FDM March 2012

Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986

MARCH 2012

Cutting Tools, Cutting Costs The

Perfect Fit Drying For

Excellence

CUT

AND

TRIM

Modular Systems For The Future

See us at: • MIFF (Malaysia) March 6 – 10 • IFFS (Singapore) March 9 – 12 • iFMAC (Indonesia) March 11 – 14 • WMF (China) March 12 – 15 • Domotex Asia/China Floor (China) March 27 – 29 • Interzum Guangzhou (China) March 27 – 30

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Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986 FDM ASIA MICA (P) NO. 041/11/2011 • PPS 1204/06/2012 (022758) • ISSN 0219-2284

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

January/February 2012 VOL. 24 NO. 1

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Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986

Contents MARCH 2012 • VOL. 24 NO. 2

18

Technology

30 Cut And Trim

The growing middle class group in Asia craves for batch of one production. Flexible modular systems with power efficient technologies can help save both time and money while delivering market demands. By Jochen Rehm, Holzma

34 Convincing From The Very Beginning

Focus

For years, Franz Hubert has relied on freehand sketches for his furniture designs.

With growing competitions from other manufacturers, CAD programs have become necessary tools that can improve efficiency and enhance visualisation. By Christian Härtel for VDMA

18 Cutting Tools, Cutting Costs

Pre-splitting is a problem that can affect efficiency and incur losses due to reprocessing and rejects.

Modern cutting tool designs can help eliminate this problem and offer overall cost-savings in return. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

22 Save The Environment

By Protecting Wood Products

The selection of environmental friendly coatings can enhance the properties of wood products and advocate for their usage, which will in turn save the environment.

By Dr Marko Petric, University of Ljubljana

26 Drying For Excellence

Kiln drying cut timber can improve handling and working performance of the wood material. However, the highly complex nature of the processes taking place at cellular level still presents many challenges. By James W Canavan and Michael C Jarvis, University of Glasgow

2 FDM Asia

MARCH 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

30

Panels

38 The Golden Glow Of Honeycomb

The growing prices of raw materials, energy and transport have made the use of honeycomb panels an attractive proposition. The outstanding strength to weight ratio of these panels make them possible solution for the future.

By Assoc Professor Ioannis Barboutis and MSc Vasiliki Kamperidou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

42 Honeycomb Construction Explained Henk Krabben, president and CEO of the Honicel Group, explains the structure of honeycomb panels, as well as their benefits and applications.

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Contents MARCH 2012 • VOL. 24 NO. 2

Surfaces & Flooring 44 Optimising Kiln Performance With Statistical Feedback

The process of drying lumber is as much an art as it is an exercise in data tracking.

Moisture data can be applied to optimise kiln performance and increase product quality.

By Ron Smith, Wagner Meters

Furniture Design, Hardware & Fittings 48 The Perfect Fit

With the increased functions of a kitchen, designers and homeowners are looking towards kitchen hardware and fittings as tools to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of kitchen furniture. By Sherlyne Yong

Woods & Sustainability

52 A Truly Green Picture Certification can help the timber industry gain wider acceptance in face of challenges in the growing

demand for products of sustainable origins and unfair competition from materials which do not need to reveal the totality of their green credential. By Michael Buckley, Turnstone Singapore

56 Challenges To Forest Management In The Tropics

Tropical forests are important in sustaining biodiversity and the livelihoods of many, but the lack of long-term policy measures threaten the future of sustainable forest management. By Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, FIWSc

60 Managing For Maximum Utilisation

In order to be successful in an industry with margins as low as they are in forestry, companies have to make every action and decision count. Optimisation modelling allows planners to explore key business variables while maximising business value.

By Doug Jones, Remsoft

Regulars 06 Editorial 08 Industry News 70 Calendar Of Events 71 Product Highlights 72a Enquiry Form 72b Subscription Form

72 Page

advertisers’ enquiry numbers.

Events & Exhibitions Exhibition Review: 66 IMM Cologne Exhibition Preview: 68 iFMAC 69 Technodomus

66 69

52 Established in 1986, FDM Asia, formerly Asia Pacific Forest/Timber Industries, is a business magazine on sawmilling, woodworking, woodbased panels and furniture manufacturing. The Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all editorial or advertising material and assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited artwork or manuscripts. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the magazine, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the prior written consent, not unreasonably withheld, of the publisher. Reprints of articles appearing in previous issues of the magazine are available on request, subject to a minimum quantity.

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MICA (P) NO. 041/11/2011 • PPS 1204/06/2012 (022758) • ISSN 0219-2284

ENQUIRY NO. 264

Editorial

Y

ears ago, as the world began its search for an uncharted market, all eyes were trained on India and China. These two nations, with their huge populations and large masses of undeveloped land, presented enormous potentials.

Decades on, the fortunes of the two countries cannot be more different.

China has since established a willing domestic market that propelled its woodworking industry forward, becoming a major importer of raw wood materials and exporter of wood products, as well as making in roads to penetrate overseas markets with its machinery and tools.

Although the furniture sector in India is one of the fastest growing industries of the country, with a reported 30 percent compound growth rate per annum, it continues to contribute marginally to the nation’s economy. Valued at around US$8 billion, it constitutes just 0.5 percent of the country’s GDP. As of 2010, commodity wood consumption per capita, excluding solid hardwood, is at 0.003 cubic metres, compared to China’s 0.08 cubic metres.

The contrast in the fortunes is a result of two factors—infrastructure and spending power. India’s furniture industry features both organised and unorganised sectors. It is only until recently that the Indian government paved the way for 100 percent foreign ownership in single-brand retail. The old requirement of 51 percent foreign ownership was one of the reasons that deterred overseas investors, such as IKEA which has been trying to venture into the land since 2010.

The wealth divide in India remains large. The middle-income group, which is essential for market growth, is increasing but still not prominent enough. As of 2011, the country has 31.4 million middle class household, translating to 160 million individuals. This figure is projected to increase 67 percent to 267 million people by 2015. With a population of over 1.2 billion, only 13 percent of its people are currently within the middle-income bracket. The top 10 percent of the income groups earn as much as 33 percent of the nation’s income.

As a silver lining to the situation, more large Indian enterprises can be seen at the recently concluded IndiaWood. These include manufacturers of laminates, flooring and machinery, as well as distributers of hardware and tools. Their sustained growth will hinge on the wealth distribution of the nation.

Elsewhere in the world, the US housing market is gradually gaining momentum for its recovery. Indonesia remains a country with huge promise and efforts have been in place to advance the furniture scene there.

Although there are still uncertainties with regard to the global economic climate, the first few months of the year have not been as bad as some have feared. With encouraging signs from the West and Southeast Asia, there are still plenty of cause for optimism.

A

Tale Of

Giants

Wong Tsz Hin

6 FDM Asia MARCH 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

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contributors

Christian Härtel Doug Jones Henk Krabben Ioannis Barboutis James W Canavan Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam Jochen Rehm Marko Petric Michael Buckley Michael C Jarvis Ron Smith Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid Vasiliki Kamperidou

Executive Board chairman

Stephen Tay

group executive director

Kenneth Tan

financial controller

Robbin Lim

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I N D U S T R Y

Industry News

News

MARCH 2012

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The Malaysian

and medium-term plans, while getting

Ministry of Plantation Industries & Commodities

direct feedback for a five-year strategic

(MPIC) recently decided that the Malaysian

marketing and promotional plan for the

Timber Council (MTC) and the Malaysian

industry. Representatives from MPIC and

Furniture Promotion Council (MFPC) are to

the Malaysian Timber Industry Board were

collaborate in developing and promoting

also invited to provide their inputs.

the Malaysian furniture industry. This will

MTC will focus on, among others,

be a further boost to the Malaysian timber

participation in furniture fairs, developing

industry, as the furniture sector has long

markets and augmenting the industry’s

been regarded as the star of the country’s

raw material supply needs, while MFPC

timber-based industry, contributing 31

will continue its role of upgrading the

percent, RM6.5 billion (US$2.16 billion) to

industry’s design capacity and enhancing

the nation’s total timber and timber-based

the industry’s image through branding. Both

export receipts.

agencies will work closely to focus on all

In February 2012, both agencies

important and crucial areas that contribute

had a meeting with members of the

towards the development and growth of

furniture industry to present the short

the Malaysian furniture industry.

Jon Connell, Cambridge, UK

MTC & MFPC To Join Forces

Sarawak Aims To Be Top Furniture Exporter Kuching, Malaysia: Sarawak has

materials to enhance design

the potential to be the country’s

and quality for export.

top contributor of furniture for

Although there is a good

export because it is a major

future for the furniture market

producer of tropical timber and

due to increasing international

timber products, according to

demand, he said, the country’s

the Borneo Post.

furniture industry faced chal-

Minister of Natural Resources

lenges such as competition

and Environment, Dato Sri Douglas

from countries like China,

Uggah Embas, said his ministry

Indonesia and Vietnam.

would help the state achieve this

To

overcome

such

status by 2020 during the official opening of the Sarawak

challenges, he said the National Timber Industry Policy (Natip)

Furniture Industry Development Seminar 2012.

underlined various strategies for the transformation of the

He stressed that this vision could be achieved if

wood-based industry, including the furniture industry.

furniture manufacturers produce value-added products

“The target for this policy is to reduce the export of

with local traditional ethnic identity for an international

premier wood products such as timber, sawn timber and

niche market.

plywood to 40 percent and at the same time to increase

He urged furniture manufacturers and related industry

the value-added downstream products such as furniture

players in the state to fully embrace change and explore the

and building components to 60 percent by the year 2020,”

various available technologies, expertise, incentives and new

he said.

8 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

Malaysia To Set Price For Plywood Kuching, Malaysia: Malaysia is coming up with a ‘constructed’ price for plywood in the wake of its manufacturers being penalised

by South Korean authorities on charges of dumping their panel products, according to The Star.

This proposed price is being worked out by the International Trade and Industry Ministry, together with input from the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corp (STIDC) and plywood manufacturers.

“As most of the manufactured plywood is for the export market, there is at present no domestic selling price,” Sarawak Timber Association (STA) general manager Dr Peter Kho said.

The proposed constructed price will be determined based on several factors including the production and transport costs of plywood, and will serve as a guide to plywood exporters to check against any dumping charges.

The Korean Trade Commission (KTC) imposed anti-dumping duties on the imports of Malaysian plywood last March, ranging

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The imposition of the duties followed KTC’s probe into complaints by the Korean Wood Panel Association that nine Malaysian plywood exporters were allegedly selling their products below production costs, thereby hurting many South Korean plywood manufacturers.

The duties have adversely affected exports of Sarawak

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plywood to South Korea, a traditional key market. STA figures show that exports plunged to 39,143 cubic metres, worth RM55.8 million, in the April-June period last year. This is compared with exports of 91,529 cubic metres valued at RM106.7 million in the January-March period. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

9

Industry News

Huntsman To Open ATC In Shanghai

SFIC Offers Financial Package To Members Singapore: The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)

Shanghai, China: Huntsman held a groundbreaking

unveiled the 4th Member Assistance Scheme, a financial package

ceremony in February for its new Asia Pacific Technology

to help its members weather the current economic uncertainties.

Center (ATC) in Shanghai’s Minhang Economic &

Under the scheme, up to S$1 million (US$0.8 million) will be

Technological Development Zone.

extended to all eligible members to help strengthen business

The US$40 million facility is designed to support the Asia Pacific region’s rapidly growing demand for world-class technology and innovation. The new ATC will be operational by mid-2013.

“The centre will focus on supporting Asia’s fastgrowing industries, including developing cutting-edge

capabilities and boost competitiveness by developing the industry’s human capital.

The allocated quantum for each member will be based on the tenure of membership with the council and can be used to offset the cost of participation in training programmes and seminars offered by SFIC Institute, a subsidiary of SFIC.

energy-saving material solutions for strategic emerging

All full and associate members who joined the council

industries as outlined in China’s 12th Five-Year Plan,”

on or before February 2, 2012 are eligible for the scheme and

emphasised Anthony P Hankins, the company’s CEO

the funding is valid for use from February 2, 2012, to January

Asia Pacific at the ceremony.

31, 2014.

The ATC will form an integrated technology and

Under the council’s constitution, a full member is any

innovation campus together with the existing technology

Singapore furniture manufacturer while all other furniture-

centre that was opened in September 2008. The

related companies and businesses fall under the category of

state-of-the-art facility will include machine halls,

associate members.

laboratories and offices and accommodate up to 400

Over 280 members stand to benefit from the MAS and the

technical experts from different business units and

quantum of subsidies will range from S$2,500 to S$4,000. Forty

will complement existing technology centres in The

percent of all eligible members will stand to receive the maximum

Woodlands, Texas, and Brussels, Belgium, as well as

subsidy of S$4,000 each, with the remaining 60 percent receiving

smaller regional centers.

between S$2,500 to S$3,000 in assistance.

Guangdong Saw 14.3% Increase In Furniture Output Guangzhou, China: While the furniture industry of Guangdong

percent year-on-year and accounting for 27.7 percent of the

province is benefiting from massive government-subsidised

national total.

housing projects, it has to cope with a softening domestic

Furniture exports from Guangdong rose by 10.4 percent to

economy, a weak global economy, rising costs and the appreciation

US$14.93 billion last year, which made up 38.4 percent of the

of the yuan, according to a report by the China Daily.

national total, according to Guangzhou Customs.

The growth, achieved during an adverse global market, is

Guangdong Furniture Industry Institute shared these points in

mainly attributable to a positive turn in the US and European

their joint report on the industry.

Sizable furniture enterprises in Guangdong generated RMB130.288 billion (US$20.68 billion) in output last year, a year-on-year rise of 17.8 percent, according to the report.

Statistics from the Guangdong Furniture Industry Association

Haldane Martin, Cape Town, South Africa

The Guangdong Furniture Chamber of Commerce and

economies toward the end of last year, said Guangzhou Customs.

A strong export growth came from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations thanks to the zero-duty policy and trade-facilitating measures resulting from the building of the ChinaASEAN Free Trade Area.

indicate the output from the sector

The association predicts that the

in the province stood at RMB280

output of the provincial furniture sector

billion last year, increasing by 14.3

will go up by 14 percent this year.

10 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

Microvellum Announces Expansion Into India

La-Z-Boy Posts Increased Profits

Oregon, US: Microvellum, a developer of AutoCAD based

Michigan, US: La-Z-Boy has announced its fiscal 2012

design and manufacturing software products for the

third quarter results. Sales for the quarter were US$316.5

woodworking industry, took one more step forward in

million, up 8.4 percent compared with the prior year’s third

their drive for global expansion by announcing a newly

quarter. The company reported net income of US$15.0

formed local presence in India.

million. These results compare with US$10 million in the

“The market in India is growing at an amazing pace

fiscal 2011 third quarter.

and local woodworking companies in India are embracing

For the fiscal 2012 third quarter, sales in the

modern, automated technologies. The beauty of it all is

company’s upholstery segment increased 10.7 percent

that these shops are looking for AutoCAD based products

to US$249.3 million from US$225.2 million in the prior

to complement their existing processes. So, the timing of

year’s third quarter. In the casegoods segment, sales

our new version 7 product line and this recent expansion

for the fiscal 2012 third quarter were US$34.2 million,

to this region has come at just the right time for us.” says

down 3.4 percent from US$35.4 million in the fiscal

David Peel, president of the company.

2011 third quarter.

“We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership

For the quarter, retail delivered sales were US$58.4

with our new reseller, Reji Industries and expect to have a

million, up 32.3 percent compared with the third quarter

very interesting and exciting time ahead of us in 2012.”

of last year. The delivered sales increase for the 67 stores

The company’s strategy also includes building a strong,

included in last year’s third quarter was 6.7 percent.

working relationship with local industry professionals.

The additional sales increase was mainly associated

“Over the years, Microvellum has worked closely with

with the February 2011 acquisition of the 15 stores in

CNC manufacturers and distributors around the world.

Southern California, formerly operated by a consolidated

So, getting to know our new partners in India and

VIE. The retail group continued to make progress in its

introducing them to our solutions is going to be a top

operating performance, posting an operating loss of

priority for us.”

US$0.6 million.

Eastman Chemical Launches Hydrophobic Wood Tennessee, US: Eastman Chemical announced the launch

changes from moisture and remaining dimensionally stable

of Perennial Wood, a new brand line of Southern Pine

for decades.

lumber acetylation modified with heat, pressure and organic

The modification permanently transforms the wood’s cellular

compounds for endurance and protection. It is milled and

structure, with water-loving (hydrophilic) groups in the wood’s cells

processed in the US.

replaced with water-hating (hydrophobic) groups. It is warranted

The company says that wood will now be available for use in

Nolan Williamson, Atlanta, US

furniture manufacture, promoting it for outdoor furniture lines.

to protect against rot, decay and movement for 25 years.

The material, which has characteristics in common with

The technology uses heat, pressure and an organic compound

thermally modified wood and wood modified with the acetylation

to modify the wood to stand up to the elements, resisting

process, cuts, mills and works like conventional wood, so manufacturers won’t need special tools or machines to work with it. It has 25 percent greater surface hardness, and is three times more resistant to shrinking and swelling than unmodified wood, the company says.

The company says it will provide technical assistance on finishing and coating to furniture manufacturers who want to use the material. It can be coated with traditional wood coating systems. Because it is a dimensionally stable substrate, improved performance has been noted with some opaque coatings systems. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

11

Industry News

Knoll To Acquire Outdoor Furniture Manufacturer Pennsylvania, US: Knoll announced that it has agreed to acquire

designs. Its designs are included in the collections of The

Richard Schultz Design, the designer and manufacturer of

Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum

outdoor furniture for the residential, hospitality and contract

and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

office furniture markets.

