provide a national service to support it.”

“We recognise our customers like to buy from regional distributors but there are many that buy entire kitchens and all components, appliances from one national supplier as well,” adds Nick Jones, Wilsonart UK’s Sales Manager. “Zenith is now widely and comprehensively available from at least two well respected sources. This means it can be supplied on time and complete to any retailers across the country.”

Nigel Machin, distribution manager for Wilsonart UK added: “We have worked hard to enhance our high-quality distributor partner network and will continue to invest in product development, marketing materials and product support to ensure the continued success of the Zenith portfolio.”

For more information contact Panelco on 01782 392100, or Wilsonart on 01388 774661.

the decorative panels group YOUR PERFECT PARTNER 23 stock high gloss acrylic designs

3 TopX designs – very high scour and scratch resistance

created for life Senoplast high gloss and matt acrylic is recognised as the premium product within the sector combining the look of a solid surface acrylic without the prohibitive cost. Available in surface thickness of 0.7mm - 1.0mm all supplied laminated with a protective film. Matching reverses and edgebanding are available for all colours.

4 Matt designs – more available subject to MOQs

Matching reverses available

Contact us for more information.

Century House, Premier Way, Lowfields Business Park, Elland, West Yorkshire, HX5 9HF

T: +44 (0) 1484 658341 F: +44 (0) 1484 658812 E: info@decorativepanels.co.uk www.decorativepanels.co.uk

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Driven by Innovation The perfect edgeband for all of your projects.

Individual variety direct from stock or made specially for you.

• Significant

Perfect match collections

• Stunning

From Supermatt to Mirror Gloss

• Sensory

A variety of textures give the right feel

• Shattering

FUSION-EDGE, DIGITAL-EDGE, 3D-SPACE & endgrains

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Express production

For more information: www.doellken-kv.com

Döllken-Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH · Beisenstr. 50 · 45964 Gladbeck · Germany Tel.: +49 2043 979-0 · Fax: -630 · info@doellken.com · www.doellken-kv.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 17

Bespoke Boards

Lightweight panels offer a lot of advantages. At Starbank, you can have them made to your exact specification.

W

ith millions invested in new machinery and a new factory over the last couple of years, Starbank is no bantamweight, but its custom manufactured lightweight boards certainly punch above their weight. In fact, pretty much every week, one or other of its clients wants a special thickness, a special construction, a fire-resistant, or a moisture-resistant version of its lightweight panel product, Starlite – and its uses are now widespread.

“We use a combination of single or multiple high grade extruded XPS foam cores that are designed for laminating,” explains Starbank’s John McCaffrey. “We can take out 40-50% of the weight of a panel compared with a solid board and because we laminate Starlite on site, we can lay up any panel so it performs exactly as it’s needed. If you need it thicker one side than the other, we can do that. We can use plywood, moisture-resistant or standard MDF, as required, or we can add a

strengthening section into the middle of the construction for furniture components such as worktops, furniture systems and interior fit out components such as ceiling slats. We can straight line edge with our PUR edge system in ABS, acrylic or veneer up to 60mm thick, or provide shaped panels up to 50mm thick.” As part of Starbank’s continuing investments, a new laminating line is planned that will broaden the company’s capabilities still further.

“Starlite has been tested by FIRA for edgebanding strength and also for panel deflection. It behaves like solid chipboard.

Unlike most lightweight, or honeycomb boards, with Starlite you don’t need a strengthening layer for the edgeband first.

When we edge with PUR, the aesthetic of the panel is indiscernible from solid panel construction. Only the weight is different.

We can use any commercially available HPL as a surface, so there’s a huge matrix of options to choose from.

18 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

?

“A close partnership with the client always works best,” continues John, “It’s important we understand the end use the client has in mind because every product is made to suit a particular purpose. We can add in further processing, such as drillings for cam and dowel systems, or we can lay in stiles and rails for construction. We also run a lot of panels that use the Lamello P-System, especially for shop fitting and exhibition use. Most commonly we’re working with sheet sizes of either 2440mm x 1220mm or 3050mm x 1220mm, so there’s plenty of scope to cater for whatever size or shape of panel is needed.”

Starbank’s work has included Starlite panels for a wide variety of applications ranging from chunky-looking furniture, desktops, raw 80mm thick worktops and contemporary shelving units, to complete commercial office fit-outs with refreshment

hubs, corporate reception areas and complex hospitality applications. “In combination with our Design department, we’ve even taken on Fresco-style digital print jobs where we’ve had to layer up combinations of panels, then used a laser to align and cut the panels after the print has been applied to ensure it’s perfectly square,” adds John. “We’ve also just taken delivery of a new calibrator, a Homag SWT725 twinhead calibration sander, so we can supply precisely calibrated panels from 3mm to 160mm, for example, which is especially important for products such as our Q-Mark fire door leaves.”

Starbank has certainly amassed some impressive new machinery in its newly refurbished factory over the last couple of years. It’s all aimed at providing flexibility and increased quality in a product range that’s almost entirely bespoke and increasingly

produced in double quick time. The calibrator arrived in June 2017 and represents the most recent arrival in an investment plan that’s seen the company commission a new Viessmann biomass system 18 months ago for its newly refurbished factory, two new extraction systems for wood and plastics, robot storage and handling to cut the risk of damage to delicate surfaces, new Schelling beam saws, a new through-feed postformer,Votecs shredding, Barbaric handling for long panels – and the complete refurbishment of an existing Schelling beam saw that is now equipped to cut everything from 1mm thick acrylic to thick Compact Laminates with laser precision. And next in Starbank’s plans is a broadening of its laminating capabilities.

To find out how Starbank could lighten your load with its bespoke Starlite product offer, call 01925 223965.

Typical STARlite application.

We found that when customers specified thicker profiled panels, the end product was often heavy to manoeuvre and cumbersome to build on site.

Starbank developed the solution: The STARlite® Composite Lightweight Panel. Our unique composite core eliminates significant weight from the panel, without any loss of capabilities compared to standard cores on the market. We offer STARlite panels in thicknesses of 36-60mm with all commercial laminates available to use for the decorative face as well as PURedge® edgebanding as standard. For other thicknesses please talk to our sales team.

Bringing Value To The Surface®

The weight per m² is on average 40% less than traditional methods.

For more details please visit our website or call and speak to our sales team.

01925 223 965

www.starbank-uk.com

sales@starbank-uk.com

ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, FSC®, PEFC®, Q-Mark® Certified

®

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF COMPONENTS, SEMIFINISHED PRODUCTS AND ACCESSORIES FOR THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY

10-13 October 2017 PORDENONE FAIR

Exposicam srl Via G. Carducci, 12 20123 Milan • Italy Tel: +39 02 86995712 Fax: +39 02 72095158 info@exposicam.it

www.exposicam.it

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 21

Investing in a Bright Future I

t’s a little appreciated fact, but positive thinking and positive actions usually promote positive results. With 150 years of woodworking history behind his company, new ranges introduced in the last couple of years and massive investment in machinery to further enhance its high end bespoke production, the benefits of positive thinking certainly haven’t escaped Ben Burbidge, Managing Director of the Coventry-based kitchen and bathroom manufacturer, Burbidge and Son Ltd. And the results are bearing fruit.

While the tabloid Press seem obsessed with pondering the potential damage of the Brexit vote and TV News dwells on uncertainty following wobbly election results, Ben is getting on with business, investing in the future and feeling very positive about it.

With an enviable reputation for impeccably finished solid wood kitchens that includes high end painted wood doors as well as natural ‘pippy’ timbers that exude proud British heritage, he’s diversified into a brand new range of equally high-end bathrooms.

“We have a range of 40 different kitchens with colours that take our options list to thousands,” Ben told Furniture Journal. “We mix off-the-shelf with made-to-order. We will also make non-standard sizes – proper madeto-fit as well as 70 standard size doors in the

range. Every week we make around 100 kitchens that have at least one non-standard size in them and the demand for bespoke work is growing. And now we’ve added bathrooms to our offer.

“For a long time we’d been subcontracting to bathroom manufacturers for doors. I felt there was a real market between the high end Italian and German manufacturers and the bottom end; a niche where the painted doors we’re good at would fit nicely. Very few bathroom manufacturers paint, and it’s one of our USPs, so we went looking for a specialist from the bathroom sector, discussed the possibilities with him, put together a range between us and started to invest. Making the cabinets demanded new machinery. We needed a new beam saw and a new edgebander as well as machinery for drilling and carcase pressing.

That was about half a million. Then we needed new painting equipment.

“The number of orders for bespoke, painted-to-order has been increasing.