Peter Schultz said, “Our award winning designs in

Andrew B Cogan, CEO of the company, said, “The

the modern tradition are a perfect complement to the

acquisition of Richard Schultz reflects our ongoing interest

Knoll portfolio. We look forward to our products joining

in remixing our business with high design, high margin

the KnollStudio Collection of residential and workplace

specialty offerings which appeal to both commercial

furniture.”

buyers and consumers worldwide.”

“Richard Schultz began his career as a designer with Knoll and co-founded his company with his son Peter in 1992. Together, they have built an international reputation for exploring new materials and forms for outdoor furniture.

Derrick Coetzee, California, US

We look forward to the continuous success of the Richard Schultz brand,” he added.

The Company, which maintains a flagship showroom in New York’s D&D Building, sells the iconic 1966 Schultz Leisure Line and 1960 Petal Table Collection, originally designed for Knoll, as well as contemporary outdoor furniture

Weyerhaeuser Reported Earnings of US$65 Million Washington, US: Weyerhaeuser reported net earnings of

with net earnings before special items of US$52 million

US$65 million for the fourth quarter, on net sales from

in the fourth quarter of 2010.

continuing operations of US$1.6 billion. This compares with

For the full year 2011, the company reported net

net earnings of US$171 million, on net sales from continuing

earnings of US$331 million, on net sales from continuing

operations of $1.5 billion for the same period last year.

operations of US$6.2 billion. This compares with net

Stephen Bowler, Wakefield, UK

earnings of US$1.281 billion on net sales from continuing operations of US$6 billion for the full year 2010.

Results from continuing operations declined US$18 million compared with the third quarter. Selling prices and volumes were seasonally lower for most products. The segment reduced operating rates to match weaker market demand, resulting in higher per unit manufacturing costs.

Excluding special items, the company anticipates a smaller loss from the wood products segment in the first quarter. The Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011 include net

company expects slightly higher selling prices for lumber

after-tax charges of US$12 million for restructuring and

and oriented strand board, and increased sales volumes

asset impairments. Excluding these items, the company

across all product lines. Unit manufacturing costs should

reported net earnings of US$77 million. This compares

decline due to seasonally improved operating rates.

12 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

US Forest Service Highlights Restoration Plans Jeff Turner, California, US

Washington, US: US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack has announced a new report, Increasing the Pace of Restoration and Job Creation on our National Forests, that outlines a strategy and series of actions for management on 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands managed by the US Forest Service.

As part of the accelerated restoration strategy, US$40 million for 20 forest and watershed restoration projects have been announced for the upcoming year. The funding includes ten new projects under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) programme, continued funding for the original 10 projects selected under the CFLR programme in 2010, and an additional US$4.6 million to support other high

vibrant forest industry that will provide the workers and

priority restoration projects.

the know-how to undertake other restoration projects.

Within the context of the overall restoration program,

Altogether, the Forest Service estimates this will increase the

the strategy and actions announced today are designed to

amount of forest products sold in 2014 to three billion board

expand the number of forest acres treated by 20 percent over

feet, up from 2.4 billion board feet in 2011.

the next three years and increase the pace of active forest

The restoration efforts will further stimulate local economies

management, including fuels reduction, reforestation, stream

by retaining and increasing other forest related jobs, such as

restoration, road decommissioning, replacing and improving

the 1,550 jobs expected to maintained or generated through

culverts, forest thinning and harvesting, prescribed fire and

implementation of the CFLR projects, and by supporting

a range of other techniques.

recreation activities and attracting more tourists to rural

As a result of these efforts, the Forest Service will be able

areas. Currently, recreation activities on National Forest

to accomplish critical restoration objectives, including for

System lands contribute US$14.5 billion annually to the US

water, wildlife, forest health and resilience, and community

economy and support hundreds of thousands of jobs in

safety. This effort will support jobs and stimulate a more

local communities.

BC Softwood To China Surpass CA$1 Billion British Colombia, Canada: The value of British Columbia’s

exports of softwood lumber. Since 2003, at the start of the joint

softwood lumber exports to China jumped 60 percent in 2011,

provincial-federal-industry market development programme in

surpassing the CA$1 billion (US$1 billion) mark for the first

China, exports to that country have risen from CA$69 million

time according to the Williams Lake Tribune.

to almost CA$1.1 billion in 2011.

Since 2003, lumber exports to China have risen by more

In spite of the global economic slowdown, it is expected

than 1,500 percent. Total softwood lumber exports increased

that B.C. exports of softwood lumber to China will continue to

by seven percent last year to CA$3.8 billion. The US remains

grow in 2012 as the Chinese government pursues its aggressive

the largest market for BC lumber, accounting for almost CA$1.6

housing strategy.

billion of exports.

Japan, the recipient of CA$648 million worth of BC lumber

Forestry is one of the eight key sectors identified in ‘Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan.’

in 2011, is the third largest market followed by South Korea.

The BC Jobs Plan builds on the province’s increasing trade

Exports to South Korea rose by 30 percent to CA$55.6 million,

with Asia by focusing on opening and expanding markets for

while those to India climbed 327 percent to CA$10.6 million.

BC goods in key markets such as China, Japan, South Korea

China now accounts for 32 percent of BC’s total volume of

and India. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

13

Industry News

UPM To Build Biorefinery Producing Wood-Based Biodiesel Helsinki, Finland: UPM is to invest in a biorefinery producing

fuel distribution systems.

biofuels from crude tall oil in Lappeenranta, Finland. The

The demand for biofuels is expected to grow by approxi-

biorefinery will produce annually, approximately 100,000

mately seven percent a year in the EU. The target of the EU

tonnes of advanced second-generation biodiesel for transport.

is to increase the share of biofuels in transport fuels to 10

Construction of the biorefinery will begin in the summer of

percent by the year 2020.

2012 at the company’s Kaukas mill site and will be completed

In Finland, the corresponding target is even more

in 2014. Total investment for this project will amount to

challenging with an increase of 20 percent. The annual

approximately €150 million (US$200 million).

production of the biorefinery will contribute approximately

BioVerno is an advanced biodiesel which will

one fourth of Finland’s biofuel target.

decrease greenhouse gas emissions of transport up to

The main raw material of the hydrotreatment biorefinery

80 percent in comparison to fossil fuels. The product’s

in Lappeenranta is crude tall oil, which is a residue of chemical

characteristics correspond to those of the traditional oil-

pulp production, mainly generated in the production of

based fuels and highly complement today’s vehicles and

sulphate cellulose from softwood.

Finland Wood Products Export Up 4% products industry exports was up four percent, while exports

BWF Launches Wood Waste Online Training Module

of pulp and paper industry products remained on the previous

London, UK: The British Woodworking Federation (BWF)

year’s level.

has launched its Online Training Academy with its first

Helsinki, Finland: Data indicates that the volume of wood

The early part of the year was positive for the forest industry, but the European financial crisis depressed the

e-learning module, giving the joinery industry access to a flexible and modern training resource.

industry’s production volumes towards the close of the year.

The academy was launched in conjunction with its first

The price of timber was higher than the long-term average

module on Wood Waste and Resource Efficiency, aiming

and timber sales picked up pace in summer and towards the

to help joinery and other woodworking businesses make

end of the year. The prices of energy and emission allowances

better use of their timber resources from procurement

decreased in the latter half of the year as a result of the

through to disposal.

economic crisis.

The Timber Resource Efficiency Partnership (TREP)

The value of Finland’s pulp and paper industry exports in

has supported the federation in producing the training

2011 remained level with the previous year. An estimated 6.7

materials for this module to help them achieve the

million tonnes of pulp was produced, which is around the same

aims of the Joinery Industry Resource Efficiency Plan,

as in 2010. The estimated aggregate paper and paperboard

published in September 2010.

production volume was 11.3 million tonnes, down about four percent from 2010.

John Fletcher, project manager for TREP, said “This module is the first step in helping joinery and timber/

Sawn timber production increased seven percent from the

builders merchant companies deal more effectively

previous year to about 10 million cubic metres. Advance data

in the procurement and disposal processes, saving

indicates that exports of all wood products industry articles

themselves money as well as bolstering the industry’s

were up about four percent.

environmental credentials.”

Several new forest industry products and innovations have

Wood Waste is the first in a series of modules developed

been published over the past year. The production of microfibril

for the joinery industry to provide an alternative to physical

cellulose, for example, progressed into the pre-commercial stage

training solutions, with future subjects including joinery

and the first biorefinery investments are being launched.

estimating and fire doors.

Demand for forest industry products will increase in the future, as consumption of non-renewable materials will be replaced with use of renewable and recyclable products.

14 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

The project aims to expand the reach of training amongst the federation’s members.

Industry News

Wood Confirmed As Primary Source Of Renewable Energy Geneva, Switzerland: Wood energy accounts

movers, in relative terms, is the United

for three percent of the total primary energy

Kingdom where wood now accounts for

supply (TPES) and 47 percent of the renewable

16.3 percent of renewable energy supply

energy supply (RES) in the UNECE region

(up from 8.2 percent in 2005) and 0.52

in 2009, confirming its role as the leading

percent of total primary energy supply (up

source of renewable energy.

from 0.15 percent in 2005).

Wood covered almost 20 percent of the total energy demands of Sweden, Finland and Estonia and accounted for well over half the renewable energy supply in the Nordic and Baltic states as well as in Serbia and the Czech Republic.

Around 44 percent of all mobilised woody biomass supply is used for energy purposes. Despite the increasing rate of wood consumption for energy, the region’s forests are increasing in area as well as standing volumes.

Wood energy is consumed in roughly equal measure (approximately 39 percent each) by forest-based industries and households. The highest shares of industrial use are in the US, Ireland, Slovakia, Belgium, Finland and Sweden. The forest products industry typically consumes energy generated from the solid and liquid co-products of its manufacturing processes. Countries with important forest industries, such as Finland, Sweden and the US, therefore, have a higher level of industrial consumption.

Residential use, mainly dependent on direct supplies of firewood, is prevalent in Southern and Central Europe with Serbia, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Germany, Austria and Switzerland reporting

a promise is being made .

this category as their primary use. Wood energy use by private households is often higher than anticipated as it may not be fully accounted for.

The power and heat sector is the most

At Northwest Hardwoods we know that a promise is made every time we put our name on a bundle of lumber. It’s a promise to deliver a reliable, consistent product every time. And it’s a promise we’ve been delivering on for more than 45 years.

important consumer of wood energy in the UK, and has relatively large shares in Germany, Sweden and the Baltic region. energy use.

Between 2005 and 2009, the amount of wood used for energy purposes grew annually by 2.7 percent. One of the biggest

email: asiasales@northwesthardwoods.com

ENQUIRY NO. 329

Overall it represents 20 percent of wood northwesthardwoods.com

Shanghai, China: 86.21.6218.5218 • Vietnam/Guangzhou, China: 86.20.3878.1570 © 2012 Northwest Hardwoods, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

15

Industry News Appointments

Huntsman Appoints Director the appointment of Jon Huntsman, Jr,

Södra Names Sustainability Director

as director to its board of directors

Växjö, Sweden: Klara Helstad has

effective February 1, 2012.

been named as the sustainability

Texas, US: Huntsman has announced

Jon Huntsman, Jr, age 51, most

director at Södra and as a new

recently was a candidate for the

member of the group executive

Republican nomination for the president

team at the company as of

of the US. His public service career

March 1, 2012.

includes two-time election as governor

She has been with the company

of Utah, US ambassador to China, US ambassador to Singapore,

since 2005, and her last position

and deputy US trade representative and ambassador.

was as environmental and quality

He is a founding director of the Pacific Council on International Policy. He has also served in numerous senior positions, including

manager within the Södra Skog business area.

the Brookings Institute Asia Policy Board, the Center for Strategic

The company’s business operations are run on the basis

and International Studies Pacific Forum, the Asia Society in New

of a long-term strategy to use renewable raw materials,

York and the National Bureau of Asian Research.

and make biodegradable products and products which can

His breadth of service in Asia has been developed over a lifetime

be recycled. The appointment of a sustainability director

of interest and involvement. He has previously lived in Asia four

is part of the group’s priority focus on sustainability and

times and speaks fluent Mandarin. Additionally, his experience

climate issues.

in the private sector has been extensive in various senior global positions, including service on other corporate boards.

Ms Helstad, 34, is a doctor of forestry and has previously acted as a project manager for the company’s introduction

With this appointment, he will serve as a class III director

of dual certification to FSC and PEFC. Prior to this, she was

for a term that expires at the company’s 2013 annual meeting of

a navigator for productivity work at the Timber, Cell and

stockholders. The company’s board now comprises ten directors,

Skog divisions. She will report to Leif Brodén, group chief

six of whom are independent directors.

executive at the company.

Homag Appoints MDs Singapore: Homag Asia has appointed Bernd Schwarze (right) and Robert Hensby (left) as MDs for sales and service, and commercial respectively. They assumed their roles on February 1, 2012 and replaced Chris Osborne.

The company will focus on bringing its technological solutions, performance and service to customers in the Southeast Asia region and strengthen its market position in the panel processing industry.

Southeast Asia will be an important part of the engine for world growth over the next decade. As a result, the company intends to increase its brand awareness throughout the region and be seen as a solution provider for customers and clients.

to its customers so that it can ensure a high level of after

This will be achieved by widening distribution channels and

sales service. A strong focus will be the development of

increasing market coverage and penetration. Another key is

human capital so it can continue to provide expertise for

to have a continuous development of new products, including

the years to come.

software solutions tailor-made for the Asian market.

Over the next few years, the company will be looking at establishing more branches in the region to be closer

16 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

The continual reassessment of its capabilities in light of constantly changing competitive landscape will determine its structure in future.

We are an expert supplier of MDF, PB and OSB production lines, with a good performance of 140 complete lines in China and export markets, due to our innovative technology and high accuracy of manufacturing ability.

Product in good demand:  Size 4’ X 16’ and 18 layer multi-opening production line with 150,000 cubic meter capacity per year (samply factory can visit)  Size 4’ X 8’ and 30 layer multi-opening production line with 120,000 cubic meter capacity per year (samply factory can visit)  100,000-200,000 cubic meter capacity per year continuous pressproduction line (200,000 capacity samply factory trail run in this year)

ENQUIRY NO. 199

Focus

Cutting Tools, Cutting Costs

Leitz

Pre-splitting is a problem that can affect efficiency and incur losses due to reprocessing and rejects.

Modern cutting tool designs can help eliminate this problem and offer overall cost-savings in return.

By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

I

n woodworking, the processes of moulding and planing help to produce flat surfaces on mostly horizontal boards.

These applications are of much importance especially where the manufacture of furniture is concerned, given that flat surfaces help in improving the aesthetics and functionality of a table or chair. Flat surfaces also help in improving any subsequent coating applied to the wood.

The tools used in these processes are mostly cutting tools, which are essentially rollers with blades attached to them. Generally, the more rollers on a moulding or planing machine, the better the quality of finish on the wood panel.

The blades on these rollers must also be replaced regularly to prevent wear and tear, which can then affect the quality of the moulding or planing process.

18 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

When the process is done correctly, with the right tools, the right operator, under the right conditions, a ‘good’ surface can be produced. There are two criteria that determine how ‘good’ a surface is: the cleanness of the cut, and the presence of a wavelike surface.

A clean cut is dependent on several factors, namely that the feed direction is according to the wood structure or grain, that the cutting tool is made of a rigid, sharp material, that the tool is positioned in an effective position, and that the cutting tool rotates at a speed that will prevent tear-outs.

Similarly, when several manufacturing objectives are met, a wavelike surface is produced. They are the feed rate, number of teeth on the cutting tool, speed, cutting circle diameter and concentric running accuracy.

Focus Problem Of Pre-Splitting Nevertheless, no matter how careful operators and process engineers are with moulding and planing the wood, and no matter the amount of effort invested to prevent wear and tear of cutting blades, problems do occur. Splintering when working against the grain, roughness in areas of twisted grains and knots, or resin pockets in the soft annual growth ring zone are common issues that affect the surface appearance of a workpiece. These quality defects are mainly caused by pre-splitting, a material specific effect.

most cases, the situation can be remedied through sanding or re-planing. Nevertheless, some of the tear-outs resulting from pre-splitting can be so deep as to render any subsequent re-planing useless. In such cases, the entire piece of wood is rejected and scrapped, adding to the operating costs of the company.

Control Measures Given such problems, which inadvertently add to the machining costs of a company, it makes common sense to stop pre-splitting. What can factories do to control and minimise the occurrence of pre-splitting?

One way would be to adjust the cutting speed.

To do this, the cutting speed of the tool must be set higher than the pre-splitting speed of the wood, which is approximately 40 m per second.

However, on pyramidal assembled tool sets, it is possible that the smallest tool diameter drops below this value, making it susceptible to presplitting. For such cases, the installation of a chip breaker can help.

When using other tool sets which can be set at speeds higher than 40 m per second, the cutting speed of the tool needs to be measured.

To achieve this, a formula can be used to calculate cutting speed:

Leitz

Cutting Speed = tool diameter x 3.14 x rotary speed x (1/60000)

It is impossible to prevent the occurence of defects no matter how careful operators are.

Pre-splitting occurs mostly in cases where solid wood is machined. Its occurrence depends on the material and structural integrity of the wood being used, which is affected by the timber species and growth direction of the tree itself.