Consumers really like to put their own stamp on their furniture and we pride ourselves on giving our customers what they want, but hand spraying is limited by space, the number of hours in a week and the time to dry. Our decision to invest in a new

Ben Burbidge talks about the reasons behind his confidence in the future.

Ben Burbidge

22 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

painting system was as much about spacesaving as it was about the consistency of finish, but we needed a very flexible system that would cope with the huge number of colour changes our customers want.”

Burbidge’s bathroom range starts at the top with a free standing, in-frame collection and a pared down Shaker in painted ash. Both high gloss and matt finishes are available.

Quality was paramount but with a limited amount of space available and the need for quick service for all his retailers shaping Ben’s choice of machinery, he opted for a compact line that had to be specially constructed in an L-shape to fit the available space. The painting line comprises a Fladder 300 Gyro for fine finishing ahead of painting and a Sorbini Smart Clean system that ensures sanded doors enter the automatic Cefla Mito robot sprayer dust free and ready for painting. For enhanced speed, Ben opted for a disposable paper belt system rather than an overspray recovery system on the Cefla, then chose a Schubox

catalytic infra-red drying system from Schubert, which he describes as “exceptionally efficient and fast”. The whole painting line represented a further investment of around £300,000, which, together with sawing, edgebanding, drilling, pressing and other equipment, took the total cost to around a million. That certainly shows confidence in the future and positive thinking, but has it paid off?

“We see the bathroom range as the main growth engine for Burbidge,” says Ben. “Now we have the foundations in place to move forward. We’re already starting to see volume coming through and we’re developing the range further. We’re also developing the high-end kitchen range. We can see the top end of the market - the in-frame ranges moving on and we’re increasing sales volumes in that area as well as extending the breadth of the non-standard work we do. The top end is where the growth is, especially the top end customised products we’re now really well

set up to offer. There is huge scope for us to grow over the next couple of years.”

I have a feeling Ben’s confidence in the future is not misplaced – not just because he has some inside knowledge from friends in the banking sector. Compiling the latest Retail Traffic Index, Ipsos Retail Performance, the global retail and footfall consultant, found that average weekly footfall increased by +10.4% in June compared to May – the highest month-on-month figure for June since the RTI was launched 20 years ago. Healthy figures were reported across the whole of the UK. Yes, we all know that could mean an increase in interest rates, but if we take a leaf from Ben’s book, think positive and look to the future with optimism, Bulldog Spirit will get us where we want to be. That’s guaranteed.

Burbidge: 024 7667 1600 Fladder: 0045 75 29 71 33 Sorbini: 0039 0721 48551 Cefla: 0039 0542 653441 Schubert Technical Services: 01226 360900

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 25 Roseberry, London Grey

Inspiring Utopia F

or over 25 years, Utopia has been designing and manufacturing high quality bathroom suites, bathroom furniture, worktops, mirrors and bathroom accessories.

A UK manufacturer with a dedicated production facility in Wolverhampton, Utopia Bathrooms has developed something of a reputation for being progressive in its thinking - and with its latest ranges of furniture, its designers have chosen some of the most progressive, design-led drawer and hinge systems on the market to accentuate and complement both the look and the functionality of the new cabinets it is already rolling out through a network of 600 dealerships around the UK. “When we first came into contact with Utopia on our stand at KBB, they were looking for new ideas and noticed the Nova Pro Scala drawer system,” recalls Wayne Nabal, Managing Director of the movement systems specialist, Grass UK. “They wanted something different, something fresh and innovative that would give them individuality.

It was the ability to personalise their furniture

that they really liked about the Novo Pro Scala drawer system. They liked the shape and the colour – the silver was a nice neutral colour they felt they could put with a beech or oak décor panel. They decided to use an oak base and back with matching décor sides in their Roseberry range.”

“During the development of the Roseberry range we were looking for a drawer system that offered something different from the normal grey/silver metal sided drawer box,” Utopia told Furniture Journal, adding, “We wanted something a little more organic, without compromising on a quality engineered drawer system – that’s what the Novapro Scala system offered with the thinner profile metal sides and ease of adjustment. The thinner profile allows us to adopt a profile side to match the drawer box base, backs and rails.”

Nova Pro Scala is a very contemporary looking drawer with a sharp radius to the edges of the drawer side that gives the effect of a thin wall drawer from a double wall system. “The benefit is you have a step in the

The technical support from Grass UK was as important to Utopia as the quality, style and engineering in the latest Grass products.

Lustre, Powder Grey

26 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

The stability provided by the M9 thin door hinge enabled Utopia to design a unique high wall-mounted cabinet for its Star range that pivots completely off the wall to leave only a mirror panel.

drawer side that enables you to add a décor panel to the side of the drawer, and that’s exactly what they were looking for,” explains Wayne. “Nobody else in the market has that kind of décor side.”

But Utopia went one stage further: with its latest ground-breaking collection of three modular ranges launched in June 2017 – Star, Lustre and Opula – Utopia’s designers wanted to explore combinations of exciting materials, such as glass, metal and solid surface, and some very unusual, eye-catching cabinet designs. That posed a number of technical as well as design issues, not least the familiar problem of affixing a metal hinge to a glass door. “Utopia decided to use the Grass Mirro hinge,” explains Wayne. “Their glass supplier was already working with Grass products and was able to supply glass with the Mirro adapter plate already affixed, so this way they could have the glass or mirror door they wanted with the added benefits of a soft close and damping adjustment.”

Star, Indigo

One of the really eye-catching features in the Star range is a 400mm wide x 255mm deep x 1600mm high wall-mounted cabinet that pivots completely off the wall leaving only a mirror panel. “The idea is that anyone putting makeup on can store products on the shelf inside the door and see to put it on in the mirror,” explains Andy Cartlidge, Utopia’s Design Engineer. “I don’t think there’s another product on the market that would enable us to do that. We’ve taken a lot of the weight out of the design so you can store a couple of kilos on each shelf but the beauty of the hinge is it’s more substantial, so it works really well.” The product Utopia chose was the Grass M9 thin door hinge and the result was a new design of cabinet with a 110° opening angle. Very attractive it is too, especially in the brand new 2017 colour, Indigo.

Aside from the products themselves, the key issue that persuaded Utopia to work with Grass was the availability of good technical support from the team at Grass UK. “The

advice and help from Grass allowed us to find the right solutions in finding the optimum depth of runner so we could maximise the storage for both the top and bottom drawers,” Utopia told Furniture Journal.

Technical support included helping Utopia make up models so they could work more freely on their designs, colours and ranges, and providing support in the factory with a Nova Pro drawer press so they could produce the drawers on the press to exacting specifications. “The technical support from our Technical Sales Manager, Tony Berrow, was key to us winning the business,” confirms Wayne. “Utopia really liked the product but they weren’t sure about the technical assembly, or how it would fit within their production line. He was the guy that made it happen for them.”

To find out whether Grass could make your novel ideas come to life, or for technical advice on the Grass range of products, call 0121 500 5824 or visit www.grass.eu

TIOMOS HINGE SYSTEM

Tiomos – currently the best possible movement solution for furniture doors.

One of the outstanding characteristics of the new hinge system is the Soft-close closing damper which features stepwise adjustment and is concealed within the hinge housing.

Maximum stability. Adjustable Soft-close damping. Stylish design.

The systematically extended Tiomos range provides perfect movement solutions for virtually every application, from standard to wide-angle doors, from diagonal corner to glass door hinges; and from frameless to face-frame applications. With and without Soft-close damping function.

www.grass.eu

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 29

The new SC8/60 1-piece connector, available from Häfele UK in 2018.

Fixed!

(by Häfele) W

ith such a vast array of different products currently available for joining panels and many new solutions entering the market over the last few months, we took the opportunity to ask Häfele’s Kerry Baulch about the choice that’s on offer.

FJ. There seems to be an increasing number of panel jointing options. Do they fall into specific product groups?

“Yes, there are several ways to group panel jointing products. In the main, there are the types that allow disassembly and then the permanent fixings. After that, it would depend on the use or weight-loading of the panel, or the machining capabilities of the manufacturer.”

FJ. What are the key criteria a manufacturer should take into account when choosing a fixing method?

“This depends very much on what the panel would be used for, whether the fixing can be visible or needs to be hidden and also the general size and thickness of the panels in question. As with everything, it is important to use the right tool for the job. If you’re not sure what to use, Häfele has a fantastic technical department on hand to help if you have any questions.”

FJ. What are the options available by Häfele and which of these are manufactured

by Häfele in its Berlin factory?

“The Häfele ‘IxConnect’ range consists of hundreds of different options, covering an

Kerry Baulch talks to Furniture Journal about the latest panel fixing products from Häfele.

30 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

The new tool-less rear-panel connector works together with the U-dowel for added stability.

The new ‘U-Dowel’ SC 8/25 is an invisible and tool-less spreading connector, which won the ‘Best of the best’ Innovation award at Interzum where it was first seen by the public. The SC 8/25 will be available in the UK November 2017.

array of different panel connectors. The vast majority of these fittings are both designed and manufactured in our Berlin factory.

When it comes to KBB cabinets, the most popular system by far is our Minifix range of connectors. Häfele invented the “centric ball principal” back in 1983 and this invention was the base for a completely new generation of connectors at that time. This type of connector is now considered the Industry standard for all types of RTA furniture and widely accepted as the tried and tested benchmark.”

FJ. What were the new panel fixing introductions at Interzum 2017 and what do they offer that earlier versions didn’t?

“At this year’s Interzum we were showing our new developments on tool-less fittings and either invisible or less-visible fittings. Our new ‘U-Dowel’ SC 8/25 is an invisible and tool-less

spreading connector, which won the ‘Best of the best’ Innovation award at Interzum – something we are extremely proud of! This is a great little fitting that fits in a standard 8 x 25mm dowel drilling position.We will receive first deliveries into Häfele UK around November this year.This fitting is designed to work together with a rear/base panel connector (G-13/20) which complements the ‘U-Dowel’ for added stability.”

FJ. A criticism often levelled at manufacturers of flatpack furniture, especially large pieces such as sliding mirror door wardrobes, is that the fixings they supply often don’t enable the furniture to be disassembled and reassembled without the fittings breaking or the wardrobe becoming wobbly.What can Häfele offer to address this issue?

“Häfele Rafix would be the fitting of choice in these cases. Rafix is specifically

designed for use in these larger panel applications and can be repeatedly slackened and retightened without any loss of stability.

Another advantage of Rafix is that only surface drilling capability is needed because the ‘centric ball’ cam is assembled in the casing. Connector housings are available in both zinc alloy or plastic and we also hold single or twin hole drilling versions for extra stability, and a shelf connector version available in the same drilling template. Rafix can also be accessed from either side of the panel so the fitting can be either left on show, or virtually concealed by turning the panel up-side down.”

FJ.At this year’s Interzum, several of the main hardware manufacturers had made a determined effort to put the emphasis firmly back on the furniture with more discreet, designer hinges and slides.What are the options

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SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 33 The IxConnect Rafix 20 HC system

IxConnect Rafix 20 HC connectors are suitable for lightweight panels without frames. The range also includes Shelf Supports with concealed screws (below left) or visible screws (below right) as well as a Rear Panel Fitting for groove mounting lightweight panels without tools.

for manufacturers who might want less obtrusive panel fixings inside their cabinets?

“Yes, you are right, there is a trend for concealing the fittings in order to give a clean look to the furniture and we have covered several solutions above, such as both Rafix & our new ‘U-Dowel’ which would answer this question. However, we have another new fitting coming in the New Year, which is the ‘Big Brother’ to our new ‘U-Dowel’ that is designed to work with larger panels. Another requirement we are seeing grow in demand is speed of fitting and this one-piece connector will reduce both assembly and production time.

FJ. What are the panel fixing problems you’ve come across recently for which Häfele has specific solutions?

“I can’t remember a panel fixing issue that we haven’t been able to solve in one way or another! When it comes to shopfitting or project work, our ‘Keku’ panel fittings solve most issues with a variety of

fixing methods, including hanging, face mounting, both flush and surface mounting.

Häfele has also developed a complete system of connectors for hollow core board, including a Varianta screw with a thread designed specifically for use in lightweight panels with a minimum top layer thickness of just 4mm.”

FJ. What is Häfele able to offer readers who might have a specific issue they’d like some advice on?

“It would be interesting to hear of some specific panel fixing problems from your readers. We would be happy to solve any issues! We have a team of dedicated technical experts in-house, that is available five days a week to answer any questions you may have.

You can reach them on 0800 171 2908,.”

To see the new ‘U-Dowel’ SC 8/25 and base panel connector in action visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7Deg_lsaY and for the new IXCONNECT SC 8/60 visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=60NPVQv01o4

The Rafix 20 Connector housing made from zinc alloy or plastic. The zinc alloy connector offers Secure tightening, even after repeated slackening and re-tightening.

34 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Swiss Connection Joining innovation with tradition, Lamello offers hi-tech jointing solutions for panels, timber and solid surfaces alongside its invention, the ubiquitous biscuit.

I

Susanne Affolter-Steiner

t was back in 1955 that Susanne AffolterSteiner’s grandfather, Herman Steiner, first came up with the idea of a simple biscuit to join timber or panels easily and reliably. He could never have foreseen that, in searching for a more stable alternative to the tongue and groove joints that had to be used to affix the weak-cored chipboard of the time, he was setting the roots of a tree that would flourish into the worldwide success story that is today known as Lamello. Susanne has fond memories of the early years, and remembers well the struggles Herman went through finding a company to make his idea.

“He didn’t want to make the machine himself but first one company, then another turned down his idea,” she recalls. “Finally, he decided

to make both the biscuits and the machines himself. Grandfather was a furniture-maker from Monday to Thursday, but at the weekend we would all go to the holiday home in Emmental and help him make the machines.

Everyone worked on them, then we’d sell them during the week.”

The core product in Lamello’s range is the simple biscuit and it gets its name from the French word “lamelles”, or thin strips. The first biscuits were stamped out of wood – and indeed, even today the ubiquitous Lamello biscuit known to every cabinetmaker is produced in much the same way.

Various sizes are made for different applications but all are manufactured from locally sourced beech logs that are kiln dried

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 35

Lamello AG does not make motors but every other aspect of its power tool range is machined and assembled in Bubendorf with typical Swiss precision.

in the Lamello factory, cut to size and quality checked before cutting into strips, stamping out and packaging.

It wasn’t until 1958 that Herman developed his first machine for cutting the slots into which the biscuits were inserted. A static machine, it required the cabinet-maker to take the panel, or the timber component, to the machine. Herman knew this was less than convenient but it wasn’t until 1968, with the invention of the angle grinder, that he approached Metabo to see if they would make a handheld version for him. Not seeing the potential, they turned him down – but they did offer him 2,000 motors to make his own. He took the plunge, invested in his idea and established Lamello AG to produce and market the very first handheld power tool for biscuit joint cutting. It was an immediate success with cabinet-makers and became the forerunner of a range of power tools that now includes window cutters, gluing systems,

patching machines, edge processing machines, expansion gap and parquet cutters, the original Top 21 and Classic X biscuit cutters, and the Zeta, a machine for use with Lamello’s advanced P-System connectors.

To this day, Lamello AG does not make motors but every other aspect of its power tool range is machined and assembled in Bubendorf with typical Swiss precision.

Quality, durability and reliability are as important to everyone at Lamello as they were in the days of Herman and as I tour the factory with Sales Manager Raffael Gomez, it’s impossible not to notice the genuine pride among the workforce in the products they are producing. Everyone is very involved, motivated and keen to ensure every product leaves the factory with their own personal guarantee that it will perform tirelessly for many years. Herman would have liked that. Susanne says he was very much a people person, who appreciated the

contribution of every single employee in the factory. He would also have liked the spirit of innovation that has developed a momentum of its own since he retired. Over the years, it has resulted in numerous developments of his humble biscuit joint – and cutting systems that are available for CNC users as well as craftsmen.

In addition to the original wooden biscuit – now part of the Lamello-System of products Lamello‘s range of joining systems includes innovative solutions for the connecting of both solid timber and panel products that make life easier for the furniture manufacturer and provide greater stability and easier assembly for flat pack producers.The Lamello-System includes self-clamping elements, biscuits and slide-in connectors (for use with wood-based panels, solid timber and solid surfacing materials) and the Clamex S18, a hole and key connector that’s almost invisible when in situ.

Unlike dowels, both Lamello-System products

36 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

and many of the hi-tech P-System range allow much more lateral tolerance so products that are joined with them can be coaxed into the perfect position before the joint is tightened.

Most of the P-System range is based on Lamello’s P-System profile groove, first introduced in 2010, though some products, like the self-clamping, invisible Divario P-18, are designed to slide together rather than clip. There are various detachable fittings that are designed to provide greater stability after tightening, even after repeated assembly and disassembly, and some for shelves and cabinet internal dividers. The detachable Clamex P-14 connector features impressive functionality and aesthetics. A small lever, which can be swung back and forth, enables the Clamex P-14 to be used to create detachable constructions, making this joining method the ideal solution for demountable furniture. One that’s particularly impressive – and it’s definitely not designed to be disassembled – is the Tenso P-14, which is a self-clamping gluing aid that, through a cleverly designed clip system, exerts a force of 150 Newtons.