Generally, when the wood is machined against the feed, pre-splitting is more likely to happen. In simpler terms, this involves the direction of the wood’s motion and that of the cutting tool moving opposite to each other. Due to the unfavourable cutting forces, the workpiece is pushed up from the machine table and fibres may be torn out by pre-splitting actions.

The pre-splitting problem is complex, and can happen even when tools with staggered cutting edges are used. In

Another parameter that can be tweaked to help improve surface finish is the feed per tooth, which is the linear distance covered between subsequent teeth on the cutting tool. It can be determined by measuring the distance between waves on the planed surface of the wood. Generally, the smaller the length between waves and the depth, the finer and smoother the surface will be. A feed per tooth of 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm is generally acceptable as fine machining. The feed per tooth can be calculated using this formula: Feed per tooth = (feed rate x 1000)/(rotary speed x number of teeth) In addition to cutting speed and feed per tooth, other parameters that determine the quality of machining include cutting circle diameter, feed rate, chip thickness and the concentric running accuracy of the tool, which is dependent on the accuracy of the machine spindle. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

19

Leitz

Focus

By pre-planing wood pieces with ‘rippe’protusions first, Leitz cutters are able to achieve good surface quality against grain or in the presence of imperfections.

Solution Of The Future Even with these control measures, it is hard to completely eliminate the problem of pre-splitting. Large amount of money and time can be incurred when wood panels need to be reprocessed or worse, rejected as waste. The efforts required to inspect and repair machined workpiece also make manufacturing operation less streamlined and efficient.

It is therefore imperative for modern cutting tool designs to feature developments that can address this problem. One solution that is currently available in the market is RipTec technology by tool manufacturer Leitz.

The technology adopts a two-way processing: a preplaning and a finish planing stage. In the pre-planing stage, at times known as the pre-cut stage, the Riptec knife will create a series of wavelike serrations in the wood surface.

This helps pre-condition the wood for the next stage, where the finish profile knives will remove the ‘ripple’ protrusions and create the smooth surface or moulding necessary.

The knives are applicable for along the grain and end-grain machining with similar efficiency. When used in end-grain machining, the cut quality is comparable to the results of along the grain cutting. Surfaces achieved can be smooth enough that subsequent post-treatment processes such as sanding are not required.

Planing & Profiling For planing, a re-sharpenable constant diameter planerhead

20 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

system which is specifically designed for the technology can be used. Options are pre-planing with RipTec knives on one spindle and finish planing with Microfinish knives on a second spindle or alternatively, an integrated solution with both knives in the one tool.

The rippled cutting edges of integrated tools are positioned on a slightly smaller cutting circle than the finish cutting edges, which makes pre-cutting and finish cutting using a single tool possible. Integrated tooling solutions are particularly suitable for machines with limited numbers of spindles or to save tool change time in CNC applications.

The technology offers advantages not only in planing, but also when profiling solid wood furniture parts or mouldings. The tools can improve the quality of cut when cross machining solid wood. In 3-layer parquet, the mating accuracy of commonly produced click profiles is improved by 30 percent while at the same time allowing up to 30 percent higher feed rates.

Implementing the technology for the 30 deg pre-cutters used in laminate flooring production lines, the rippled cutting edges result in energy savings of up to 25 percent. Both surface quality and precision of the mating click profile joints are also improved.

For window corner joints, the serrated cross grain surface acts like a conglomerate of mini glue pockets.

The serration is filled and equalised by liquid adhesive and thereby sealed once the corner joint is glued together. The

Focus

Overall Cost-Savings

Leitz

As an added incentive, pre-processing of workpieces before finish planing also helps to reduce the strain and wear on the cutting tools. The technology is found to be able to increase tool life by up to 80 percent. In a study based on 12,000 m of along the grain profiling, this two steps process managed to reduce finishing knives consumption from 20 pieces to five with the simple addition of a pre-planing knife. Lower cutting forces necessary for the operation directly translates to lower power consumption, and therefore, lower electric bills.

The adoption of such technology can help manufacturers in the woodworking industry reduce the number of rejected

wood panels during raw material processing. The technology is also capable of reducing the amount of post-treatment required, the need for inspection of workpieces before proceeding to the next station, the number of knives required for manufacturing operations, the total power consumed, as well as increasing the feed rate of wood. All these help improve efficiency and reduce overall operating costs.

Pre-splitting may have been a problem that have affected furniture makers for a long time, but it is not something that is ‘unavoidable’. With modern cutting tool design that feature advance processing technology, it is possible to achieve high quality surface finishes, and ultimately, better furniture pieces at a low cost. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2101

ENQUIRY NO. 298

serrated surface increases the glue surface, which results in stronger corner joints.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

21

Matt MacGillivray, Toronto, Canada

Focus

Save The Environment

By Protecting Wood Products The selection of environmental friendly coatings can enhance the properties of wood products and advocates for their usage, which will in turn save the environment. By Dr Marko Petric, University of Ljubljana

22 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Focus

O

bviously, there is a general opinion around the globe, at least on a declarative level, that we have to act now to do something good for the planet.

And the best way to do it is to use wood! One would say that this is nothing new, wood has been used from the early beginning of our civilisation.

It is true, but wood has nowadays many competitors on the market like steel, concrete or plastics. And it is also frequently said that wood is really a great eco-friendly material, but can simply not be used in every exposure situation due its drawbacks.

Wrong! I can hardly think of any application where wood or its components could not be the choice: furniture, constructions, boats, contemporary nano-composites, even the microelectronics! Of course, depending on our needs, it should be often protected and surface finished.

Applications of surface coatings as well as protection with biocidal formulations have been evidenced in our history for a long time. Wood coatings in the sense of aesthetics and also from the prospective of protection have a long history.

For instance, in Central Europe, in Slovenia, archaeologists found a 38,000-45,000 years old wooden spear tip made of yew wood which was coated with natural resins!

Environmental Risks Of Finishes However, environmental benefits of wood can be easily spoiled by improper selection of a wood preservative and a coating system. For instance, chromated copper arsenate (CCA) type wood preservatives offer excellent protection against bio-deterioration organisms and to a certain degree, weathering.

They do not leach out. It sounds excellent and it is, but only if we ignore their environmental profile. Due to their toxicity, arsenic containing compounds in wood preservatives have been banned or their use is restricted or voluntarily removed from markets in more and more countries.

Environmental risks related to hexavalent chromium have been an issue of investigations for quite some time as well. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the copper based preservatives remain in wood protection.

Just to illustrate, in recent years, several copper containing preservative formulations have been standardised by the American Wood Protection Association for use in applications previously lead by CCA. Some examples are the aqueous systems with copper solubilised as an ammoniacal or ethanolamine complex, copper-HDO, waterborne micronised and/or nano-copper formulations, etc.

My colleagues have in recent years put a lot of attention on research and development of copper (Cu)/ ethanolamine (EA) based wood preservatives to replace www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

23

Taz, Vancouver, Canada

Terren, Illinois, US

Focus

There is a recent shift from the application of solvent-borne wood coatings to waterborne ones.

Adhesion (MPa)

that the waterborne finishes can accomplish at least the the chromium containing ones and their efforts led to the same performance as the coating formulations based on successful commercialisation of a new environmentally friendly organic solvents. protective formulation.

Generally, customers are not satisfied when frequent It was shown that numerous factors influence the maintenance of the products is required. As such, fixation of Cu/EA type preservatives in wood: composition other materials like plastics represent an important of the preservative, concentration of Cu in an aqueous threat to the utilisation of wood and wooden products, and protective solution, type (or properties) of water to prepare consequently to the economic situation of the wood based the formulation, time and temperature of fixation, wood sector. species, and treatment procedure.

A typical example is joinery. The best possible way to For instance, proper selection of ingredients of the Cu/ prolong durability of wooden commodities and maintenance EA preservatives (concentration of copper = one percent) intervals is to protect wood with a combination of biocide resulted in very low leaching (down to 2.4 percent) of Cu containing formulations and high performance wood coatings. from impregnated Norway spruce wood, as determined by Such an integral approach is in the trend and promises further the standard EN 1250. competitive position of wood as a material on the market.

There are excellent high performance solvent-borne wood coatings on the market.

5 But again, due to environmental reasons, legislation in many 4,5 countries around the world tend 4 to diminish utilisation of organic 3,5 solvents in wood paints.

3 For example, the so called EU 2,5 VOC Directive caused important CuE changes in furniture industry and 2 generally in the field of surface CuEOQ 1,5 wood finishing: there has been Control 1 an important progress in research 0,5 and development of waterborne finishes achieved resulting in 0 a shift from the application of OWW TNW solvent-borne wood coatings OWW: opaque white pigmented medium build acrylic waterborne paint waterborne ones. Without any TNW: transparent nonpigmented medium build acrylic waterborne stain hesitation, it can be claimed

24 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Focus

However, while quite a lot is known about the compatibility of classical solvent-borne coatings with wood treated with well established wood preservatives, the introduction of combinations of novel environmentally friendly coating systems and safe wood preservatives leads to challenging problems.

Is the performance of the novel ‘eco’ systems really as good as that of the classical ones? Is adhesion of new waterborne coatings on the treated wood adequate? What is the leaching rate of new biocides through the barrier of a waterborne finish? And more basic questions such as: how and why the surface energy of wood is changed due to impregnation with new preservative formulations, what are the mechanisms of protection against microorganisms and weathering, etc.

Scientists all over the world are trying to find out the answers. We can generalise that they are successful, as reflected by the novel environmentally safe integrated wood preservation solutions on the market and illustrated by some examples of our research related to the this topic.

Some of the most important properties of surface systems are penetration of a liquid paint into a substrate, a drying/ curing rate of a liquid finish on wood, adhesion, scratching resistance, resistance against liquids, impacts and abrasion.

As an illustration, the figure (left) shows a comparison between adhesion of two different waterborne finishes on wood, impregnated with two different types of Cu/EA preservatives and on unimpregnated wood. Adhesion was determined by the standard pull-off test method. We can see that due to impregnation of wood with the novel wood preservatives, adhesion did not change significantly. Similarly, other important coating properties were not affected by a novel preservative in impregnated wood as well.

Undoubtedly, by application of appropriate eco-friendly technological processes, and protective impregnation and coating materials, wood can be adapted to utilisation in almost all conditions, even under extreme exposure. That is how it can further compete with other materials with rather negative environmental impacts, like concrete, steel, aluminium or plastics.

I believe that the increased use of wood as a material for even the most demanding conditions may contribute to overcoming of the current economic problems. The most important thing is that at the same time, positive influence on the environment can be achieved. Finally, research and development of new combined protective systems on the basis of environmentally safe wood impregnation formulations and surface coatings represent a small, but important step to reach these goals. FDM

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www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

25

ENQUIRY NO. 334

New Solutions Create New Problems

Akasped

Focus

Drying For

Excellence Kiln drying cut timber can improve handling and working performance of the wood material.

However, the highly complex nature of the processes taking place at cellular level still presents many challenges. By James W Canavan and Michael C Jarvis, University of GlasgowÂ

W

ood has been used for millennia as a material for constructing everything from simple utensils to boats and buildings. It would have been evident, even to the earliest of craftsmen, that the handling and working performance of cut timber was improved when the material was left to dry after felling.

Given that this is true, it could be assumed that by the 21st century, an efficient and uncomplicated method of drying wood would have been established. However, although we have significantly advanced our understanding of the anatomy of wood and wood-water relations, the highly complex nature of the processes taking place at cellular level as wood dries still presents us with many challenges.

Until relatively recently, the drying of wood was a simple procedure involving the stacking and spacing of cut timber in a covered shed, and allowing the prevailing atmospheric conditions to dictate the final moisture content.

In temperate climates, especially over winter, this was a lengthy process, perhaps taking years depending on the species, length of summer and temperature. In some circumstances, it is unlikely that a final moisture content of less than 20 percent could be achieved.

This type of lengthy exposure also put the timber at risk of fungal or insect infestation. With the development of new technologies, particularly in the postindustrial period, the ability to dry timber in a more controlled manner and in less time became possible.

This afforded producers many economic benefits in terms of being able to process large quantities of stock quickly, requiring less area for storage and being able to guarantee a more consistent product to the customer in terms of quality.

However, having left many of the problems associated with air drying behind, kiln drying presented a whole new set of challenges.

26 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Drying Technology Controlled drying of timber to below 20 percent moisture content significantly improves its suitability as a working material. In general, strength properties are improved, the timber can be machined and shaped more easily, fastenings and bonding are more secure and applications of paint, varnish or preservatives should be more effective.

Drying in purpose built kilns is the most common method used for the commercial drying of timber. Kilns are normally constructed of brick or sheet metal or a combination of both and insulated to retain heat. Size of load and stacking practices are variable and good practice will take a number of factors into consideration.

Defects such as spiral grain angle, degree of knotting and compression/tension wood should be assessed prior to stacking. Boards are separated in the stack by stickers, small pieces of wood placed strategically between the boards during stacking to ensure an even flow of air through the pile and reduce warping.

Species, permeability, initial moisture content, dimensions of boards and final target moisture content will determine the appropriate kiln schedule that should be selected. The kiln schedule is essentially the dry bulb/wet bulb settings

Focus

Kiln Drying In a standard steam kiln, energy is provided by gas, oil or by the burning of waste wood accumulated on site. Heat is normally delivered via steam filled pipes or coils at ceiling level. Air passes over the heat source and is distributed around the kiln by fans.

Humidity may be increased by the addition of steam or by spray atomisers located within the kiln. The control of temperature and humidity are monitored by observing the dry bulb (measure of air temperature) and wet bulb (measure of temperature in relation to moisture content of air) temperatures. The wet bulb temperature will usually be lower than dry bulb and the difference is referred to as the wet bulb depression.

Temperature and humidity can be modified by venting off humid air and introducing cool, dry air to the system and repeating the process. Steam kilns operate at temperatures of up to 82 deg C with air flow/fan speeds of around 120 m/min to produce timber with moisture content of less than 20 percent.

A dehumidifying kiln operates by the same general principles but energy costs can be reduced by recovering heat energy through condensation. A heat pump cools the warm humid air causing it to condense and the water can be drained off. The dry air is then re-heated by a heat exchanger and re-introduced to the system.

No venting or introduction of cool air is required.

Dehumidification kilns can usually operate at a lower temperature than a steam kiln to produce the same final moisture content, but can also operate at temperatures as high as 220 deg C, which can dry the timber to final moisture content as low as five percent.

For species where pre-drying is desirable to avoid excessive distortion, a separate pre-drying kiln or modified kiln schedule may be used to initially reduce the moisture content. Pre-drying is carried out at comparatively low temperatures of around 50-70 deg C and at relative humidity of 60-90 percent. This gently dries the timber from its green state down to around 25 percent moisture content, below the fibre saturation point.

For selected hardwood species, such as oak, pre-drying is believed to produce a more uniform moisture content throughout the timber prior to final conditioning, reduce the final drying time by up to one third, reduce defect in final drying and prevent excessive colour change in the end product. To reduce energy costs, pre-drying is often carried

out in sheds without a heat source where the ambient air is circulated through the pile by fans. This is a longer process but has obvious economic benefits.

Many types of softwood and some selected species of hardwoods can be dried faster at high temperature. High temperature kilns operate at temperatures between 95-115 deg C and fan speeds up to 240 m/min. Due to the high temperatures, venting or control of relative humidity is not required.

High temperature drying is not suitable for all species.

Studies on varieties of spruce wood have shown that considerable savings can be made when drying to low moisture content is desired (lower than eight percent). However, the initial capital outlay may be considerable if adaptations to existing equipment are required.

Solar kilns utilise solar panels to provide heat. Drying times can be lengthy depending on climate. Currently solar kilns are not sufficiently technologically advanced or economically viable to suit the needs of most commercial producers and tend to be more popular with small producers or hobbyists.

Drying & Wood Structure Green wood contains free, liquid water inside its cells and bound water within the cell walls. The free water is lost first when the wood is dried. Shrinkage does not begin until the moisture content falls locally to fibre saturation point (FSP) when all the free water has been removed.

Moisture content at FSP is estimated to be in the region of 30 percent for most species. As the wood dries below the FSP, the bound water is gradually lost. While each piece of wood is drying there is a moisture gradient from the wet interior to the relatively dry surface. The

Controlled drying of timber to below 20 percent mositure content significantly improves the material.

Taz, Vancouver, Canada

most suited to the load. These are often provided by the kiln manufacturer or are published by national forestry or timber regulatory bodies.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

27

Focus

Sh4rp

gradient is steep if the wood is of low permeability, as in dense hardwood species, or if it is being dried quickly in a high temperature kiln. A steep moisture gradient towards a dry outer surface can lead to problems of checking.

The defects brought about by kiln drying are a direct result of shrinkage in cells as they lose water and change shape. If all cells lost equal amounts of water, at an equal rate and the relative changes in shape and size were also equal, we would have very few problems in achieving dry and defect free timber. Sadly, this is not the case.

From pith to bark, the permeability and shrinkage properties of wood vary considerably. Around the central pith is the juvenile wood, which originates in the growing sapling and accounts for the first 15–20 growth rings.

Kiln drying can improve handling and working performance of wood material.

As a tree matures the juvenile wood becomes a part of the heartwood. Heartwood cells are effectively dead and no longer involved in the transportation of sap. Heartwood is often visible as a darker coloured central disc. Its colour arises from chemical processes involving compounds collectively known as extractives.

These make heartwood more resistant to decay but also less permeable in many cases. Sapwood makes up the outer rings of the tree, often distinguishable as a lighter coloured outer band. This is the living part of the tree with cells responsible for the conduction of sap.