Apply glue to the edge of the panel, clip the Tenso P14 together and the connecting force

Tenso

Cabineo

Clamex

Divario

is sufficient to do away with clamps altogether. The newest addition to the range, Cabineo, a CNC connector with no edge drilling, was launched at Interzum 2017 and will hold particular appeal for flat pack furniture manufacturers, who can use a CNC to make the drilling, then affix the components without fear of any damage when one panel is stacked on top of another for shipping.

My particular favourite – and this really is stroke of genius that provides totally invisible connection that’s bordering magic – is the Invis Mx2. Using a unique magnet-driven system, joints are made by affixing Lamello’s Minimag Mx2 drive to a hand drill, placing its square Perspex box adjacent to the panel and momentarily running the drill. The magnets in the Minimag Mx2 drive spin a magnetic screw that’s inserted in drill holes in the panels, turning the screw until it exerts a clamping force up to 250kg. The invisible connection can be assembled and disassembled (by reversing the drill) many times. Uses include the invisible connection of anything from shelving units to handrails, stairs, table legs and dividing panels. For exhibition stands, the

facility to assemble in seconds and disassemble just as quickly when its time to break down the stand, makes use of the Invis Mx2 system an absolute no-brainer. It’s also ideal for laboratory furniture, where the use of invisible fittings is important, or display cabinets for museums, where security demands construction is best hidden, and it works with any non-magnetic materials.

With such futuristic joining systems already in its product portfolio, and pretty much every application already covered, one might be led to wonder if there is room left for further developments. I put the question to Susanne: “We are all about joining systems,” she says.

“We are constantly developing new systems that deal with the challenges faced by furniture manufacturers.There will always be new challenges and we want to help furniture manufacturers and cabinet-makers to deal with these and to save their time.That is our philosophy.We are here to help and support and to provide solutions.That’s what we’ve always done.”

To find out more, visit www.lamello.com or contact Axminster Power Tools, Lamello’s representatives in the UK, on 0800 371822.

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NEW Cabineo

The connector of the future – simple, fast and strong

The NEW Cabineo time-saving furniture connector requires no edge drilling.

Machining occurs solely on the surface and the connector is used with all types of CNC machines. Cabineo offers more efficient production, faster installation and a higher clamping force than the traditional cam and dowel fitting.

The Cabineo fitting is inserted into the routed shape on the surface. The preinstalled screw inside the fitting is then secured into the 5mm drill hole. The speed of a cordless drill joins the workpieces together quickly and powerfully.

Cover caps in various colours can be clipped onto the Cabineo within seconds.

For more information and to arrange a demonstration, contact our Business Services Team, call 0800 371822, Häfele Connect email abst@axminster.co.uk or visit axminster.co.uk

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38 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Get Connecting!

No glue, easy transport, fast assembly on site – all from a simple aggregate and some very clever machines.

S

ome of you may well have seen the Holz-Her Evolution 7405 at W16 with its Clamex-Lamello P-System aggregate and thought, just as I did, how ideally suited the Evolution series of vertical CNC machines is to the cutting of profiled grooves for Lamello’s Clamex P-System panel connectors. For a small additional cost, Holz-Her has included an additional seventh tool changer location as well as the matching programming macro so the Evolution 7405 “White Edition Connect” will enable you to cut the uniquely shaped grooves on any of the four edges of a panel as well as the X and Y directions. And by doing so, it has opened the way to easy transport of finished

flat-packed panel products for you with no risk of damage during transit, and much quicker assembly on site.

Some of you may even have seen the incredibly efficient Holz-Her Nextec in operation at Ligna 2017 and noticed similar technology in use during the live demonstrations. Like the Evolution, the Nextec facilitates use of a wide variety of furniture connectors and, as we reported in the July edition of Furniture Journal, enables 300 carcass models to be called up from a database, adapted for width, height, or depth, equipped with shelves and produced within minutes. The savings in production time and

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 39

material were demonstrated in a party piece that saw the Nextec cut two circular pocket Clamex pouches left and right in just nine seconds. Without glue, dowels or case clamps the cabinet was then assembled and its rigidity rivalled that of any glued and dowelled carcass. Like the Evolution shown at W16, the Nextec was equipped with a simple aggregate that enabled a variety of different connectors to be applied so the finished cabinet could be assembled very quickly and easily – and many of the connectors used were from Lamello.

Holz-Her’s solution for the P-System connectors from Lamello is unique, reliable and incredibly fast in operation but the software used by both the Evolution and the Nextec also supports the introduction of all standard commercial nesting connectors that

only require vertical machining. The optional Nextec Clamex package includes Holz-Her’s BetterNest macro for Lamello’s Clamex and Tenso connectors as well as a one-position tool changer (7874 X/Y90 degrees), a Nextec Lamello P-System tooling and connector set, and a single spindle aggregate for the 7874 X/Y tool changer. With this package you’ll be able to machine connector pockets into the panel surface in the X and Y directions while the intelligent BetterNest software, along with a tool specially developed for it, will allow you to machine perfectly positioned Clamex pockets in the edges of the furniture parts - before these are formatted for size in the same clamping operation. For traditional dowel technology, the CNC programs can be split into two machining operations and the work

pieces marked in the nesting plan can also be machined horizontally in a second step.

The most popular Clamex macro-packages are also preinstalled on the Holz-Her ProMaster CNC machines. All the advantages of the Evolution 7405 vertical machining centre have been retained and, thanks to the patented vacuum clamping system on the ProMaster, sensitive materials can be formatted on all four sides without risk of damage. Even arcs and cutouts are possible.

If all this has whetted your appetite for a new connecting system that doesn’t involve glue or dowels and opens the way to damage-free flat pack, call Weinig UK and ask about the unlimited possibilities a Connect Package has to offer. The number to call is 01235 557600.

40 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

John Carney

Pointing the

Finger I When Cheshire Mouldings wanted a finger jointing line, it was the experience and the service record that persuaded him to go for Weinig.

f you’ve bought from a builders’ merchant or a big brand DIY store, although you won’t necessarily know it, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll have come across products made by Cheshire Mouldings. Stair parts and small section mouldings are Cheshire’s core products and in the last six years, business has been booming with growth from £8m to £32m turnover. Two distribution centres, a storage site and continual investment in production have enabled MD John Carney to drive the company’s sales of catalogue products as well as supply the merchants and fuel an instock business that promises delivery within three to five days.

Investment in manufacturing has been substantial and for the last ten years, John’s key machinery supplier has been the moulder specialist, Weinig UK. “Ten years ago we bought a Profimat,” he says. “We’ve just bought a finger jointing line and by July we will have five Powermat Weinig moulders, all fully linked with OptiControl - two 60m/min lines, two 30m/min lines, Weinig mechanical handling and a twin Weinig bandsaw on one of the lines. Everything talks to the tool room.

We’re one of the first two companies in the UK to introduce a system like this.”

When John commissioned Weinig to design and build a new finger jointing line to supply the Powermats, he knew exactly what

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 41 Left: The Cheshire Mouldings factory.

1: The line is prepared for automatic packet formation but Cheshire Mouldings preferred a manual system.

2: The two shaping units work much like single end tenoners.

3: A simple brush wheel spins, flipping the timber from its edge to its back.

1

2

he wanted it to do – and he wanted to make it future proof. “We can pre-grade timber and finger joint at a rate of 25,000 metres a day,” he says. “That’s up from the 4,000 metres a day we were achieving before we got the Weinig line. We don’t actually need the 25,000 metres a day capacity yet, and when we first started talking to Weinig they suggested something smaller, but we wanted to make it bomb proof.”

The line begins with a packet formation station. Although the line has already been prepared and made ready for automation with a Spinfeeder that would make packages up from wood as it is tipped in, John’s preference was for a manual system: “We lay the packets

3

42 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

5

4a

manually because we want to be able to select and grade the timber according to length,” he explains. “We get the best utilisation from the raw materials we import from Scandinavia by cutting out the poor quality bits and jointing only the good bits, but we try to control how many finger joints there are in each finished moulding so our customers get a high quality product.We separate offcuts into three lengths, then batch process the finger jointing.

If we are running 2.4 metre mouldings we want a maximum of two joints in a piece, otherwise we’d need to wrap the timber or

4b

paint it.We went for high speed so we can get more involved in engineering timber and veneer wrapping.We could use MDF but our speciality is timber products and that’s what we’re known for.”

The two shaping units work much like single end tenoners, shaping the ends of the timber and cutting the male and female finger joints. Any timber that might be badly cut, or not cut square, is picked up, trimmed and then jointed. The first shaper is equipped with a glue comb that ensures an even coat of PVA glue before the packet moves down the line.

It’s very easy to look at each process in a line and expect high technology to ooze from every crevice when sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that work the best (and the most reliably). With so many fancy devices on the market for turning and flipping workpieces during the production stages, it’s refreshingly down to earth to find Weinig opting for a simple brush wheel that spins, gently pushing the timber through 90°, flipping it from its edge to its back and onto a conveyor from where it moves down the line to the next process.

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 43

6a 10

7b

4a & 4b: The joint is secured under pressure before a final end trim.

5: The cross cut section saws 7.2m lengths into either two 3.6 metre lengths, three 2.4 metre lengths, or four 1.8 metre pieces.

6a & 6b: Each sized piece passes down a conveyor and, on reaching a laser stop, it is collected individually by an automatic stacker.

7a & 7b: The stacker layers the pieces according to their length and drops stabilising sticks between each of the layers to create packs.

6b

Glued and jointed pieces are fed automatically in 7.2 metre lengths via a conveyor to the pressing area where the joint is secured under pressure before a final end trim to ensure a perfectly square finish.

Individual jointed lengths are then taken sideways through a cross cut section equipped with four manually set saws that cut them into either two 3.6 metre lengths, three 2.4 metre lengths, or four 1.8 metre lengths, as required. Each sized piece passes down a conveyor and, on reaching a laser stop, it is collected individually by an

7a

automatic stacker. The stacker layers the pieces according to their length and drops stabilising sticks between each of the layers to create packs. These are wrapped and taken straight to the moulding machines.

“We did look at other systems before deciding to buy Weinig,” John admits candidly.

“But Weinig had much more experience of finger jointing than anyone else and for a turnkey solution like this, their track record was a deciding factor. The service we’ve been getting over the last ten years from Weinig UK swayed us completely. Weinig machines

tend not to give too many problems anyway, but we know we can get their service guys here within 24 hours if we need them. All our machines are on a preventative maintenance contract now, so we very rarely get a machine go down.” It sounds very much like this is a case where he could count the instances on the finger joints in one moulding.

To enquire about mouldings from Cheshire Mouldings call 0800 085 3475. For more information about finger jointing and the range of moulders offered by Weinig, contact Weinig UK on 01235 557600.

44 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

It’s a

Wrap!

With a range of specialised adhesives and the backup of its own Technology Centre in Germany, Kleiberit has the business of profile wrapping all wrapped up.

Bradly Larkan

W

rapping technology has undergone massive change in the last couple of decades. In the 90s, solvent-based products were the adhesives of choice for bonding paper or foil to an MDF substrate. They worked well enough but the advent of EU wide directives aimed at reducing VoC emissions, together with a greater requirement for wrappings that could be used in high moisture or high heat areas, pushed development of a new generation of adhesives.

First came thermoplastic hotmelts, then came the reactive hotmelts we have today.

“For an application with standard demands in end use, such as a low humidity environment, a standard polyolefin, or a standard EVA could be used,” explains Kleiberit’s Bradly Larkan. “Where there is a demanding end use, polyurethane is always the better choice because it’s cross linkable, waterproof and heat resistant. Once it’s crosslinked, the bond is solid. For applications such as caravans, over ovens in kitchens, or near an extractor fan where there’s high heat, polyurethane is the better choice. For bedroom furniture, a thermoplastic EVA or polyolefin may be adequate.”

PO hotmelts (polyolefin) and EVA hotmelts (ethylene-vinyl acetate) are based

on thermoplastic resins that achieve strength directly after crystallising, and they offer temperature resistance of up to 90°C (EVA) and 120°C (PO). Examples from the Kleiberit range include the PO hotmelt 750.0 for wrapping papers, veneers and laminates to wood and wood based materials. They offer good melting properties and high green strength. For thin papers and micro veneers, which have a tendency to telegraph and require a lower viscosity adhesive, Kleiberit recommends its PO hotmelt, 750.3. For wrapping profiles with PVC furniture films where a very low application temperature (from 130° C) and best surface quality are required, 743.3 is a good option. PO and EVA hotmelts offer good dosing, long open times and good green strength. The adhesive is always applied to the rear of the wrapping material using rollers, doctor blades and slot nozzles.

The application temperatures for EVA and PO hotmelts are generally between 180°C and 210°C compared with reactive PUR hotmelts that require 120°C to 140°C. Kleiberit’s 702 and 708 ranges of hotmelts are the PUR (polyurethane) furniture wrapping grades in its portfolio. In addition to physically setting, PUR hotmelts chemically

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 45

Reeded profiles, skirtings, stairs, furniture, banister rail components – they all offer wrapping challenges.

cross-link allowing much higher moisture resistance and temperature resistance up to 140°C. They are also suitable for materials like metal and plastic profiles. For wrapping CPL, papers, veneers and thermoplastic foils made from wood, wood based materials, PVC and aluminium, Kleiberit recommends its 702 series because these PUR products are very sticky with high green strength and have very fast settings properties. They are ideal for line speeds of up to 60m/min.

If greater heat or cold resistance is required, Kleiberit 708.7 has been formulated for bonding wood based materials (and profiles made from PVC) with PVC films, CPL, thick decorative papers, or veneers for interior use. It provides heat resistance to over 150°C (heat storage) and cold resistance down to -40°C with very high green strength and pronounced tackiness.

“The market is driving towards thinner and thinner papers and foils,” says Bradly.

“The thinner the foil, the greater the chances are that imperfections will show when it’s wrapped. You need an absolutely fluid adhesive that can be applied in a smooth manner to either hide the imperfections, or at least not exaggerate them. If it’s PUR you need to use, within the 702 and 708

furniture-wrapping grades we have solutions that will help with most issues.

“We are also the only adhesive producer in the UK that has its own wholly owned and operated warehouse that can give local delivery terms and local technical support from a team of experienced technical sales people. On top of that, we have the backup of the Technology Centre in Germany that can run tests on any new or unusual combination of products a manufacturer might want to assess – for example, a new foil, a new board,

or any other substrate. A big thing that’s making its way into the market is palm wood.

It’s not a product that’s easy to bond but by using our facilities with their chosen product, we can run trials for a manufacturer to ascertain whether the end result they are looking for is feasible and come up with alternative solutions if it’s not.”

To find out more about Kleiberit’s adhesives for profile wrapping, or if you’re experiencing a particular problem with profile wrapping, call 01530 836699.

46 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Fabrizio Pigato’s laboratory at DMC in Thiene is legendary for solving sanding problems through in-depth analysis of materials and tools.

Sanding:

Under the Microscope Achieving a balance between perfect finish and costeffective production isn’t something that happens often by accident.The job of the DMC laboratory is to ensure clients achieve both consistently - whatever the material they’re processing.

I

n the good old days when life was simple and time was something everyone had plenty of, there were sanding machines and there were belts and a smooth finish was invariably the result of mating the two and adding power. In this new, highly competitive millennium, other factors have risen in importance and these can have a significant impact on your business: the need to control power consumption has never been greater; extraction needs to be efficient; belt life needs to be maximised in order to keep costs within limits; downtime and maintenance need to be affordable. Add in the vast number of materials from timber, metal, veneer and composites to solid surfacing materials, ABS

and polyurethane that’s available today and you begin to realise that simply adding power to a sanding machine isn’t necessarily going to give you the productivity, the costeffectiveness or the finish you expect, or hope for. And that means the whole business of choosing a sander needs to be investigated carefully, with the benefit of a long-sighted approach, rather than simply what might fit the budget today.

Knowing the material you are finishing, calibrating or brushing is just the starting point for Fabrizio Pigato, Head of Improvement at SCM’s DMC sanding division. His laboratory, which operates in partnership with the special materials

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 47

department of an Italian university, is fast becoming legendary for its approach to analysing and treating materials that demand the use of different grits, planing units, treatments and brushes – and its work has led to the development of several unique, patented solutions. It’s helped many manufacturers achieve a consistently better finish at the sanding stage, often by recommending simple changes to the process or the materials that also pave the way for lower costs, less downtime and more economical use of power during the process.

Over the last decade or so, Fabrizio and his team have evaluated, measured and analysed thousands of material samples,

collating and checking the data to create benchmarks. Using these benchmarks, they can now measure the results from practically any machine and define improvements that could have far reaching ramifications for your production.