The cell structure of wood can be divided into two systems: longitudinal (along the grain) and radial (across the grain). Shrinkage occurs in three directions: longitudinally, radially and tangentially (also across the grain but round the annual rings).

All timber is more permeable along the grain than across.

However, rates of permeability generally differ between softwoods and hardwoods. Hardwoods are usually less permeable and rates of drying, often involving pre drying, reflect this.

28 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Other local differences can also have an effect. The larger earlywood cells in softwoods will allow faster movement of water than the narrower latewood cells.

Heartwood can often be less permeable due to the presence of extractives therefore the ratio of heartwood to sapwood may have a bearing on drying times and any resulting defects. Rate of water movement across the grain can also be variable. Radial movement may be faster than tangential or the reverse may be true. This is often dependent on the species.

Shrinkage Water loss causes wood to shrink, but not evenly. The major components of the cell wall affecting shrinkage are the cellulose microfibrils. The microfibrils are assembled in a helical arrangement around the cell.

Depending on the steepness of the helix, the microfibril angle between the microfibrils and the grain direction can vary from near zero to 45 deg.

Microfibril angle varies with position in the log. In juvenile wood, the angle is normally high. Microfibril angle generally decreases with distance from the pith although local differences occur due to the presence of reaction wood and other growth factors. Because the microfibrils are stiff, wood shrinks at right angles to their orientation.

Shrinkage along the grain is therefore small compared to shrinkage across the grain, but it still sets up large stresses when a piece of wood containing varying microfibril angles is dried, leading to distortion in boards sawn near to the pith. Shrinkage across the grain is much larger and can differ considerably between the radial and tangential directions.

Drying Defects A number of defects due to kiln drying can affect the quality of sawn timber. These can be divided into two categories: checking due to greater shrinkage at the surface while drying is in progress and while there is a moisture gradient towards the surface, and distortion due to differences in shrinkage in different directions or in different parts of a piece of wood.

Checking refers to the separation of cells due to the exertion of stresses with changing moisture content. They can be external or internal. External checks are very common at the ends of boards and normally occur along the radial plane in ray cells. As boards dry from the ends inward, the cut ends will experience greater drying stresses resulting in end checking.

Other surface checks can be attributed to uneven moisture gradients — the surface drying faster than the centre. If an irregular moisture gradient is established, areas of the board

Focus near the surface can become too dry causing the separation of cells in the rays which appear as surface checks.

A severe imbalance of moisture content between the surface and the interior can create tension and compression imbalances which result in layers of cells below the surface layers crumpling or collapsing. Collapse is often associated with certain species, especially Eucalyptus, in the early stages of high temperature drying or with the initial drying temperature being too high. Further investigation of the causes is needed.

Internal checks, often referred to as honeycombing are also associated with differential compression and tension between the surface and interior of the board. Uneven compressive stresses on the surface of a board create internal tension causing splitting along the rays. These stresses can be released if the piece is sawn after drying causing the board to warp.

There are four common types of distortion associated with kiln drying related to differential shrinkage along the grain.

Twist is considered the most challenging in service use and is also the most difficult form of distortion to correct.

Twist is more common in wood sawn from near the centre of the log and is related to the high microfibril angle commonly found there. Unlike other forms of distortion it also requires that the log should show spiral grain.

Some species of softwoods distortion, including twist can be reduced by the application of top loads, by low temperature pre-steaming and by post drying steam treatment.

The application of pre and post steaming does add time to the drying process however and this may not be economically viable for many producers.

Distortion during kiln drying is to a large extent determined by the properties of the timber before it is dried and by how it is sawn, although top-loading and other practices can reduce the severity of distortion.

In contrast, there is more scope for optimising the drying process to reduce the prevalence of checking defects, especially in hardwoods, where these result from local drying rates that are too high for the permeability of the timber to even out the rate of shrinkage. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2103

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29

Technology

Cut And Trim T

he Asian market for panel saws is developing at a tremendous rate. Requirements concerning quality, manufacturing flexibility and energy efficiency have, for years, been becoming more and more demanding.

The issue of labour costs is also of increasing importance.

How are manufacturers reacting to these demands? With what technological trends and innovations do they want to make an impact on panel cutting technology in 2012?

It seems that no major revolutions are to be expected at present. To see which direction things are heading, you have to look at the technical details while

30 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

The growing middle class group in Asia craves for a batch of one production. Flexible modular systems with power efficient technologies can help save both time and money while delivering market demands.

By Jochen Rehm, head of sales Asia, Holzma

at the same time keeping the overall picture in mind.

On one hand, the market is being influenced by some very specific challenges, such as the question of production method — batch size one versus mass-produced goods. On the other hand, today’s decisions to buy are no longer made on the basis of just a single machine. It is rather, a convincing overall concept for the entire value chain that counts.

Furthermore, as in the case of the honeycomb panel a few years ago, new materials are playing an increasingly important role. They are also confronting engineers with new challenges and driving

the need for technologies that are even better adapted to the material.

Another criterion for companies running the machines is of course energy efficiency.

In the light of the rising cost of energy all over the world, there is potential for huge savings here, and tapping this potential will be an important factor in deciding the competitiveness of wood-processing companies in coming years.

For this reason, investing systematically in more efficient, resource-friendly machines will pay off — provided the saws or systems also excel in terms of expandability and quality. This is the only way to ensure long-term investment security.

Technology Pro-Active & Innovative Approach Henry Ford is alleged to have once said: "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would probably have said faster horses, but certainly not a car."

Companies need to think and act proactively, in order to start new technical trends. The question is always: How can we make the work of our customers easier, faster and more lucrative? In search for practical answers, companies need to keep their eyes and ears trained on the market and work closely with local customers.

In addition to the big, eye-catching innovations, this approach also 'almost incidentally' produces a great many other smaller innovations. For example, the offcut management option, which provides greater efficiency, and the lifting aid, which improves ergonomic handling, allow panels to be lifted onto air tables with minimal effort.

Another useful development is the window in pressure beam. This gives operators a clear view of the rear part of the machine from the operating area at the front of the saw and as a result, increases production reliability.

Machine control software exemplifies the ever-increasing abundance of options, offering settings for almost every processing requirement, while remaining intuitive and flexible. For optimum user friendliness, settings that are not needed can simply be hidden, and just as easily be displayed again when required.

The Henry Ford Way The creation of smooth, dovetailed production processes was a life-long goal for Henry Ford and the key to his success. Companies should commit to this approach and see themselves more as a systems supplier than as a saw manufacturer.

This requires the precise coordination of hardware and software, or the seamless

Customers are not just looking for a saw, they are looking for a solution.

compatibility of all the products offered by a company. Customers engage manufacturers not because they need a saw, but because they are looking for a solution to challenges in production.

In the end, it is the complete package that counts.

Besides the saw, this will include the integration of the storage system, efficient feeding and destacking solutions, the machine controller and cutting pattern optimisation, as well as consulting and support services.

A further and often underrated aspect is the future viability of the saw or system.

Most customers today want a solution that will create room for continued growth, and can be upgraded to meet future demands. Complete, expandable solutions must be designed from one source. The spectrum encompasses everything from individually agreed technical services, to conversion and modernisation offers, supplementary software and training courses for machine operators.

Modular Production System Just how customers have benefited in practice from this concept can be seen from modular production concepts such as the Holzma Domino System.

The basic idea behind it is the principle of the 'grow-as-you-go' saw. Assuming,

for instance, that a company is working with a saw and feeding it automatically via a lift table, and that a need for increased capacity arises, throughput can still be significantly boosted – simply by retrofitting a programme fence that can be freely positioned. This allows strips with different cross cuts to be cut simultaneously, increasing output by up to 40 percent, without a big investment in an additional saw.

Should this company want to achieve faster, smoother destacking processes, in order to avoid peaks and ensure a better-structured material flow, the answer would be to retrofit an automatic label printer near the pressure beam.

The printer will label panels and indicate clearly on the label which destacking carriage the part is to be put and how it is to be processed. This prevents errors while simultaneously speeding up work cycles.

The performance of the whole system can be further intensified by installing a parts buffer. A parts buffer allows the machine operator to stack parts at a consistently high speed, regardless of the output from the saw. And that is by no means the end of the upgrade options.

The saw can, for instance, also be combined with an automatic horizontal panel storage system. That saves a lot www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

31

Technology of time and pays off above a quantity of 30 randomly stored panels being cut a day. With a modular system, customers are able to add tile to tile and optimise their production processes to meet their specific requirements.

Trend Towards Batch Size One A modular production system therefore allows a high degree of flexibility and an increase in capacity tailored to actual requirements, two aspects that are in great demand today, not just in Asia, but all over the world.

One of the reasons for this is the changing trend in production methods.

There has been an enormous increase in batch size one production over the past few years, a development that continues to grow.

Whether it is kitchens or fitted cupboards, more than ever, end customers would like to have their personal demands realised at an affordable price and are less prepared to buy off-the-shelf products.

Even though mass-produced goods

Modular system allows companies to add components to their productions when the need arises.

development of these regions, there is a growing middle class leading to an expanding market for batch size one production.

Manufacturers wishing to exploit the potential of this trend can rely on modular production systems to give them the necessary flexibility to change their production process step by step, in line with actual requirements. Customers in Asia frequently take advantage of this option. Some of the companies that adopt modular technologies are now producing up to 20,000 parts a day in batch size one operation, making them top players in the market.

Higher Productivity, Lower Costs still dominate in virtually all parts of the world and can be produced in first-class quality with proven equipment, orderbased production is steadily gaining in importance.

This is particularly true for regions such as China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Thanks to the robust economic

32 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

For a long time, time and labour costs played a comparatively minor role in many regions of Asia.

However, today, these oases of bliss no longer exist in any country. All over the world, the importance of lean, efficient production is increasing as the pressure to remain competitive grows.

This pressure has long been felt

in North America and Europe — and will continue to intensify here and in other parts of the world because of the rising costs of labour and material, and increasing global competition.

Companies have therefore been investing for years now in the development of new technologies that optimise material flow in production and improve productivity, while reducing operating costs.

One way to lower production cost is through effective power management.

Power efficient technologies encompass a whole raft of new technical features, all of which help to improve the energy efficiency of the machines.

In the light of rising prices for electricity and raw materials, this factor is gaining in economic importance worldwide.

Similarly, environmental and climatechange considerations are already playing an important role in many countries due to tougher legal requirements, and making technical advances in this area is essential.

Companies are therefore confident that market interest in power saving technologies will continue to increase — first and foremost in North America and Europe, and then progressively in other

Technology

Saw-Storage Combinations Efficiency and smooth material flow, for shorter production times, now rank just as high on the list of priorities for small and medium-sized craft businesses as they do for industrial manufacturers.

Compact saw-storage combinations designed to cater for the special needs of craft businesses, are therefore selling well in Asia and worldwide — which is hardly surprising as they deliver a high level of efficiency due to automation.

The reasons are obvious: returning and retrieving materials, searching for the right materials, manually moving materials around and loading the saw require an enormous amount of time during production.

Saw-storage combinations automate these processes, which in turn help to save both time and money. Panels are randomly stacked on a storage area surrounded by a fence — saving space but still allowing them be found quickly.

The storage system software reliably manages every single piece. All the necessary data is stored and output by the integrated computer system for each production order. The storage system then supplies the right material to the saw automatically and just in time. The new, compact saw-storage combinations

improve competitiveness and pay off for companies processing just 30 randomly stacked panels a day.

The demand for these and other efficiency technologies is continuing to grow dynamically in the Asian markets.

Customers in the wood-processing industry place great importance on quality and harmonious overall concepts.

The market demands for automated modular systems with the flexibility to easily fit additional functional features, while saving overall time required and power consumption. These systems can offer integration towards a batch of one production process, which is highly sort after by the growing middle class group. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2201

ENQUIRY NO. 310

regions of the world, particularly Asia.

The main reason for this is the economic benefit: energy saving technologies significantly reduce operating costs, allowing manufacturers to recoup their investments within a shorter timeframe.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

33

Technology

Carcass Furniture Manufacturing This six-part article series by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), illustrates modern manufacturing processes carried out at the workshop of German carpenter Franz Huber.

Part 1: CAD/CAM & Calculation Part 2: Sawing — Optimisation Part 3: Edge finish Part 4: Fittings — Boring & Milling Part 5: Tools for carcass furniture manufacturing Part 6: CNC processing centre

Convincing From

For years, Franz Hubert has relied on freehand sketches for his furniture designs. With growing competitions from other manufacturers, CAD programs have become necessary tools that can improve efficiency and enhance visualisation. By Christian Härtel for VDMA

A

ssisted by six employees, carpenter Franz Hubert has been handling all sorts of projects for years. From the initial conception stage to the final invoice of the order, he would have to do freehand sketches of project models during meetings with his client, and then hand them over to his staff at the workshop.

What he realised was that he had to constantly answer queries from his workshop staff either because important information was omitted, or there were some previously unconsidered details that appeared in the course of the manufacturing process.

He was not able to do anything else other than attending to his staff as he

34 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

was the only person who knew every single detail of the order. Whenever he was away to meet a client, for instance, manufacturing operation at the workshop would often slow down.

Despite his efforts, the carpenter’s workshop located in the city of Stuttgart, southern Germany, was facing an increasingly precarious order situation.

He was therefore convinced that he had to refocus his company.

Consequently, he decided on the following strategy for the future: to focus on one type of product and process it proficiently. Since numerous small and medium sized companies were sproutingup in his home region, he decided to focus on office furniture.

Efficient Design & Presentation He understood that he would no longer be able to sell his furniture to business clients simply based on his former freehand sketches. Therefore, he decided to invest in a special carpenter’s software, which would be able to meet future requirements.

This software should not only be capable of executing all design and conceptual tasks, as well as calculations and follow-up calculations, it should also allow data transfer to the vertical panel saw and to the edge-banding machine. Subsequently, a CNC processing centre may possibly complement the equipment.

Peter Winklhofer

The Very Beginning

Technology can be quickly modified at the client’s site and the results are immediately available.

“These consultation services convey competence and build confidence vis-àvis our customers”, says Mr Hubert.

Once the design of the office furniture has been agreed with the customer, only a few clicks are required in the CAD software to generate, based on the three-dimensional furniture models, all the relevant manufacturing designs, including exact dimensions, fittings, materials and edges.

As far as fittings and surface materials are concerned, he has not fixed on his providers. Therefore, digital catalogues of component suppliers, including finishing effects, material structures and fittings, are stored in the software catalogue.

Instead of working from rough freehand sketches, the staff at the workshop are able to get exact manufacturing drawings, which, with the assistance of the software, are almost created naturally as a by-product of the designing process. With a few clicks of the mouse, the staff can work with exact dimensions of the plans. No further information is required since all details included are clear and unequivocal. Even the component list and calculations can be created conveniently with the assistance of this new software.

Creative Impulse He becomes more proficient with his presentations. “Thanks to the stored basic modules, I am able to generate three-dimensional views for customers in just one hour,” he explains. With the

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Supported by his new CAD program, which he familiarised himself with during a training course offered by the software company, he is now able to create professional three-dimensional views of his clients’ completely furnished office rooms — and this is a convincing service indeed.

“Without these presentation tools, I would certainly not be awarded the order. With the support of these threedimensional views, my clients know exactly what they are getting and they are able to picture their future office precisely.”

He knows from his personal experience that very few people can create three-dimensional images in their minds based on two-dimensional manufacturing drawings. Surface materials, finishing effects and sizes

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35

frame.fusion

Technology

Economic Advantages Without Doubt

graphical information. By linking these data to the materials database and the purchasing prices for materials and fittings, he is able to save a lot of time on calculations and follow-up calculations, OSD

The manufacturing data created by the CAD program contains more than just

since the order-processing clerk is also connected to the database and can track the orders.

The software automatically generates manufacturing drawings, presentations, component lists and calculation data. The component lists are taken as a basis to calculate reference times and manufacturing costs.

Unnecessary repetitive processes are now a thing of the past.

One tool that has proven to be particularly helpful for the carpenter is the possibility of parametric manufacturing. Since the manufactured parts are always similar, the software recognises the situation and automatically places the connecting parts once the CAD program proposal has been confirmed. He no longer needs to draw dowel connections, concealed hinges or similar elements.

Mr Hubert is convinced that he is on the right path and he has no doubts whatsoever that his investment in the software has been a good decision. However, the correct selection of appropriate software requires a comparison of available products with individual business requirements.

“What was important to me when I chose the CAD program, apart from the helpful tools, of course,” he explains “was the transferability of data, so that the data can be directly transferred from the programme to the machines.

However, not every software solution offered on the market is able to fulfil this requirement, even less so if data has to be transferred to machines from different manufacturers.” FDM SSDG Interiors

inclusion of light distribution and reflection, the threedimensional designs offer realistic simulations of the room.

At his clients’ sites, the carpenter presents the designs in digital format, which can be turned and rotated to provide the perfect perspective, “and these views always inspire — not just my customers, but myself as well,” he admits.

He begins to enjoy these presentations which stimulates his imagination as well. His latest obsession: during onsite meetings at his clients’ office, he not only takes the measurements, but also photos. These photos can then be linked to the CAD programme, allowing him to virtually position furniture pieces into his clients’ office.

Designs in digital format can be turned and rotated to provide the perfect perspective.

ENQUIRY NO. 2202

36 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Technology

esign to Production’ is one of today’s key words, and means the direct transfer of all necessary data from a CAD program to the machines involved in the manufacturing process.

Apart from mere economic advantages, this principle also offers the possibility to easily manufacture complex parts since it helps to avoid intermediate steps, such as the complex construction of moulds. This requires, however, the perfect transmission of data. A lack of compatibility in the interfaces will inevitably lead to a dead-end.

For this reason, manufacturer of computer-controlled woodworking machines for handcraft and industry, Homag AG, has established a company of its own. In cooperation with the software producing company, Imos, the company Homag eSolution was set-up. The main objective of this new company is to keep the data flowing — starting with construction all the way to manufacturing, from presentation to follow-up calculations, not only in the field of furniture manufacturing but also in the handcraft industry.

Expensive Economic Solutions There is no doubt that spreadsheet processing programs, such as MS Excel, are also able to establish component lists, calculations and follow-up calculations. The program is widely used and may also be linked to some CAD programs.

Data flow, however, will be interrupted or will become more complicated as soon as the data is transferred to production machines.

“Data transfer interfaces are always the weak point in apparently cost-efficient solutions. For this reason we always recommend our carpenters to use business-specific software”, says Peter Winklhofer, who works in the apprenticeship and further training sector.

However, data exchange between different CAD programmes can also be a problem due to different file formats. The world standard is the DXF format.

Homag eSolution

Anything But A Dead-End ‘D

For many of us, the pros and cons of a specific CAD/CAM program are recognised only after having selected and purchased a software product.

This checklist will help you choose the right product.

It is therefore reasonable to establish a checklist, which will help to specify the scope of services and individual requirements before the software is purchased.

The checklist should examine the following aspects:  Application focus of the software  Is there a link from two to three dimensions?  Which operating system is required?  Possibility of creating freeform surfaces  Additional tool for animations  Vectorisation of image files  Interfaces to other business software  Which data formats can be executed?  Is it possible to transfer designed construction elements freely?  Additional functions/modules, such as for the integration of photos, parametric construction or carcass furniture generator  Number of axes that can be accessed in a processing centre  Software updates, remote maintenance and training FDM programs

ENQUIRY NO. 2203

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

37

Panels

The Golden Glow of Honeycomb The growing prices of raw materials, energy and transport have made the use of honeycomb panels an attractive proposition. The outstanding strength to weight ratio of these panels makes them possible solution for the future. By Assoc Professor Ioannis Barboutis and MSc Vasiliki Kamperidou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

A

n increasing interest in lightweight panels has developed in the last few years for the furniture industry worldwide, mainly due to the fact that this kind of products have the potential to replace conventional wood-based panels that are currently in use for relevant furniture and joinery applications.

38 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

The unceasing search for weight reduction and structural improvements has made sandwich composite constructions popular. Lightweight sandwich technology has been in existence for centuries and has been employed in several industries, such as aerospace, transportation, furniture, doors, sports equipment, etc. They can also be found

in many other fields, like packaging materials, in a great variety of cabinets and wooden structures.

The first paper honeycomb structures might have been constructed by the Chinese 2,000 years ago for ornaments, while the expansion production process has been invented in Germany in 1901 for decorative applications as well.

Panels The new and ingenious materials developed rapidly.

In the US, an office furniture company collaborated with a forest laboratory to construct a three-layer honeycomb panel, made of recyclable paper in the medium layer, which resulted in quite satisfying properties.

In Germany, in 2003, close cooperation among equipment, panel and furniture manufacturers and other sector partners resulted in the introduction of equipment specifically designed for manufacturing lightweight panels based on an expanded paper honeycomb core. This equipment enables fully automated production of the material.

Main Applications With the prices of raw materials, energy and transport in the woodworking industry constantly rising, composite sandwich constructions are beginning to find increased acceptance, mainly because they can offer the huge advantages of low material weight, reduced shipping costs, easier assembly and disassembly, as well as ease of handling, especially when it comes to mobile furniture.

Honeycomb panels are suitable for a wide variety of applications in home furniture (ie: kitchen, living room, bedroom) and other applications, such as office furniture, conference tables, shelving, desks, floors, cabinets, shop fitting, counters and other work surfaces, components and fixtures for exhibition stands, and space dividers.

Uses for honeycomb panels also include doors and other constructions in houses, trailers, shelter buildings, warehouses, farm buildings, lightweight shipping containers, miscellaneous office furnishings, thick contemporary design pieces, displays for department stores and other retail establishments.

Composition Generally, the core materials are in the form of a lattice to ensure lightweight,

which is an idea, inspired by the interior structure of a beehive honeycomb structure.

The lightweight honeycomb panels consist of three basic elements, surface layers (top side and bottom side), the core (hexagonal honeycomb, corrugated honeycomb or compartments) and frame (optional with or without frame).

The facing sheets can be made of thin wood (hardwood or softwood), plywood, particleboard, high-density fibreboard or medium density fibreboard (MDF), asbestos, ABS, acrylic, PVC, veneer, aluminium or even plastic laminate.

Other types of lightweight core material, except for paper honeycomb structure, could be balsa wood, hard foamed rubber, plastic foams, and sheets of cloth or metal.

of high strength honeycomb panels at low cost. The core can be a hexagonal structural type that is strong and safe, compared to other structures, with a panel density of about 0.65-0.75 g rm per cm. Furthermore, the core can be constructed in different dimensions and thicknesses, which makes the supply of honeycomb panels vast and diversified.

Production Process The three commonly used basic honeycomb production techniques are expansion, corrugation and moulding, initially developed in 1901 for nonsandwich applications.

Paper honeycomb is traditionally produced using the conventional expansion process. It is remarkable

Top Pbd facesheet

Paper honeycomb core

Adhesive

Bottom Pbd facesheet

Because of the relatively high density of most woods, only a few types are used for sandwich constructions. Endgrain Balsa, to the contrary, is the oldest and still one of the more popular core materials. Presently, of all the materials being utilised in the production of honeycomb core materials, the Kraft paper honeycombs are the cheapest and most obtainable.

These cores exhibit lightweight advantages and good damage resistance.

So, it can be claimed that paper is almost the only material apparent at present for the large-scale development

that in the rapidly growing Asian furniture industry, a majority of furniture panels used are paper honeycomb core panels.

However, cell size and core height of these paper honeycombs are usually above 10 mm, because the cutting and bonding production steps are much more time consuming at lower cell sizes. In the ‘expanded’ type of sandwich panel, sheets of treated paper are laid out and interspaced with parallel and uniformly spaced strips of adhesive. The blanks after bonding are expanded to form hexagonal cell sections. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

39

Panels A second traditional process for honeycombs is the corrugation process.

With standard corrugated cardboard sheets, a small cell size of 5 mm can be realised, bearing to a larger density compared to expanded honeycomb cores.

This type of core consists of corrugated sheets of paper assembled parallel to each other and separated by a single treated and uncorrugated sheet or corrugated sheets assembled with principal flute directions of adjacent sheets at right angles or finally, corrugated sheets assembled parallel to each other and bonded at the crests.

the TorHex paper honeycomb core versions has been proven. These two cost efficient, folded honeycomb cores are suitable for a variety of applications and are produced from one thermoplastic sheet or one corrugated cardboard sheet respectively, by successive in-line operations.

With a low density and open pore structure, a solid can be used to design light, stiff components such as honeycomb panels and large portable structures. The mechanical properties of the cellular solids such as stiffness, compression/tensile strength, shear strength, lateral expansion

is critical to the performance of the sandwich, as the core properties control energy absorption and force transfer through the structure.

Any honeycomb core is satisfactory only in relation to the facings it supports and, conversely, the suitability of any facing may depend on the core. Satisfactory performance of the honeycomb panel depends to a great extent on the bond between the core and facings and the characteristics of the facings and the core, as well.

The critical modes in the core sandwich structures that may cause failure are core buckling, delamination in the impacted facing sheet, core cracking, matrix cracking and fiber breakage in the facings. The performance of the honeycomb sandwich panels can further be improved through the application of edge rail enforcements and edge band application.

Honeycomb Panel Connections

Two or more honeycomb boards can be fastened with dowels or screws.

Honeycomb structures come in many different shapes and sizes, such as triangles, squares, hexagons, reinforced hexagons, spirally wrapped, cross-core, circular, etc. Cell width range between 10-40 mm, while cell wall height between 10-90 mm.

As it is evident, a decrease in the modulus of rapture has been recorded by increasing the cell wall height of the honeycomb structure. Honeycomb cores with hexagonal cell, commonly used in furniture structures, are characterised by a considerable rigidity in shear, high crushing stress, almost constant crushing force, long stroke, low weight and relative insensitivity to the overall loss of stability.

The feasibility of ThermHex thermoplastic honeycomb core and

40 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

and energy absorption are determined by their material density and cell geometric parameters such as cell size, the ratio of cell wall thickness to length and ratio of bonded to free wall length.

Honeycomb structure is a popular choice for cores, since it exhibits stress-strain curves (under quasi-static compression) with an initial elastic region followed by a relatively constant stress (plateau stress) over a wide range of strains.

As known, the principle of sandwich structures is the separation of the skins, which actually carry the load, by a low density core. To get optimal results, not only the load carrying skin must be designed properly but the core material also has to be selected carefully. The choice of core material and core height

Several ways of fastening have been used in order to join two or more honeycomb boards, such as dowels and screws. Connectors that allow load-bearing structures to be created using this innovative material have been developed.

Some of these connectors, suitable also for ready-to-assemble furniture, brought into the market are: Aerofix 100 and Ηettinject (mechanical dowel solutions), Tab 20 HC (corner joints, in panels without cross-grain), Rafix 20 HC (corner and middle joints, in panels without cross-grain), Minifix 15 and Maxifix 35 HC (horizontal joints), M20 Connecting bolt, RTA connector, rear panel connectors, carcase connectors, hinges and their suitable fittings.

As it has been proven, the mechanical properties of the sandwich panel can be increased using plastic connecting dowels, which are inserted between the top and bottom surface sheet, using

Panels adhesive. The development of sandwich panels was made possible, in fact, by the introduction of high-quality adhesives.

For the agglutination of the core to the two facing sheets, urea-formaldehyde or thermoplastic adhesive of polyurethane is used.

Advantages Of Honeycomb Panels It is perfectly clear that the honeycomb panel is facing a bright future and there is a noticeable growing trend in the use of lightweight honeycomb materials in the wood products industry and especially in the furniture manufacturing sector. This product comprises the best combination of natural materials and human ingenuity in the last century of structural and nonstructural material invention.

Honeycomb panels provide excellent characteristics for furniture construction, such as high stability, optimum bending strength, high strength-to-weight ratio, the fact that it can be produced in large spans, long service life, almost no sagging, optimised transport and easy assembly.

Lightweight honeycomb panels can be as resistant and durable as solid wood panels, while they may weigh up to 70 percent less and this highperformance material could replace solid wood, MDF and plywood as substrate in many applications.

They also offer a response to international product and design trends, an opportunity for market diversification and improved product environmental friendliness by lightening the environmental burden (reducing the pressure on timber resources, reducing energy consumption and reducing or eliminating formaldehyde emissions).

They can be made by processes that lend themselves to mass production from materials that are produced in large volume. The possibility to produce honeycombs in different designs, widths and thicknesses in a

continuous process opens a host of highly interesting prospects in furniture construction, offering a larger range of possibilities in term of formability, with no necessity to stop and reset the production line.

Honeycomb boards fulfil all these requirements and the technological advances have recently made it possible to improve the performance of this new generation of panels. For example, thermofusible polyurethane adhesives have improved product flatness and moisture resistance as well as product mechanical performance and heat resistance.

under ordinary exposure condition will undoubtedly increase.

There are also constantly growing requirements of the manufacturers and the consumers for a reduction of the raw materials cost, weight reduction, easier handling, reduction in transfer cost, and improvement of the properties, in other words the optimisation of the construction technique.

The factors that influence the properties of the product, such as the thickness of the core, the cell diameter and the geometry of the cell, the weight and the type of the paper used in the

There is a growing trend in the use of light weight honeycomb materials in wood products and furniture.

In recent years the introduction of automated panel assembly systems and the development of appropriate fitting solutions for light weight panel production have made it far easier and more economical to adopt this concept than a decade ago.

Bright Future This product has been a topic of ongoing research for many years, with many experimental investigations and theoretical analyses being performed.

As the development of the sandwich structural panel grows, the need for more data on the behaviour of such panels

honeycomb, the type of the surface layers, the whole panel weight, the adhesive type and the production technology should be further investigated.

Fundamental for the durability of the furniture is the strength and the durability of its joints. Therefore, additional research on the behaviour of the connectors and the development of new connector types is constantly conducted, in order to increase the applications that the honeycomb sandwich panel can be used for and to improve the quality of the material even more. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2301

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

41

Twak

Panels

T Honeycomb Construction Explained Henk Krabben, president and CEO of the Honicel Group, explains the structure of honeycomb panels, as well as their benefits and applications.

he purpose of the core in a composite laminate is to increase the laminate’s stiffness by effectively ‘thickening’ it with a low-density core material.

This can provide a dramatic increase in stiffness for very little additional weight.

Consequently, two of the most important properties of a core is its shear strength and stiffness. In addition, particularly when using lightweight, thin laminate skins, the core must be capable of taking a compressive loading without premature failure. This helps to prevent the thin skins from wrinkling, and failing in a buckling mode.

A honeycomb sandwich construction may be compared with the I-beam structure commonly used in construction industry. In an I-beam, the flange carries the tension and the compression whilst the body/core holds the flanges together in a proper form.

Likewise for a sandwich construction, a low density core material is sandwiched between two strong thin facings of any kind of material, resulting in a lightweight, incredibly strong, stiff composite structure, which acts in the same manner as a continuous I-beam with the skins and flanges taking bending stresses whilst the core acts as a web to carry shear and compressive loads.

Benefits Of Honeycomb Constructions The benefits of making use of the honeycomb structure in sandwich panels are significant, as it offers material cost savings, weight reduction, reduction of packaging, shipping and handling costs. Apart from these, the honeycomb sandwich panels offer new design options by breaking existing limitations, offering more substantial look, additional functionality and greater value by offering the possibility of significantly thicker panels (the so called ‘rich-look’) without the ‘penalty’ and limitations.

As honeycomb sandwich panel is strong but at the same time extremely lightweight, the end products, (like doors, home and office furniture, partitions, etc.) require less protective transport packaging. The lower weight of the products also means less damage during transportation, as well as lower shipping costs. The lightweight characteristic of the honeycomb sandwich panels also enables faster assembly with no heavy hardware (such as hinges) required. All these translate to additional cost savings.

Last but not least, the most important benefit of implementing a honeycomb sandwich panel system is its environmental friendliness. As the sandwich panels are ‘hollow’, this concept saves significant volumes of raw materials, like wood. Making use of honeycomb core technology helps to conserve natural resources.

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Panels Features Of Honeycomb Constructions

1. Constructive applications:

The paper honeycomb, in combination with any kind of skin materials with good tension features of the top and bottom surfaces, offers a superb sandwich panel.

Honeycomb constructions offer the following features: a. High flatness. The combination of vertical and horizontal structures results in an absolutely flat panel. Due to the relatively small cells of the paper honeycomb core, the skins get maximum support. b. The paper honeycomb is supplied in a closed shape as an endless web on a pallet (an average pallet honeycomb contains more than one km length of endless honeycomb after expansion) offering very efficient/ economic warehousing and stocks. c. The smaller cell size of the paper honeycomb offer more contact surface for glue and creates a superb bonding between the skins and the honeycomb core. d. Smaller cell sized honeycomb gives more support to the thin skin material. Because of this, the thickness of the skin can be reduced (tremendous cost saving and weight reduction) e. Smaller cell size honeycomb offers the required impact resistance of the sandwich panel. f. The processing of paper honeycomb is very simple and does not require high cost equipment. g. Paper honeycomb can be shaped in all kinds of forms in combination with a shaped skin, so it is very flexible. h. Paper honeycomb is very durable in unprocessed conditions as well as core material in sandwich constructions/ products under normal/covered conditions (this includes in environments with high natural humidity). i. The international standard paper honeycomb is produced out of 100 percent FSC recycled paper. It is environmental friendly and can be recycled after use.

• All kinds of interior doors and cabinet and sliding doors, flush and moulded skin doors, with skins of plywood, medium density fibreboard, particleboard, high pressure laminates or steel aluminium.

• All kinds of partitions for offices, rooms, sanitary partitions and compartments, with all kinds of skin materials, like gypsum board, plywood, board, high pressure laminates, steel and aluminium.

• All kinds of furniture, with all kinds of skin materials with the ability to accommodate complex shapes and variable geometry.

• Project and ship/yacht furniture and panelling.

• Sealing panels.

• Dormers.

• Blackboard and whiteboards.

Applications Of Honeycomb Sandwich Constructions Honeycomb sandwich constructions can be used as core in combination with almost any sheet material, like wood, gypsum board, plywood, particleboard, medium density fibreboard, high density fibreboard, high pressure laminates, thermoplastics (eg: melamine) and sheet metals, such as aluminium or steel, as well as fibreglass, marbles and all kinds of synthetic materials.

Besides the aforementioned skin materials, any type of paper and paperboard materials can be used as skin material for creating a honeycomb sandwich construction.

For special applications, it is even possible to fill the cells of the structure with rigid foam, so that thermal and acoustic insulation properties are increased.

2. Protective packaging and pallet applications: • Protective packaging material in order to protect heavy products. A very wide range of products from industrial to consumer products and from one-way up to returnable packaging material. Can be used as single course product and also in combination with other products like corrugated sheets or box or edge board (paper corners).

• Container-boxes/container pallets for storage and transport of, for example, chemicals, powders, fruit, heavy tools and industrial components.

• As carriers and at the same time as separators for the yarn industry, glass industry etc.

• As dunnage and void filler and buffers in the transport and shipping industry in order to fill up open space in trailers, containers and air freights.