“The tools we use characterise the design of the surface,” Fabrizio says. “You need to understand the surface in order to understand what needs to be done. We’re measuring dimensions, physical and optical characteristics, but we’re also analysing the layering of materials like paint, laminate and wood, all of which need to be treated differently to achieve the final finish the customer wants.

“Measuring the roughness and the profile of the surface gives us a measurement of its hardness. That’s fundamental to understanding the material and the tools to be used on it.

We use an electronic microscope for optical analysis and reconstruct the image using computer technology. We can see immediately the result of removing, for example, soft parts in the pore of a woodgrain and measure the depth and profile of the result to see if it is what the customer requires. We then carry out experiments for our clients to achieve the exact result that’s required to ensure repeatability in the future.

Oxides vary, so we characterise each type of tool and we have an archive of belts from

48 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Above: DMC machines are designed to take different groups and offer the flexibility of slide-in units.

Left and Below: Teamed with exactly the right abrasive products for your type of work, and with careful attention to the specification, the DMC System is one of the new generation of sanders that will produce a consistently high quality finish.

different manufacturers that we can compare in relation to the job the client wants to do.

The data we hold makes it possible to recommend simple changes that can have far reaching effects.

“Sometimes we’re asked how to provide specific results with processes that involve, for example, priming or painting. Most analysis will provide basic data on roughness or hardness. We go much deeper into the problem. We can define the whole process to achieve the result. This is essential, especially if the customer wants predictable results from new materials. Maybe he needs to be sure they will paint, or needs to know that once finished they will have a useful lifespan. We can determine such things.”

Through the department’s links with the university, Fabrizio’s team has access to top level scientific measuring technology – electron microscopes, quantometers and the like - that facilitate exceptionally accurate

measurement of what’s inside the material samples his customers send over. “If a customer wants to remove 2mm from a particular material, we focus on elements relevant to the process,” Fabrizio explains.

“We classify the compound of the material, calculate the density and hardness, then define the power requirement using, for example, an 80 grit surface. We can then define the best machine, the frame of the machine and the groups required to achieve the specific number of linear metres the customer needs. The size of the motor is determined by factors such as the travel of the belt. If the client needs to treat various materials, the most demanding material defines the parameters of the machine and how it is built. Using the unique software we have developed specially for this purpose at DMC, we can determine other factors, such as the lifespan of the belt. We can present the results in whatever format the customer

needs – often it’s a graph that identifies the cost of the process in relation to the cost of the product.”

Interestingly, though you might expect the sanding machine, or in some cases the sanding line, would form the greater part of any cost, Fabrizio says it’s seldom the case.

“We offer advice on how to improve a customer’s processes, analysing belts and suppliers, comparing suppliers and their products to see if their data is accurate. The information from the microscope proves the costs in the process. The savings we can generate are usually felt immediately in the cost of production and often make it worthwhile spending a bit more to get just the right machine.”

If you have a particular sanding problem, a call to SCM in Nottingham could put you in touch with Fabrizio Pigato and his team and fast track a solution for your company. The number to call is 0115 977 0044.

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 49

The entry level DMC Euro Sander accommodates two units.

The four machines in DMC’s demonstration area in the Thiene factory include up to ten groups and generally hold the key to demonstrating solutions to most common problems.

50 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Viet in Brief Viet has been making sanding and wood polishing machines since 1953. Now part of the Biesse Group, the company has machines that cover every sanding application from artisan to profile production lines.

I

remember well my first visit to the Viet factory. It was just after Biesse acquired the company in 2011. It was a hive of industry with lines of small wide belt sanding machines undergoing various stages of assembly alongside heavyweight calibration and polishing machines.The company may have moved to a new, purpose built factory in Pesaro, and the range may have expanded to include giant twin robot sanding machines and top and bottom sanding lines, but the core values seem not to have changed since it came under the Biesse umbrella. Build quality, accuracy, attention to detail – they’re all words you hear a lot when talking to Viet employees.

“The Viet philosophy is to build all machines on a heavy, welded frame,” engineer Emilio Frugieri told Furniture Journal during a factory visit last May. “From the smallest machine to the largest, the frame is built in one piece for rigidity and a long life.We use larger diameter roller bearings for reliability and we apply the same philosophy to every other component that goes into a Viet machine.We’re very proud of our build quality and of the patents we hold for our technology.”

The Viet range starts with small machines like the S211 calibrating sanding machine. It’s designed for the artisan but a glance at the frame will instantly tell you even this machine

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 51

The top of the range Valeria can be equipped with sanding robots, or with a bottom sanding unit.

has the same heavy duty build quality as the bigger machines in the Viet stable. It offers many of the key features of larger machines, such as Viet’s patented Kombi unit that does away with the need for an additional working unit, a floating calliper disc braking system, rotating and linear blowers and an electrostatic charge busting anti-static bar for sanding paint. As with all sanders in the Viet range, there’s a choice of brushes that supplements sanding and enables users to choose between panel cleaning, satinising and grain highlighting.

One step up is the S1, an extremely versatile machine that’s offered with a choice of 190mm or 240mm diameter rollers, allowing users to calibrate, sand or finish.

Included as standard are an electropneumatic sectioned pad with ‘Corner Save’ function for enhanced finish without excessive corner sanding and a very clever

energy saving system that provides not only a 30% saving in electricity consumption but also a 20% reduction in dust. These are key features you’ll find further up the range in the custom-built, three-head S2 calibrating sanding machine.

“The S-series units are closed configuration machines,” Emilio explains. “You can choose from up to 20 options and they are ideal for the smaller woodworking shop.

But if what you need is a fully customised machine in which any unit can be in any position, the Opera Series is what you really need to look at. The range starts with the Opera 5 - it’s a versatile machine for small to medium-sized workshops – and at the top of the range is the Opera R, a robotic sanding machine that will do everything from calibrating solid wood and veneer sanding to five-piece door finishing - including polishing high gloss to a mirror finish.”

Emilio Frugieri

52 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Above: Assembling the electro-pneumatic sectioned pad with ‘Corner Save’ function.

Below: The Viet Opera 7.

With the Opera 5, choice is everything.

Options include Brite rollers, abrasive brushes, structuring brushes and cleaning brushes.You’ll find Spin brushes and Win units as well as an HPG knife planer and a Superfinishing pad in the options list. In addition, there are pad and roller units, a compact cross unit and a combination unit – plenty of options for whatever processing requirement you might have - and the flexibility to change if your work changes.With roller units of up to 300mm diameter and the possibility of fitting from two to four working units within the same frame, the three models in the Opera 5 series provide real flexibility.With the Opera Series 5, you get the Save Corner function but step up again to the Opera 7 and you also get Dynamic Adaptation and Differential Reading, making the sanding of differently shaped panels without over-sanding the edges easy – and up to five units in one machine.

“The top model we make is the Valeria,” Emilio adds, and at this point we head for the production line where several machines are taking shape. We pause at a Fanuc robot on a stand. “It’s one of two that will be going into a custom-built Valeria. By using robots, we can achieve many finishes much more costeffectively than other manufacturers and, of course, robots offer far greater flexibility.

“The Valeria is a really heavy duty machine. It can be specified for through-feed, in-line top and bottom sanding and it will do both simultaneously. Equipped with our HPG planer, it will remove 3mm of stock in one pass. Some units can be upgraded to produce special effects like waves, distressed timber finishes and sawn effects. We use a special insert on the pads to make wave effects. It is our ultimate custom-built, userspecified machine; the top of the Viet widebelt range.”

Although a highly specialised machine, designed specifically for the simultaneous top and bottom finishing of narrow components up to 400mm thick, no overview of the Viet range would be complete without at least a cursory mention of the compact, modular Viet Narrow.

Operating in line at speeds of up to 100m/ min, the Narrow is a profiling machine for the finishing of long, narrow pieces such as window elements, flooring, or mouldings. It’s unlikely to find many uses in the furniture manufacturing sector but it serves to illustrate one more facet of Viet’s expertise in high speed sanding and finishing solutions - and what can be achieved if you are interested in in-line processing.

If you’d like to know more about any of the machines mentioned, or request a brochure, call BIesse UK on 01327 300366 or visit www.Biesse.com

FINI SHING PERFECT SURFACES. The minimum pressure means 100% quality on sanded components.

Viet Opera 5

Tel: 01327 300366 Email: info@biesse.co.uk

BIESSE.COM

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We provide a free, no obligation site survey, logistics audit services including warehouse layout design to provide you with a unique view of the benefits of the Combilift range.