• As clay heave for the purpose of lost shuttering for concrete constructions.

• As lightweight pallets used in all kinds of industries, warehousing and types of transport like, road, ship, container and air.

3. Other applications: • Honeycomb constructions can be used in innumerable applications besides the constructive, packaging and display market. Some other applications include: • In the automotive industry as core in all kinds of lightweight strong (shaped) sandwich panels such as sunroof screen, headrest, movable floor in the boot.

• Shaped partition panels and separators in car, bus, train, ship and yacht industry. Even the submarine industry has recognised the efficient and economic features of the honeycomb structure. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2302

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

43

Marc Falardeau, Toronto, Canada

Surfaces & Flooring

g n i s i Optimrmance

o f r e P n l KWi ith Statistical Feedback

data n exercise in a is it s a rt d increase an a is as much ormance an r rf e e b p m n il lu k g e of dryin to optimis The process Meters n be applied a c ta a d st, Wagner re li ia tu c is e o p s M t . c g trackin mith, produ ty. By Ron S li a u q t c u d pro

44 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

Surfaces & Flooring

I

n producing an effective kiln-drying programme for lumber, comprehensive analysis of your wood moisture content should be the number one concern.

That’s obvious, you’re probably thinking, but what is less obvious is the number of key points in the manufacturing process where moisture content can and must be monitored in order to optimise kiln performance. Moisture measurement at various points in the process is crucial, but post-kiln moisture measurement of all of your incoming lumber prior to further processing provides the greatest insight into how efficiently and effectively your kiln operations are drying.

Post-kiln moisture measurement also gives you the additional important benefit of catching pieces of lumber that do not meet your critical moisture requirements before they are processed down the line.

Real-Time Measurement, Not Data Analysis In-kiln moisture measurement systems are purely real-time measurement tools that provide moisture content readings to, at best, assist in the kiln control systems’ drying program.

In-kiln moisture measurement systems typically use a maximum of eight sensors, measuring a tiny fraction of the kiln load to provide real-time feedback to the kiln operator or kiln control system through the moisture content sensor readings.

Along with the measurement of equilibrium moisture content during the drying process, they can be a valid tool to assist in determining when a kiln load (charge) is ready to pull, or to assist in real-time changes during the drying process.

These systems though, are not comprehensive moisture data collection quality control tools. Ultimately, the immediate goal of an in-kiln moisture measurement system is to help operators determine when the lumber of a particular charge has reached its target moisture content range, not to perform comprehensive kiln drying or moisture quality analysis.

On the other hand, in-line moisture measurement systems in the processing plant or planer mill can measure all of the dried lumber early in the process and are ideally positioned to collect important moisture metrics about the upstream drying process. Data collected from these systems can provide truly comprehensive moisture data on a charge-bycharge or product run basis to assist in fine-tuning the kiln drying process.

Getting The Big Picture with Comprehensive Data With an in-line moisture measurement system, every single board in the production chain can contribute to your moisture quality evaluation. With a sample size that encompasses all of your lumber from all of your kilns, you should be able

to determine at minimum two major indicators of your kiln process performance: a standard deviation (loosely defined as the variability in moisture content on a per charge basis), and a percentage of unacceptably wet and dry lumber.

1. Standard Deviation Standard deviation both visually and numerically demonstrates the variance of a kiln’s performance on a charge-by-charge basis. In thinking of the traditional bell curve representation of standard deviation, the smaller the range from the target moisture content to the actual post-kiln results, the better the kiln performance and, therefore, the better the grade production for each kiln and charge. Obviously there will always be lumber that falls outside the target range but an optimised kiln setup should reduce the number of board feet that miss the target moisture content significantly.

(Mean)

Under target MC range (%) (Over-dry or wet grade loss)

Over target MC range (%) (Re-dry or wet grade loss)

Target MC range (%)

Standard deviation becomes statistically significant when a history of data can be examined, both on a kiln-by-kiln basis, and on a charge-by-charge basis. If a particular kiln regularly demonstrates a higher standard deviation compared to other kilns, it may indicate a maintenance issue, or possibly even an operator issue that can be addressed through further training. Tracing the standard deviation of different species or even specific suppliers of green lumber can allow initial kiln setups to be optimised for each charge. Simply put, standard deviation can help point you in the right direction when asking why the data is the way it is.

Tracking standard deviation is a good indicator of potential drying changes that may improve kiln performance. A mechanical change (ie: reversing air flow more frequently) or a procedural change (ie: adjusting the venting schedule) may be all that is necessary to improve the standard deviation for a particular kiln and to prevent over-dry or over-wet www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

45

Surfaces & Flooring lumber. If you have a very specific moisture content target, additional practices like stacking procedures or schedule variance for different species may also become important.

But overall, the lower the standard deviation, the better the process.

It should be noted that there are potential limitations with using standard deviation in traditional quality control standards. A study conducted in 2007 demonstrated that standard and average deviations were found to be unreliable for determining optimum kiln drying targets for softwood grading targets.

Put briefly, a similar average moisture content (MC) reading between separate charges does not always indicate the same lumber value. This observation led to a six-sigma process that the company refers to as ‘lognormal statistical analysis’.

While this application has not been extensively tested for hardwood applications, it may merit further examination for data that falls outside the expected norm.

With a larger sample size, and with the right assessment and reporting tools integrated with an in-line system, kiln performance can be analysed and corrected to find that ‘sweet spot’ — the ideal drying conditions that come with optimised kiln performance.

Developing The Data There are a variety of in-line moisture measurement systems available and very few mills or secondary wood products processors operate without one. Integration into specific components is obviously important, but the real key to success comes in making best use of the data collected for real-world insight into kiln drying performance.

Optimisation means being sure the cycle of information is moving smoothly. And this is where your kiln operators or data collection specialist becomes crucial. There are a number of questions to ask in order to turn data collection into practical insights:

Nick Hubbard

1. Are we maximising utilisation of our moisture measurement?

Is your in-line moisture measurement system in continuous operation to maximise data collection? Is your system automated to record the data collected?

Statistically significant monitoring is dependent on the volume of data collected, as well as the consistency in the process point where it is collected. The more data you have to assess, the greater the insights into your kiln-drying operations.

Although re-drying of lumber will incur additional cost, overdrying presents a great challenge to production as well.

2. ‘Wet’ Lumber Lumber that finishes over the maximum acceptable moisture content is obviously going to be problematic. The costs in kiln time for re-drying and re-milling create a difficult balance when considered against the business loss through grade loss, sort or mold issues and regrade claims. The obvious response is to increase drying time in the kiln if this number is consistently high. However the risk of overdrying presents just as much a challenge for target product production.

The obvious correlation between moisture content and grade recovery perhaps presents the strongest case possible for the necessity of an in-line moisture measurement system.

46 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

2. Who is responsible for collecting and assessing the data?

In some mills, moisture content levels are monitored by graders; in others, by quality control; in others, by kiln operators. Once data is collected, there also needs to be an ability to sort the data by relevant categories such as a particular kiln, dimension and/or species, date of kiln load, etc. There are a variety of assessment and reporting tools available on the market that offer a wide range of reporting options, but ultimately the reports also need to be used to drive and optimise the kiln drying process.

3. How are changes implemented?

As in any large production enterprise, communication of the findings needs to be clear in order to produce effective and productive change. Ideally, there will be several people trained in operating your in-line moisture measurement system so that assessment, parameter set up, and kiln set up changes can be handled promptly and accurately in response to the data reports.

Surfaces & Flooring Putting The Data To Use

ENQUIRY NO. 336

The ultimate goal of data storage and analysis in kiln performance is not just to maximise charge times or kiln maintenance issues, but to be able to see each step of the drying process achieve the optimum lumber grade percentages possible. Particularly for mills that do not make use of a redrying process for overwet lumber, finding the optimal setpoint for the kiln process can mean even higher savings in lumber grade value.

In-line moisture measurement systems also offer other very practical features for mill operations. For example, Wagner Meters Omega In-Line Moisture Measurement System offers up to four programmable moisture limits that can trigger spray-marking systems to quickly and accurately mark lumber that has not met the moisture content specification.

This lumber can be easily identified and turned around for re-drying or re-milling as necessary. In-line systems also offer setup and calibration records for different wood products that can be easily implemented through a personal computer or desktop and produce batch reports, kiln settings at a glance, moisture content limit alarms and more.

When a history of specific data is collected for a particular kiln, it is also possible to use the data to create a threedimensional representation or moisture content ‘colour map’ of a kiln to help identify kilns with potential maintenance issues or performance issues.

It is a fact that there are no hard and fast rules for guaranteeing every charge will respond identically to the same conditions, but with significant data records, trends can be mapped to target specific issues or variables more quickly and responsively. Even if the information only means a reduced number of shut downs for manual checks in the kiln, the cost savings in energy consumption would be significant.

For specific kiln situations, data from an in-line moisture measurement system can also have a practical application for kiln operation. For a mill that routinely runs charges with mixed species or mixed dimensional lumber an accurate picture of the kiln performance can impact the kiln schedule or processes for any given charge.

The process of drying lumber is, without question, as much an art as it is an exercise in data tracking. The myriad of ways moisture data can be applied make proper assessment and reporting tools a must to any company looking to optimise kiln performance while increasing product quality. With a robust and integrated in-line moisture measurement system, your kiln drying results and the quality product you deliver to your end users can be a work of art. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2401

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

47

David Hunter, New York, US

Furniture Design, Hardware & Fittings

The

Perfect Fit With the increased functions of a kitchen, designers and homeowners are looking towards kitchen hardware and fittings as tools to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of kitchen furniture. By Sherlyne Yong

A

s homeowners realise the amount of time they spend in their kitchens, they are putting much more effort and planning into its layout. Every kitchen is essentially a workspace oriented around a few specific areas with different needs.

Regardless of style and décor, every kitchen is primed for practicality. Apart from aesthetic appeal, homeowners are now implementing functional benefits within their furnishings and layouts.

This takes them into a deeper focus on kitchen hardware, the tools which hold everything in place.

Trends In Kitchen Design Improving the functionality of the

48 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

kitchen is primarily oriented around three considerations — space, workflow and motion.

Space is fast becoming a scarce commodity as world population increases.

This has been carried over into our living spaces, as homes are becoming increasingly smaller. Homeowners now have to fit the same array of functions within more confined rooms.

It is no wonder that the idea of space has persisted as one of the top design considerations. A survey conducted by the International Furnishings and Design Association in 2011 has predicted the rise of ‘walk-in kitchens’. Gone are the dining rooms, leaving in its place an additional function for the kitchens.

As such, storage systems like cabinets and drawers will become extremely pertinent to space considerations. For instance, more space can be created with wider cabinets, full extension drawers, and improvements to carousel or corner units.

With the multitude of roles a kitchen now plays, it is essential for its design to enable a smooth workflow. This refers to the optimal movement of people and objects. Factors such as ergonomics and layout will enhance the working interactions between people and objects.

For instance, people are substituting drawers for shelves in lower cabinets.

The pullout movement of drawers makes better ergonomic sense as it

Furniture Design, Hardware & Fittings have the additional role of contributing to overall aesthetics.

Apart from visibility, hinges can be further divided into overlay, half inset or inset types.

For face frame cabinets, the type of hinge needed is determined by the position of the closed cabinet door.

Lignar Engineering Pte Ltd Final Logo (English)

Pantone 293

Hinges For Different Cabinets There are two types of cabinetry currently available. Face frame cabinets have openings that are smaller than the cabinet width, as it is surrounded by front facing frames. Most traditional forms of cabinetry fall under this category.

Meanwhile, frameless cabinetry consists of those which have openings the same size as cabinet widths. Most European styled cabinets are frameless.

Consequently, the kinds of hinges available can be further classified into categories of concealed, semi-concealed, or specialty hinges.

While mainly used for its function of supporting a cabinet frame, some hinges

Doors coming into complete contact with the frames require overlay hinges, which are ‘L’ shaped. Those that cut into the frame require the use of a half inset hinge. Half inset hinges have a slightly more complicated shape which resembles a step. This is engineered to accommodate a deep notch along the

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THE SPECIALIST IN DUST CONTROL SYSTEMS

Made In DENMARK

Lignar Engineering Pte. Ltd. Singapore: 40 Toh Guan Road East #01-65 Enterprise Hub Singapore 608582.

Tel: +65 67775383 Fax: +65 67629500 C 90 M 60

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I hereby confirm this design as the final design for Lignar’s Logo (English). I agree that any additional amendment to this design beyond the number of agreed amendments stated in the contract will be chargeable. I further authorise StrategiCom to proceed with the necessary, based on this design.

Plo. 48, Jalan Perindustrian 6, Senai Industrial Estate, 81400 Senai, Johor, Malaysia Tel: +607 5992828, 5334654 Fax: +607 5992812 Lignar Engineering Pte Ltd (affix company stamp here with authorised signatory)

Silo Discharge Systems

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上海市浦东玉兰路16号 盛第大厦303室邮编201204 Tel: +86-21-51908631 Mobile: +86-136-36376900

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Lignar Engineering is a leading manufacturer and exporter of Dust Extraction Equipment for wood-based industries, with customers spread across Southeast Asia and China. Our products include Portable Dust Collectors, Modular Bag Filters, Transflows, Fans, Cyclones, Silos and Silo Discharge Systems.

HIGH ENERGY SAVING Dust Collecting System

Modular Transflow

Spark Detection Systems

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saves the user from having to bend down continuously.

Homeowners may also opt for higher-placed cabinets that utilise doors swinging upwards instead of sideways.

The change in orientation will reduce the risk of accidents while providing the user with a better view as well. Such considerations increase convenience and save time in the process.

The same goes for improvements in motion. Most families comprise individuals in different age brackets. With all these members of varying ages, kitchens need to accommodate the different requirements that each user has. It has to be friendly to all ages and health conditions, particularly so as the world is moving towards an ageing population.

Some implementations in this area may include noise reductions and improvements in the opening and closing of cabinets and drawers.

All these can be easily achieved with the use of hardware like cabinet hinges and runners for drawers. With different styles available, the use of the right equipment can result in more flexibility. One example is the installation of a hinge that provides the cabinet a wider angle of rotation.

Ducting & Fittings

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

49

Gemteck1, Washington, US

Furniture Design, Hardware & Fittings

Cabinetry with bothsemi-concealed and concealed hinges.

edge of the door that is identifiable to inset cabinet doors.

Full inset hinges will be required for doors which are entirely within the frame.

When it comes to frameless cabinets, a door fully overlapping the cabinet edge requires overlay hinges. Those partially touching the edge will require half overlay hinges, while doors that are even with the sides of the cabinet call for inset hinges.

Concealed hinges are named to as such reflect their lack of visibility once the cabinet is shut. These hinges tend to be heavier, and are typically in a ‘T’ shape. There is a slight cup-shaped gap where the two parts of the hinge meet, which is also why they are called European cup hinges.

Concealed hinges can include both overlay and inset types. In these cases, the wings of the hinges are mounted behind the door and against the inner part of the frame. The hinges’ knuckles, also dubbed as the joint connecting the two wings, will be hidden inside as well.

One instance is the butt hinge, which has two rectangular wings, together with the knuckle pin, mounted on the inside of the cabinet and door.

Another is the cabinet pivot, whereby the hinge is attached to the top and

50 FDM Asia march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

bottom of the door. In general, concealed hinges have an aesthetic advantage over the other available types. It gives cabinets a clean, packed look, and provides a sense of sleekness.

Semi-concealed hinges, on the other hand, refers to hinges which can be partially seen. For these hinges, the door wing and frame wing of the hinges are concealed while the barrel-like knuckles will be exposed. Face frame hinges are a kind of semi-concealed hinge, in which the frame wing and knuckle are exposed while the door wing remains hidden.

Hinges in this category can be subdivided into wrap mounts or flush mounts.

Wrap mounts follow the contours of the frames and doors, with both wings of the hinge being perpendicular to each other. Flush mounts on the other hand, are fixed in such a way that the door wing and frame wing of the hinge are parallel to each other. Flush mounts are typically used for face frame cabinets while wrap mounts will be more suited for frameless ones.

The two different types of mounting include both overlay and inset hinges, as well as reverse bevel hinges. The latter is a type of hinge that is suited for cabinet doors which do not have a

straight angular edge. Reverse bevel hinges have frame wings that are in the form of a step, which wraps around two edges of the cabinet. This allows the door to overlap the frame, while the door wing is shaped in a way that it accepts doors with edges that slope inward.

Unconcealed hinges, or specialty hinges, are most often employed for their aesthetic appeal. The finishing and colour of unconcealed hinges can be used for adding details to the overall kitchen décor. Unconcealed hinges often double up with ornamental purposes in addition to functionality. One example of this is the lacquered cabinet hinge, which are decorative hinges most commonly found in brass or black.

Ornamental hinges commonly appear in the form of H hinges or butterfly hinges.

H and butterfly hinges are completely mounted on the external surfaces of both the door and cabinet frames. The two wings and accompanying knuckles are exposed, resulting in a physical resemblance to their namesakes. Apart from the aforementioned hinges which have wings of equal sizes, decorative hinges also include those whose door wings are longer than the frame wings.

Additional Hinge Properties Regardless of the type or design, hinges have additional properties such as being self closing or free swinging types. Self closing hinges are especially useful in the kitchen and they improve kitchen sanitisation. Cooks no longer have to close doors manually with their dirty hands. With the self closing mechanism, cabinets shut automatically upon release, or with a gentle push.

Most of these systems are equipped with a spring mounted along the knuckle pin, which pulls the hinges back together when the frame is released. Also available is an alternative self closing system which employs gravitation as a strategy. It draws on the weight of the cabinet door to pull

Furniture Design, Hardware & Fittings itself back, and is one that eliminates the hassle of spoilt springs.

Free swinging hinges refer to systems without the self closing mechanism.

Cabinets with these hinges can open and close smoothly, and naturally requires less force than its self closing counterparts.

As a result, free swinging hinges might be suitable in households where kitchen users comprise the elderly, who have lesser physical strength.

Hinges possess varying degrees of permanence as well. Mortised hinges require an opening to be made in the cabinet frames or doors before being attached. These are permanent, and commonly found among European hinges.

Non-mortised hinges have higher fluidity and need only be attached with screws. They are mounted directly to the cabinet, and enable users to change the hinges without replacing the doors, and vice versa. One prototype is the lift-joint hinge, which allows the removal of a door without unscrewing the hinge. The loose-pin hinge is also similar, such that doors can be easily removed with the simple lift of the pin.

A relevant consideration with regards to kitchen hardware is the weight and height of cabinet doors. Depending on the type of hinges used, which can vary across strength, a door with higher volume will require multiple hinges to ensure stability. This can range from as little as two hinges to five hinges.

With the dual role of hinges as ornamental objects, manufacturers have made sure that they come in an array of designs. Hinges come in various colours, ranging from anything to red and blue.

They are also available in different metal formats such as aluminium, steel, copper, chrome, nickel and bronze, to name a few.

Their finishing can also differ in terms of being polished, enamelled, brushed, or glossed. The variety of designs available for hinges are an affirmation of the hardware’s increasing role in kitchen décor.

Advancements Aiding Convenience Conventional types of hinges aside, furnishings and fittings manufacturers and their related partners are constantly improving on their products. This has resulted in hinges which are quieter, and also those which offer different operational capabilities.

Of note is the ‘Swing’ hinge from furniture hardware manufacturer Hafele, which makes use of a mechanism that lifts doors up. German company Hettich has also developed an electromechanical system that opens cabinets with a touch.

It features a mechanically assisted system that makes use of a handle, and slide-on concealed hinges.

Other simpler, but equally useful developments from the basic hinge include wide angle hinges. For instance, furniture hardware company, Salice, has a range of wide angle fittings that can

accommodate a rotation of up to 165 deg.

Wide angle hinges contribute towards a smoother flow in the kitchen, by removing the limitation to narrow spaces created by tight angles.

Further highlighting the relevance of kitchen hardware is its inclusion in CAD software. Properties of fittings from different companies have now been integrated into the software, such that designers can tap on their benefits to simulate new designs. Such software enables continued innovation as designers can explore the different alternatives available.

Developments such as these show an increased collaboration between hardware manufacturers and the industry’s related partners. These increased interactions only serve to create better working spaces for homeowners, which possess both function and design. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2501

Product highlights

Blum: Handless System The ‘Tip-on for Tandem Synchroniser’ opens wide handle-less drawers and pullouts made of wood. No matter where user press on the handle-less fronts, even wide drawers and pull-outs will open reliably at a single touch.

This enhanced user experience is achieved with a synchroniser linkage which is simply attached to the components of the mechanical opening system. The locking mechanism is synchronised so that the opening action is triggered over the entire pullout width.

All components have been designed for tool-free

mounting, and no additional space is required at the back of the cabinet.

What’s more, no extra work is needed on drawers or cabinets. The synchroniser ensures that wide handle-less drawers and pull-outs will open with ease at a single touch.

ENQUIRY NO. P285

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Wood & Sustainability

A Truly

Green W

Picture

hether the timber industry likes it or not, all wood products traded internationally, and even some sold domestically, are facing increasing regulations that are not about to go away. Forest certification, which has been around for a long time now, is advancing in Asia Pacific, and although it is a voluntary tool, it can help the industry navigate the various emerging regulations.

Professional specifiers and many consumers are also becoming more aware of the need to use forests responsibly and are responding to calls by environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGO) to source wood products that are certified safe. The opportunities to use wood from certified forests are increasing, but most important is the fact that governments are now driving the ‘green’ agenda.

Uneven Playing Field

Paul Joseph, Vancouver, Canada

Many forest products stakeholders bitterly complain that

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Certification can help the timber industry gain wider acceptance in face of challenges, with the growing demand for products of sustainable origins, and unfair competition from materials which do not need to reveal the totality of their green credential.

By Michael Buckley, director, Turnstone Singapore

the playing field is not even, such that concrete, aluminium, steel and glass are not required to reveal the totality of their green credentials (ie: embodied energy). There are also some strange ‘green’ campaigns proposed by wood’s competitors — given that there is no better renewable and sustainable, low embodied energy alternative to wood when responsibly managed.

For example, steel is manufactured through an energyintensive process, generating pollution and waste at all stages.

Large volumes of carbon dioxide — the principal greenhouse gas — are also emitted, contributing to global warming. Steel, which can be recycled but is non-renewable, claims to be green, so how is this substantiated?

Nevertheless, the fact remains that the wood products industry alone is facing regulatory challenges which, if not met, could damage it severely. The amended US Lacey Amendment Act, the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) in Europe due to come

Wood & Sustainability

Wider Acceptance Of Timber In a recent report, sustainability consultant Rupert Oliver wrote: “At a recent meeting to discuss illegal logging hosted by Chatham House, an independent think-tank based in London, an European Comission (EC) official posed the question of whether there is any value in public procurement policies that demand ‘legally verified’ as a minimum standard when the new EUTR comes into force in March 2013.”

“After that date, all wood traded in the EU will be required by law to be subject to risk assessment procedures designed to ensure no illegal wood enters the supply chain. The EC official was suggesting that after 2013, there would be a stronger case for all public authorities across the EU to demand verified ‘sustainable’ as the minimum standard for use of timber.”

“Frankly this question needs to be turned on its head. If all wood is to be subject to fully audited due diligence requirements before it can be sold into the EU market, is there any need for public sector ‘timber procurement policies’?”

He believes that the introduction of the EUTR is an opportunity for the wood industry to put the case for much wider acceptance of all timber in public procurement — both certified and uncertified.

“This is a much better policy than simply scrabbling around to achieve preferential treatment in government procurement for one forest certification system over another,” he concludes.

The emergence of the EUTR goes back to the Bali Declaration in 2001, following which the effort in Europe to stop illegal logging centered on the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan.

In the US, it resulted in an amendment to the Lacey Act, expanding the scope of the legislation which prohibits commerce

in illegal sourced fish, wildlife, and plants, to also include a broader range of plant and plant products. It is also fair to say that this approach strongly recognised the responsibility of consumer countries for the social and environmental impact of the products they import.

Benefits Of Local Certification Schemes Meanwhile, the major certification schemes have made continuing progress in diversifying the reach of their schemes. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the early global starter, is well known within the timber industry and by professionals and consumers, but many see advantages in the approach of Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) that endorses national forest certification schemes.

Through developing national standards, it is possible to ensure that the forest management standard reflects local ecology, national legal frameworks and stakeholder Jeff Brown

into effect in March 2013, and the forthcoming Australian illegal logging laws, are all intended by governments to stamp out trade in illegal logging.

Despite the well-intentioned policies, there is a serious lack of knowledge in the timber industry as to how the regulations work, and some confusion even at government level. For example, having talked to many wood product exporters in recent months, there are few that understand the due diligence requirements of their customers in Europe. And there seems to be no firm signal from Brussels as to how the use of certified wood satisfies the new EUTR.

Wood has low embodied energy compared to steel.

expectations. PEFC sets requirements for national standard development which includes a multi-stakeholder process, consensus based decision making, national public consultation and pilot testing.

The organisation also sets numerous requirements for sustainable forest management, and during the assessment process, each national scheme is carefully reviewed to ensure it meets the programme’s international sustainability benchmarks.

Every five years, revision is required at national and international levels so that this process is dynamic and continuous. To date, there are 35 National Members and 30 Endorsed Schemes under the programme, including the www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

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Wood & Sustainability

Forest Stewardship Council is an early global starter of certification schemes.

Malaysian Timber Certification Council’s (MTCC) scheme. The most recent national member, China, is expected to submit its national scheme for endorsement this year.

The benefits of this certification scheme are that forest certification standards are country specific with an adaptation of local forest conditions to the local legislation with regionally and internationally consistent level of requirements.

In particular, it accommodates a small forest owner structure with integration of the needs and expectations of local stakeholders. Regular systematic revision of the standard and criteria take place at national level, reflecting new developments in forest practices and values of society, and incorporating new research.

The Green Movement One has to conclude that green development in the wood sector is fast taking hold in the world including Asia. The problem in this highly complex subject is that there are opposing forces at work. Green materials are increasingly available to manufacturers, and shows such as Build Eco Xpo Singapore demonstrate the spread and extent of green development in Southeast Asia. Standards of all kind, both environmental and technical, are now part of life and that includes green standards.

In all ASEAN countries, there are green certified products appearing, mainly in response to demand from the markets of North America, Europe and Japan. In Indonesia, there are

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already companies that operate Chain of Custody (CoC) using certified material. But perhaps more importantly, Indonesia is the first country in Southeast Asia to sign, in May 2011, a timber trade deal with the European Union (EU) which, once full operational, should have a serious impact on the bottom line for illegal loggers.

This ‘Voluntary Partnership Agreement’ (VPA) will track and monitor forests products from forest to export — within Indonesia — to ensure they meet all the local laws and sustainability standards before shipment. It is hoped that this will give comfort to EU importers, and enable genuine legal operators in Indonesia to obtain export opportunities and even have an advantage. The EU is also currently negotiating similar agreements with Malaysia and Vietnam.

In Vietnam, there is rising interest in certified wood — especially important in a country largely dependent on wood imports and thought to be using significant volumes of wood from the region that may be unsustainable. In Singapore, there is already a huge ‘green’ movement created by the Singapore Green Building Council. In the market place, label fatigue and consumer confusion are increasing problems!

For wood, there is no level playing field when other materials are not required to provide the same environmental data.

Nobody is seriously asking for steel certification. Consumers, influenced by pressure groups, do not always appreciate the reality of sustainable wood production — or the consequences to forests of not using wood. As a result, a number of

Wood & Sustainability organisations are now working on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

Market Expectations & Requirements

ENQUIRY NO. 319

The wood industry needs to deliver fully its green and responsible message, including its low embodied energy and carbon storage benefits. So long as manufacturers in Southeast Asia wish to export products to the US, EU, Australia and perhaps later even China, the fact that new timber and wood product import regulations by governments are driving the green movement cannot be ignored.

One of the great challenges for Asian producers is to name the wood species, because government regulations will require exporters and importers to know what wood is being used and where it comes from.

There is a wide body of belief that illegal logging depresses markets for products that play by the rules. As such, the 2010 report by the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London is encouraging. Its report indicates that there has been a 22 percent decline in the global production of illegal timber since 2002.

The report detailed studies in Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Vietnam. Indonesia saw the greatest improvement with illegal harvesting falling by 75 percent. Malaysia showed the lowest level of production of the four countries, with timber identified as illegal at 14 - 25 percent. Vietnam was the only country where the level of illegal wood in trade has yet to decline. However, the private sector in Vietnam was noted as making efforts to respond to their American and European customers.

In conclusion it is quite clear that certification will increase globally and especially in Asia, with countries like China and even Myanmar moving towards certifying their national forests.

With two-thirds of the world’s certified supply under national schemes, the climate is set for more local considerations to be taken into account.

There is also no question that increasing market demand for certified, sustainable, wood products means that companies will want or need to get CoC certification. Certification can increase and secure market access, increase competitive advantage over uncertified companies, reduce business risk, and will assist in meeting the new EUTR. Certification can also be an investment into market share development. So long as these developments place timber and wood products in a more acceptable light for specifiers and consumers, the impact on Asian producers by environmentally concerned markets will be lessened. Perhaps then, the industry will have a stronger voice to demand a level playing field in FDM environment assessment and regulations.

ENQUIRY NO. 2601

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Angela Marie, Germany

Wood & Sustainability

Challenges To Forest Management In The Tropics

Tropical forests are important in sustaining biodiversity and the livelihoods of many, but the lack of long-term policy measures threaten the future of sustainable forest management. By Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, FIWSc.

T

he tropical forests of the world are important for many reasons, as it serves as a repository of biodiversity, providing habitats for more than 50 percent of the earth’s plant and animal species.

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It is also an important sink for carbon stores, providing many goods and ecosystem services, and is a critical contributor to the livelihoods of more than 1.5 billion people. Of these, 60 million people — mainly indigenous groups — are totally

Wood & Sustainability dependent on forests, while 350 million are highly dependent, and 1.2 billion are dependent on agro-forestry resources.

Yet the tropical forests are under increasing pressure. The most reliable statistical sources — the Global Forest Resources Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Report on the Status of Tropical Forest Management, and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) — all indicate that tropical forests are among the Earth’s most threatened ecosystems, with deforestation rates estimated at nearly 25,000 ha a day.

The sector has an image of lawlessness and is particularly threatened by human activities (eg: uncontrolled logging and collection of fuel wood, fires, conversion into agricultural land and depletion of ground water) and climate change. As a result, tropical forests are losing capacity to provide basic goods and services that are key to human livelihoods. The MEA gives a quite accurate indication of the pressures on the ‘terrestrial biomes’, including tropical and sub-tropical forests, resulting from soil and climatic conditions as well as human impacts.

Forest resource is a crucial socioeconomic sector in many parts of Asia, and its contribution to the economic prosperity of many Asian countries cannot be denied. Yet, it is in Asia that the forest resource is highly threatened, and its future sustainability is a concern of many. In this article, the challenges to forest management in the tropics will be discussed in light of some possible measures that could be taken to arrest this worrying trend.

Drivers Of Change

ENQUIRY NO. 320

A number of forces act on the forests individually and collectively. The trends related to these forces are not yet clearly understood. Analysis of tropical deforestation in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean has identified four proximate causes of deforestation, namely: (i) infrastructure development, (ii) agricultural expansion, (iii) wood extraction and (iv) other factors, including (a) pre-disposing environmental factors: (eg: land characteristics), (b) biological drivers (eg: fires, drought and pests) and (c) social drivers (eg: social disorder and economic shocks).

Five clusters of underlying driving forces that shape the proximate causes are: (i) demographic factors, (ii) economic factors, (iii) technological factors, (iv) policy and institutional factors, and (v) cultural factors.

Analysis has shown no universal causal link that can explain tropical deforestation. Rather, it is determined by combinations of proximate causes and driving forces that are specific to time and place.

In Asia, the conflicting demand for land, due to the rapidly expanding population, is perhaps the main reason for the change in the forest management. Even in countries with www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

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Miguel Vieira, California, US

Wood & Sustainability

Forest resource is a crucial socioeconomic sector in many parts of Asia, yet it is highly threatened.

a strong forest management record, such as Malaysia, the conflicting needs for forestland often supersedes the needs of the environment at large.

Among the leading countries in the SFM scheme is Malaysia, which now has at least 5.8 million ha under SFM.

International Policy On Forest Management

Among the important challenges to the implementation of SFM in the tropics are:

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(i) Continuous Pressure On Forest Resources The pressure is prompted mostly by increased demand for high-value timber and pulp and paper (mainly driven by emerging economies in China, Brazil, India, South Africa and South-East Asia), and for food, fibre and biofuels, driven by Armando Maynez

Recognising the need to address the proximate causes and underlying forces driving deforestation, the international community has engaged in numerous processes to advance the cause of sustainable forest management (SFM).

Currently, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) serves as the main inter-governmental platform to foster dialogue and forge a common understanding of SFM. Moreover, a holistic approach to SFM has been agreed upon.

It is generally recognised that forest management is at distinct stages of development in different countries around the world, and the tropics are no exception. Despite recurrent deficiencies, the ITTO noted significant progress towards SFM since the initial survey carried out in 1998.

Recent innovations in SFM and ecosystem approaches are resulting in forests being managed as part of the broader social-ecological systems in which they exist. Case studies from Central America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific provide a wealth of international examples of innovative practices.

Many countries have established, and are starting to implement, new forest policies that contain the basic elements of SFM. More forests have been given some security by commitment as Permanent Forest Estates (PFEs) for production or protection, and are being managed in a sustainable way.

Challenges To SFM

Tropical forests are among the Earth’s most threatened ecosystems.

Trees For The Future

Wood & Sustainability of the tropical forests, and apply these values adequately in land-use decision making that drives forest change, both within and outside the forest sector. It will be important to bring these values into markets, cross-sectoral decisions and macro-economic policy making processes.

More research will also be needed to support the current development of effective markets for the environmental services of forests, such as biodiversity, carbon sequestration and watershed protection.

Conclusions

The conflicting needs for forestland often supersedes the needs of the environment.

population increase in developing countries. In recent years, large tracts of forestland have also been converted for palm oil and rubber cultivation in many parts of Asia, driven primarily by the anticipated higher economic gains.

(ii) More Active Engagement With The Private Sector The private sector’s investment in the forest sector in developing countries is seven times greater than the combined total overseas development assistance (about US$1.5 billion) for the forest sector. This fact makes engaging the private sector essential for the promotion of socially and environmentally sustainable forest sector development.

In many Asian countries, private investments into forestry projects are negligible and government support is paramount to ensure the future sustainability of the forest. According to the International Furniture Research Group (IFRG), the lack of long-term policy measures is the main stumbling block that deters private sector participation in the forest sector in Asia. Take Malaysia for instance, with more than 5000 wood related private manufacturing enterprises in the country, almost all the wood resources are supplied by government related organisations.