Without Combilift

With Combilift

Info@combilift.com

There is sure To be MAKA Know-how inside, And ouT !

MAKA – your technology partner for 5-axis CNC cutting systems from wood across composites to aluminium.

Sophisticated, individual manufacturing systems have been our core competence for more than 60 years.

Regardless of the industry you are active in – on the basis of our globally tried-and-tested machine portfolio, we develop a solution together with you. Perfectly customised to your requirements, innovative and reliable. Turn our creativity into your success. Talk to us.

MAKA Machinery uK Ltd. C5 Horton Park IE., Hortonwood 7, Telford Shropshire TF1 7GX Tel: 019 52 - 60 77 00, Email: iy@makauk.com

www.maka.com

CNC Spezialmaschinen

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 55

Opening New Markets Acquiring a new Viet S213 sander has opened a new market for Gable Joinery – and provided major cost savings in other areas.

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ormed in 2009, Gable Joinery has found success with prestigious projects in the retail sector, as well as high-end work for accountancy and legal firms and blue chip industrial giants. Most recently, following the purchase of a new Viet sander from Biesse Group UK, its hard-won reputation for quality and customer service and new machining capability have combined, enabling an already busy workshop to enter a brand new arena manufacturing fire doors.

Gable Joinery’s Managing Director, Alan Smith, already had experience of Biesse machines when he decided to acquire a Viet S213 through Biesse Group UK. Already equipped with a Biesse Rover K pod and rail CNC machining centre and an Akron 1400 edgebander (all with Biesse’s 5 year Total Care warranty and service package), Biesse Group member Viet was an obvious choice. Alan needed a calibrating sanding machine that offered enormous versatility and flexibility, and the Viet S2 is well know for its ability to accommodate up to three working units and provide a high finish quality. By combining rollers of different hardnesses with one or more pads, the Viet S213 Alan chose provides

him with exceptional smoothing and calibration – and most importantly, it does so in just one pass.

“The sander definitely opened up new markets for us, especially for fire doors,” he enthuses. “We bought the sander to increase our own productivity, having previously finished by hand - and immediately increased our efficiency by 30%. The machine is so good, we can now sand paper faces, creating a finish which saves spraying time.” Alan’s fellow Director, Heather Smith, adds, “We didn’t even consider that the machine could sand paper.

It’s absolutely exceeded our expectations. The sander has had a massive impact on productivity. We make more in a day and achieve excellent and consistent quality.”

Aside from the quality of finish, one of the main reasons Alan chose Viet was the build quality. “We always look at the long term,” he says, “So longevity of the machine is of paramount importance in ensuring long-term reliability and finishing excellence.”

Alan and Heather are delighted with their choice: “It’s done more than we wanted it to do,” says Alan, “The very nature of our work means we make some weird and wonderful

things (such as 95mm thick fire doors) and the sander now plays an important part in our calibrating and finishing processes. It will have paid for itself in just two years in cost savings alone. We’ve reduced our spraying cycle as well as increased the material efficiency with fewer rejects from the spray shop – all due to the finishing quality of the sander.”

For more information on Viet sanders contact Biesse Group UK on 01327 300366 or visit www.biesse.com/uk

56 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Handy Sander The Mirka DEOS gives a perfect finish, even in the most inaccessible places.

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ooking for a flawless smooth finish in those hard to reach areas? Take a look at the newly launched Direct Electric Orbital Sander (DEOS)* from Mirka with its revolutionary new design.

The first thing you’ll notice when you look at the DEOS is the comfortable ergonomic design of the unit itself. Turn it upside down and you’ll see this neat little orbital sander has a perforated pad that’s been optimised specifically for Mirka’s unique dust-reducing, anti-clogging net abrasives. Combine Mirka’s net and paper abrasives and the result is an excellent scratch pattern and a dust-free work environment.

The DEOS features a powerful brushless motor that provides a high power to weight ratio when in use. The design team has been able to reduce the weight, size and height of the sander, providing users with a compact, lightweight and easy to use tool. In addition – and this really is a major contributor to improved health and safety for operators - it

has an integrated vibration sensor with Bluetooth technology that can be connected to a mobile device with the new myMirka app to give guidance on vibration levels.

Pete Sartain, National Sales Manager – Industrial, from Mirka UK, says, “We regularly sit down with our customers to understand the types of tools they require and we have developed the DEOS to meet their constantly evolving needs. Its versatility means that it is suitable for multiple applications and makes hard to reach areas easy to handle.”

The DEOS is available in two sizes, DEOS 383 CV 70 x 198 and DEOS 353 CV 81 x 133, making it suitable for use across multiple applications, including stripping old paint and lacquer. Mirka offers a two-year warranty as standard, with an additional year given subject to the tool being registered within 30 days of purchase on the Mirka website.

For more details call Mirka UK on 01908 866100 or visit www.mirka.co.uk

Gets you closer. For perfection.

Imagine the perfect surface. Thanks to the new Mirka® DEOS electric sander, you can obtain that flawless end result easier and quicker than ever before. By getting you closer to the surface, we bring your sanding experience to a completely new level — you will never go back to hand sanding again.

Mirka® DEOS boasts an extremely powerful brushless motor, so we are able to shave off weight, size and height. Add smart Bluetooth connectivity and an integrated vibration sensor and you can monitor vibration levels while sanding.

w: mirka.co.uk t: 01908 866100

Quality from start to finish

58 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Votecs gets Starbank’s Vote When Starbank needed a new shredder to cope with extra long offcuts, the close partnership between Schelling and Votecs made the decision to buy Votecs an easy one.

S

hredding the three metre offcuts from two automatically fed Schelling beam saws running at full tilt might well have been a problem for the Newton le Willowsbased panel specialist, Starbank, had it not been for Schelling UK’s partnership with Votecs. Votecs is a German shredding machinery manufacturer with a reputation for coming up with solutions to all manner of shredding problems – and in Starbank’s

case, it meant building a special vibrating shake-down chute to cope with the extra long chipboard and MDF offcuts from two highly productive fh6 saws.

“The solution was to build a horizontal shredder for long offcuts and position it between the two saws, so the operators of both could use it,” explains Starbank’s Phil Darbyshire. “We already had a vertical shredder that takes 1400mm long offcuts

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 59

The v-profiled rotor is a patented design.

and the operators used to stack the pieces before shredding, but with the longer pieces it would have meant operators breaking them up and feeding them in. The new Votecs has a five-metre, vibrating channel that handles the three metre offcuts easily.”

The operator throws them into the channel and the vibration feeds them into the machine automatically.

Shredding chipboard and MDF is a necessarily noisy operation. Positioned between two saws, the 45kW Votecs VHZ T6, with its two rows of 30 40x40mm knives eating into several pieces at a time, would have been just too much for operator comfort, even with effective ear defenders.

“We had the shredder put in a soundproofed cabin,” says Phil. “It was an extra cost option

but one we feel was necessary.” Starbank also had a tube magnet, which Phil refers to as his “bullet catcher”, added to detect and remove any metal. To further dampen noise and cut vibration, Schelling installed the machine on anti-vibration rubbers.

The VHZ T6 model has an infeed of 600mm x 120mm, which, combined with a rotor speed around 650rpm, makes it capable of shredding around 2.5 tonnes of offcuts per hour with a screen of 15-20 mm, and the build quality of the Votecs means it’s quite capable of working a three-shift operation.

The 354mm diameter, v-profiled rotor is a patented design with knife holders mounted in the pocket section and knives bolted with covered screws, and the automatic Star-Delta operating system is simple, both in design and

operation. The machine itself is also simple enough for operator servicing and has been designed with low maintenance in mind.

“We looked at other machines but went with Votecs because of the backup we get from Schelling UK,” says Phil. “The operators are very pleased with it,” he concludes.

“They don’t have to break the lengths and there’s a lot less noise. It was definitely the right decision for us.”

For information on Votecs contact Schelling UK on 01937 586340.

Facing Page: The Votecs VHZ T6 is equipped with a five-metre shake down chute and is positioned between Starbank’s two Schelling fh6 saws.

Top: The automatic Star-Delta operating system is simple, both in design and operation.

Steve Duck’s Integral collections

“Strength to Strength with FELDER” Steve Duck, Owner

FELDER make our life easier by having a range of machines to suit all our circumstances, for now and the future!

Steve Duck’s Integral collections’s Woodworking Machines Profit H08

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Unit 2, Sovereign Business Park, Joplin Court Crownhill, MK8 0JP, Milton Keynes

info@felder-group.co.uk www.felder-group.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 61

Images © Cadesign form

Productivity Enhanced Draw in 3d, add detail in 2d, create a visual and start production – that’s what CAD+T offers.

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n the past it was not uncommon to find efficient 2d CAD packages that produced complicated drawings end users were unlikely to be able to visualise, or drawing packages that created visuals that were comprehensible enough but didn’t talk to machines. With CAD+T, you get the best of all worlds.

The heart of the system is the drawing. Built on the powerful design platform,AutoCAD®, the CAD+T add-on gives designers the possibility of drawing the parts directly in 3D even though they can still work on 2D. On these parts, information about materials, finishes, edges, profiles, hardware, etc., can be saved. The drawing consists of more than just lines and text; it actually understands what you are drawing. The drawing automatically produces a cutting list as well as a bill of materials and many other documents. There are several other different production lists you can generate from material order reports to packing lists.

CAD+T has developed a highly sophisticated interface for CNC machines that separates all pieces according to material and sends the information directly to the machine.

The necessary working method depends on the different materials required for the job. Oversizes, starting points, tools and all other required information is chosen automatically. CAD+T offers interfaces to all common three and fiveaxis CNC machines on the market as well as tools for lipping. A specialised nesting tool generates required information for nesting machines, even recognising graining directions of related parts, and vacuum positions are included where required.

In addition to the classic modules like Commercial Order Management for estimation and costing,Technical Order Management for cutting lists, Bill of Materials and productions lists, Operations Control for automatic time calculations and time-taking,

CAD+T offers the CAD+T operation software professional for increased automation and simplification of all processes. You can assign certain jobs to certain employees and their execution will be managed by the system.

Jobs, deadlines, orders and deliveries are part of the system and will be synchronised with Outlook, reducing queries. Additional modules available are CRM, Estimation through different methods, document control, ordering system, invoice control, variable stock management including half finished goods, part tracking through the production process and picking/ shipping lists. CAD+T supports barcode-driven factories, enabling management to make productivity decisions, such as where to invest, or where to change the process, based on real figures. And all this information flows from the drawing.

To find out more call +43 7229 83 100 104 or visit www.cadt-solutions.com

62 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Where Felder is Integral The Format 4 H08

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Using a complete workshop equipped by Felder, Integral Collection is producing furniture for the KBB market as well as study, office and living room furniture.

t’s hard to imagine a workshop more like a Felder showroom than the workshop at Integral Collection Ltd in Skelton-inCleveland. In 2010, Managing Director and founder, Steve Duck, purchased his first machines from the Felder Group and since then he has gone on to acquire more than 17 more Felders, upgrading and improving as the years have gone by.

Integral Collection specialises in kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms but also makes furniture for the study, the office and residential living areas. The work involves both CNC processing, for which Steve has found the Profit H08 invaluable, and more traditional work requiring classic machines.

As an entry-level to the world of CNC nesting, the Profit H08 is hard to beat, especially where space is at a premium.

Designed specifically for universal purposes, the high precision of the H08 and the

productivity that can be achieved across a broad spectrum of materials makes this compact machine an impressive all-rounder that’s equally at home processing plastic, aluminium composite panels and plasterboard as it is wood-based panels. The Gantry drive has been designed for precision and low maintenance, while the matrix table provides optimised grid geometry for perfect nesting results – and if Steve gets the urge to move up to a fully barcoded workshop, the Profit H08 is ‘networked workshop’ ready.

Alongside the Profit H08, Steve also has a Tempora 60.12 edgebander and a Perfect 710. Saving time - one of the most important resources in a modern workshop - was the main focus for Felder’s designers during the development of the new Tempora machine concept, and with the Tempora 60.12, they’ve made the processing of edges as quick, easy and time-efficient as possible. Steve’s

SEPTEMBER 2017 | furniture journal 63

From top to bottom: Format-4 Tempora 60.12 edgebander Format-4 Kappa 550 panel saw Felder KF 700 Professional saw/spindle moulder Felder FK300 edge router (bottom left) Felder Forka 300S Eco contour edgebander (bottom right)

Tempora 60.12 provides the flexibility to process both coiled and strip material and its solid edge-processing aggregates and optimised chassis guarantee stability even when running at maximum speed – pretty much what you’d expect of a machine that comes with a heritage of Austrian build quality. Two user-friendly control options are available, x-motion plus and e-motion, and there are Professional and Performance processing packages that provide users with individual aggregate options for both finishing places.

Steve’s Perfect 710 may be an older model but, nevertheless, it’s a capable machine that does away with the need for manual set up, and the E-Motion version can be controlled from a 10” touch screen control panel.

Working side by side with the CNC and the two edgebanders, Steve also has a range of Felder’s classic machines at Integral Collection. His Kappa 550 x-motion panel saw is from the Format-4 range and his K500 is from the Felder range. Complementing these are an FD 921 dowel boring machine with a 70mm mortising depth, a Forka 300S Eco edgebander for smaller jobs and a KF 700 Professional two-in-one saw and spindle moulder from the Felder range. The K500 saw facilitates a cutting length of between 1300 and 2500mm and provides a cutting height of 102mm, while the more sophisticated Kappa 500 x-motion offers an extended 3700mm cutting length and an increased cutting height of 202mm. It can also store 9 x 99 cutting sequences for repeat jobs. With the KF 700 Professional, Steve’s workshop benefits from two professional machines in one, combining a handy third panel saw with a tilting spindle moulder that will take 230mm tooling and comes with Felder’s quick change spindle system.

Steve is delighted with his purchases:“Felder has been able to help with a wide range of machinery from small machines to large ones,” he says,“And since I have been involved with Felder it has broadened our horizons. We’re now equipped to make whatever customers demand.” He acknowledges Felder machines aren’t the cheapest but says,“In the long run it has been cheaper to buy Felder. The machines might be more expensive but they last a long time and the service more than backs them up. We have worked with Felder for over seven years and no other company can provide help and support as rapidly.”

If you’d like more information on Felder’s classic machines, or on Felder’s CNCs and edgebanders, call 01908 635000.

64 furniture journal | SEPTEMBER 2017

Stage Performance

from AXYZ

The Royal Shakespeare Company has bought an AXYZ router to cut elements for scenery, flooring and stage sets.

F

ollowing installation of an AXYZ 6010 CNC router in February of this year, the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon is reporting “considerable savings in production time” of its sets and on outsourcing costs. The theatre company uses the machine to manufacture a variety of sophisticated constructions for scenery that were previously made by hand.

The RSC’s Head of Scenic Resources, Rebecca Cubitt commented, “Having been impressed by the performance and reliability of the AXYZ 6010 CNC router installed at other scenery workshops, coupled with the quality of the on-site operator training

provided by AXYZ International’s technical engineers, it was decided to purchase the same machine for the RSC carpentry department. This has enabled us to bring inhouse all of our routing and cutting requirements and removed the previous need to use outside suppliers for the more intricate stage set and scenic designs required for RSC’s many and varied productions.”

The router is employed primarily to process plywood and polycarbonate sheets used to create the floors of the stage sets and for making components that are built into other scenery elements. It has a processing area of 2159mm (width) x 3048mm (length)

and incorporates a seven-station AXYZ ATC (Automatic Tool Change) facility to accommodate multiple tooling requirements.

The AXYZ 6010 machine can be supplied with a host of optional equipment, such as Auto Zone Management that ensures the material is always held securely during the routing/cutting process, and an A2MC machine controller with integrated AXYZ Vision System (AVS) for optimum accuracy and quality of cut.

“In addition to the performance and reliability of the AXYZ 6010 router, I was pleased with the on-site operator training provided by AXYZ International and with the support demonstrated throughout the entire installation process,” concludes Rebecca.

If you’d like information on AXYZ routers, visit www.axyz.co.uk or call 01952 291600.

DMC EUROSYSTEM

HEAVY DUTY SANDERS DELIVERING PERFECT FINISH DMC Eurosystem is the new Heavy Duty modular sander providing the UK market with the most advanced technological solutions for calibrating and sanding. Its modularity allows a great number of possible configurations, from versatile and flexible, to highly customized, for solving specific application problems. Excellent finishing results are obtained when machining either solid wood components or MDF panels, also if laminated, veneered or painted (opaque or high gloss).

This is thanks to the wide range of units (Cross-Belt, Calibrating Roller, Sanding Roller, Superfinishing Pad) that are available within the DMC Eurosystem options.

DMC Eurosystem has the perfect combination of heavy duty rollers followed by super-sensitive EPICS electronic sectional pads to deliver the best finish you have ever achieved.

SCM Group UK Tel. +44(0)115 9770044 - scmgroupuk@scmgroup.com - www.scmwood.com