Forestry is a long-term venture, and its sustainability is crucial for both socioeconomic and environmental development. In many parts of Asia, the population boom coupled with the lack of long-term policy measures appears to stifle sustainable forest management.

Despite the growing concern of the sustainable management of the forest resources in Asia, there is evidence to suggest that some nations, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia are taking lead to ensure that their forest resources are sustained for future generations. After all, the forest resources are an intricate element of planet earth’s ecosystem that ensures life is sustained in the future! FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2602

(iii) Research

ENQUIRY NO. 316

Since forests cover 30 to 40 percent of the earth’s land area and provide essential ecosystem services, continuous scientific investigation will be needed to better understand upstream/ downstream continuity among and between ecosystems.

Improved modelling, prediction and decision-making support and mastery of the economics of SFM are also important research topics.

A particular challenge will be to improve methodologies, for quantifying the economic value of the ecosystem services www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

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Wood & Sustainability

Managing For

Maximum Utilisation In order to be successful in an industry with margins as low as they are in forestry, companies have to make every action and decision count. Optimisation modelling allows planners to explore key business variables while maximising business value. By Doug Jones, VP of Forestry, Remsoft

A

variables are more stable, geographic distances less relevant and time horizons shorter.

In order to be successful in an industry with margins as low as they are in forestry, companies have to make every action and every decision count. Every process must be efficient, sustainable and perfected to eliminate waste.

In particular, the forestry value chain is an incredibly complex and demanding process. Forest companies are challenged to find a way to efficiently balance supply and demand with the need to limit overhead and expenses to maximise value and profits. The complexity in this area is far greater than what is typical in manufacturing or chemical production planning where Nick Saltmarsh, London, UK

s we all know, forestry is a tough industry, dealing with a mix of public and private lands, facing a heavy regulatory environment, established competition and the very low margins of a nearly pure commodity. Operating under these pressures for many decades has forced our sector to take a hard look at operational efficiency and risk management to assure survival.

Integrating Sales & Operational Planning Most supply chain solutions focus on a specific aspect of the supply chain rather than the entire value chain — in forestry, it tends to be production, delivery or sales. Yet, in a recent survey by industry organisation eyefortransport entitled ‘Global Chief Supply Chain Officer Strategy’, executives identified key challenges related to their supply chains, including understanding and forecasting demand variability, costcontainment, cost reduction, inventory management and optimisation.

The key here is that these challenges are tied to an ability to plan, understand and optimise across the supply chain.

Gains are only identified when the whole system is managed together.

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Wood & Sustainability to accommodate change.

The SOP process itself is frequently disconnected from the strategic business plan, which compounds plan misalignment and increases business risk.

These limitations cause significant challenges to executives and managers who are tasked with answering operational questions such as: • How do I optimise operations and drive down costs?

• How do I manage the supply chain and effectively utilise resources to minimise waste and maximise productivity?

• How do I explore new business opportunities and assess impacts of changes on the business?

• Can we sustainably meet demands and maximise our opportunities?

Planners with access to agile solutions to optimise the full SOP process have the potential to provide significant benefits to the enterprise.

Elements Of SOP There are three main elements that make SOP optimisation effective and successful: production, delivery and sales planning.

Each is closely connected to the others; in order to be successful, you not only need

to understand each of them, you need to make sure all are working in unison to the common goal of an optimised plan for your forest business.

Production Production planning refers to the complicated process of harvesting trees, processing into roundwood, biomass or other products and transporting these products to roadside areas in preparation for delivery to final or intermediate locations.

Consider just a few factors: ■ There can be many forest sources (ie: harvest units) to schedule and each has tremendous variability between species, product type and quality.

■ Trees within a harvest unit can be merchandised into different products and significant differences in price exist between high-value and lowvalue products.

■ Harvest unit availability can vary due to seasonal, environmental, road access or other factors, and harvest prescriptions can vary between units.

■ There may be many different production crews to schedule — and those crews often have different configurations, capacities and constraints. Furthermore,

David Wright

Integrated sales and operational planning (SOP), also referred as simply Operational Planning, is an extremely important process for forest companies that are involved in production forestry.

Efficient and intelligent execution of harvest and delivery plans ensure that owners optimise their long-term investments in growing trees. To meet this end, it is critical that SOP processes are integrated and aligned to ensure that enterprise value is maximised, by optimally scheduling the right product to the right destination at the right time.

Optimising this planning process provides significant benefits, including cost savings, higher revenues, improved business foresight and understanding, business nimbleness, risk management and competitive advantage.

Despite the importance of integrated SOP, this process is a challenge to many forestry companies. Planning and scheduling tend be completed in silos, which can often result in misaligned plans and missed opportunities.

The scheduling process is largely manual and time-consuming, resulting in plans that have a narrow scope, no consideration of the full range of decision options, not much insight into long-term operations, low agility, and the inability

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Wood & Sustainability productivity and costs between crews can vary between blocks.

■ Crews often run into both scheduled shutdowns (ie: maintenance, vacations) and unexpected shutdowns (ie: mechanical failure, accidents), and may have requirements to operate within specific regions for lifestyle and cost reasons.

Delivery

Sales Planning Sales planning refers to the activity of scheduling long and short-term sales of products to different end customers.

Again, the number of choices and constraints causing complexity in sales planning is significant: ■ Companies typically have a range of options for where they may ship (or sell) their fibre. Different destinations often have specific product requirements, delivery mixes and timing constraints — and the supply chain can include by-product flows between conversion facilities.

■ As in production and delivery planning, there are typically legal and regulatory constraints with respect to supply sources.

■ The possibility of variable pricing structures by product, within and between destinations, needs to be factored in to the plan — and of course, market opportunities are varying, given the regular changes to end-use demands. As such, there is a

need to manage destination inventories with respect to levels and conditions (ie: age, species mix).

Each of these planning tasks has their own unique challenges that are typically addressed independently. However, looking at these in silos instead of as part of a connected system presents the risk of serious misalignment between plans, resulting in a range of negative outcomes such as: ■ Higher than necessary transportation costs arising from ineffectively scheduling product delivery from distant locations, or from the transportation system being pushed beyond capacity and being unable to meet delivery plans.

■ High production costs and unsatisfied crews due to underutilisation, low productivity, unsuitable matching of systems to harvest units, or excessive movement.

■ Over production of products without a corresponding market, leaving the company with a large stockpile of unwanted forest products or products that must be sold at a loss.

■ Unhappy customers or cancelled contracts because the delivery schedule cannot be met.

Many of the problems resulting from moarplease, Rhode Island, US

Delivery planning refers to the process of transporting roundwood, biomass or other forest products to intermediate and final destinations.

Like production planning, there is a range of factors that complicate the process: ■ Most companies have multiple transportation options such as trucking, rail, or barge and may include tertiary delivery locations such as sort/holding yards. Each of these options has its own set of requirements, capacities and constraints.

■ There are variable distances and costs for different harvest units and destinations — and delivery costs and timing availability may vary depending upon seasonal or other environmental factors.

■ Legal, regulatory and contractual constraints (ie: laws guiding end-use

of products by land tenure, location.) drive delivery planning, limit options and increase costs. Companies must also consider what options are available to them to supplement the delivery of products from external sources.

Delivery costs and timing availability may vary depending upon seasonal or other environmental factors.

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Wood & Sustainability

optimised sop

Manual Processes Not The Answer Looking at the planning process as a whole, it is impossible to consider all of the issues, management options and constraints through a manual scheduling process. The potential choices or options can be in the millions. When layering in all the business constraints, it is challenging to come up with a plan — let alone a good one that will guide the future sustainability of your business and forest resources.

What many refer to as ‘spreadsheet wrangling’ can take you far, but there comes a time when the risk of missing an important opportunity calls for more than simply knee-jerk reacting to a change in circumstances. There are countless articles out there citing the danger of depending too heavily on spreadsheets for your analysis.

Additionally, given the tremendous variability within the SOP planning process, this must be an agile process allowing managers to quickly accommodate and assess plan changes on a regular basis. The business world changes, forest resources changes — there is no telling whether the variables you factored in today will be as important a year from now.

Advanced Analytics Technology Advanced analytics, which is the use of advanced techniques and mathematics to solve complex problems, enables modelling and optimisation across the entire value chain and full geographic footprint of a managed forest.

The key to success lies not so much in the mathematics of optimisation or the speed of computing, but in the scope of modelling which allows planners to deal with every type of problem that could arise — and still have a shot at making money. By taking account of all factors, including growth rates, distances to roads and mills, legal restrictions on access and remediation and of course commodity prices (current and future), foresters can tap into their expertise when deciding exactly where and when to deploy crews and equipment.

An SOP solution that includes advanced analytics allows planners to quickly generate solutions and schedules; react to changes in the business, in resources and overall conditions; and understand the full impact of the changes to support decisions that best benefit the business now and in the future.

Optimising the SOP value chain has the potential to drive significant value.

For this value to be realised, there are important criteria for an advanced analytics solution to successfully address this planning challenge: ■ The solution must be flexible enough to effectively represent the problem and generate reasonable and acceptable outcomes.

ENQUIRY NO. 318

poor SOP plans are a consequence of a supply and demand imbalance. Forest planners are burdened with managing all of the planning complexities and maintaining the value chain balance on an ongoing basis. This often leaves little time for planners to find increased value in the process through supply chain efficiencies — something that can truly lead to significant cost savings or increased revenues.

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Wood & Sustainability There is also the practice of fibre exchanges between mills to consider. Add to this the ecological and environmental considerations of when, where and how responsible harvesting can and should take place, and the company has a lot to think about — and not a lot of margin for error.

When you look at these decision variables — plus the costs and revenues associated with each — it becomes evident how the fibre allocation decision can quickly become a decision matrix, with minor missteps costing tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Improve Supply Chain, Improve Business Long gone are the days of simply cutting a tree and sending the log to the nearest mill. Today’s forestry companies have literally thousands of choices to make between the forest and finished product — and wrong decisions lead to millions of dollars in unnecessary costs and lower revenues.

Let’s consider an example of a large forest company looking to improve the profitability of its forestry operations. A major part of its supply chain operations are tied to how and when it decides to allocate logs to manufacturing facilities, what products it produces and what markets it sells them in.

The company’s forests supply a large number of mills and manufacturers—all having different processing options, speeds and efficiencies—with dozens of products ranging from saw logs for any number of different purposes (flooring, lumber), to wood chips for a variety of grades of pulp.

The finished products dictate how a tree is cut and where and how it is transported — and are themselves dependent on capacities and inventories, prices and market demand.

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Optimise Modelling To Maximise Value Given the importance of effective and efficient SOP planning in the forestry value chain, implementing an advanced analytics solution can help businesses drive significant value. Optimisation modelling allows planners to explore the key business variables — production, delivery and sales planning — and at the same time, ensuring that the business is maximising value from the customer to the source.

One of the common reasons for delaying the use of advanced analytics is that ‘the data is not perfect’ or that ‘we do not have historical data for the model’. With today’s analytics technology, these excuses are no longer valid. To get started on analysing and optimising your forestry business, you do not need access to rich data — just the data you currently have can be used to set your business on the road to optimisation, predictability and supply chain success. There is no reason to be frozen, waiting for big data or perfect data to magically appear.

The key to success lies in pulling all the component decisions together into a single model or a series of integrated models — a ‘golden thread’ — capable of sanity checking the experienced business judgment of people doing their best to bet on the future. Forestry modelling is neither a clean engineering problem with definitive right answers, nor is it a wild gamble.

In short, it is simple, but it is not easy — an integrated, optimised SOP can result in reduced operating costs, increased harvesting productivity, improved inventory levels, reduced or eliminated bottlenecks, less risk and more efficient and sustainable use of our natural resources. FDM Dave Young, Taranaki, New Zealand

■ SOP should be a regular and frequent process, meaning that the models must be integrated with regularly updated enterprise data for automatic processing.

■ Successful adoption of technology in this segment hinges on simplified and easy-to-use technologies that fit with the overall business processes.

■ It is critical that results driven through the use of advanced analytics are embraced and encouraged by management as a means to drive real value and predictability for the organization.

In order to improve its supply chain, this company decided to implement a high-level solution that would take into account all of these variables and guide it to make better decisions that could reduce costs and improve margins.

Instead of changing land, equipment or facility investments to affect the profitability, this company instead made some broad level supply chain management changes around what lumber was produced, when it was harvested and where it was sold.

By implementing the recommended changes arising from the analysis, the company saw an overall increase in net cash flow — as much as six to seven percent above its annual operating income.

ENQUIRY NO. 2603

Advertorial

HUMAN OR

MACHINE? SOHU.com report, 29 July, 2011: The president of Foxconn, Terry Gou, said

1. Machines have less error, much less than humans.

HUGE COSTS! Good news?

the company will import One Million

2. More efficient.

robots for their production line in three

3. Easy to control. In all directions.

MACHINERY CO., LTD in China has

years. Even though it costs a lot, the

Here is a woodworking example:

developed a new machine which can

company can get the money back in

A round wood, with diameter of

deal with this problem.

five years.

Foxconn is a big production plant

50-270mm, need to be cut into small slates. How will you deal with it?

in China that produces iPhones and has

Conventionally, use a band saw

1.2 million employees. Why did they

machine to cut it into small slats. How

still do this? Here are some reasons as

many cubic meters can it output in a

stated by SOHU:

day? Let us suppose 100 cubic meters of 270mm diameter round wood needs to be cut in a day.

With a traditional band saw

A company called RUIMA

Name of the machine: Round Log Multi-rip Saw Machine. It can cut round wood into pieces all at once with the same conditions as above.

Cutting 100 cubic meters of wood into slats in one day will need: 1. 4 sets of Round Log Multi-rip Saw Machine, 2. 8 New workers,

machine, two workers can cut 10 cubic

3. Small yard.

meters (I think they will be tired to

What’s more! It can cut with

death).

accurate sizes as required with all

Cutting 100 cubic meters of wood into slats in one day will need: 1. 10 sets of band saw machine,

knives concealed. No danger of getting hurt!

Are you the Foxconn of the

2. 20 skilled workers,

woodworking industry? If so, it is time

3. A large yard.

to change!

RUIMA MACHINERY CO.,LTD

Address: No. 1 Show Room, Lunjiao Woodworking Machinery City, Xibian, Guangzhu Road, Licun, Lunjiao, Shunde Dist.

Guangdong, China Tel: +86-186-5828-7911 Fax: +86-757-8034-5399 E-mail: arron@sd-ruima.com.cn

ENQUIRY NO. 321

Exhibition Review

IMM Cologne January 16 – 22, 2012 Cologne International Expocentre Cologne, Germany

I

MM Cologne and LivingInteriors were held at the Cologne International Expocentre, Germany, from January 1622, 2012. For seven days, 1,157 companies from 54 countries showcased interior design trends for the coming year. Including estimates for the last day of the show, the trade fairs attracted around 115,000 visitors, 14 percent more than the show in 2010.

Foreign visitors accounted for 42 percent for the total figure. There were far more buyers from Europe, especially from Russia and Italy, and there was a slight increase in the number of visitors from North America and Asia.

Nowadays, interior design is inextricably linked with textiles, wallpapers and carpets. As a result, furniture is very often selected together with decorative fabrics, wallpapers and flooring. At the fair, these worlds come together in an ideal fashion. With last year's pure textile show and the debut of LivingInteriors format, the trade show showcased integrated interior worlds consisting of furniture, bathrooms, floors, walls and lighting The major trend theme for the year 2012 is nature. Naturallooking and natural materials exude a sense of honesty and authenticity. Solid wood and veneer furniture is just as popular as parquet flooring. As for covering fabrics, real leather, lots of wool and wool felt are popular, the latter often knitted.

Another trend observed is that furniture is getting smaller.

A growing number of single people are living in smaller

66 FDM Asia  march 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

spaces and need petite and multifunctional furniture. As various areas of the home merge, furniture has to be light and flexible because it is used wherever it is needed at any given time. This not only includes smaller upholstered furniture, but small desks and bureaus as well, because the communication technology we use is getting smaller.

Wall units are becoming more compact and slender. The chunky television is being replaced by an elegant flatscreen model, and thanks to digitised information, contemporary customers no longer need so much storage space. LED lighting technology has arrived in the furniture and interior design sector where, besides providing energy-saving lighting, it is being used to create lots of colourful atmosphere as well.

In 2013, the international kitchen trade show LivingKitchen will be held in conjunction with imm cologne. The kitchen fair is an independent event held every two years. The exhibition will not only show kitchen furnishings and built-in appliances, but sinks, taps, sophisticated kitchen worktops and kitchen accessories, lighting and kitchen-related services as well.

The dual trade shows will take place from January 14 - 20, 2013. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2701

ENQUIRY NO. 313

Exhibition Preview

iFMAC March 11 – 14, 2012 Jakarta, Indonesia

i

FMAC, Indonesia’ furniture manufacturing components show, will be held for the first time at the Jakarta International Expo. The show is supported by the Indonesian Furniture Industry & Handicraft Association (ASMINDO) and will be held alongside International Furniture & Craft Fair Indonesia (IFFINA).

Approximately 70 exhibitors from around the world, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, Italy, Austria, Taiwan and China, are expected to attend the show. They will be showcasing advanced technologies and value products over 150 booths to help Indonesian furniture makers solve production problems and increase efficiency.

Joint promotional activities will be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia, ASMINDO, Indonesian Sawmill and Wood Working Association, Lunjia Woodworking Machinery, Indonesian Rattan Furniture & Craft Association, and Indonesian Wood Panel Association.

The world furniture market is estimated to be worth about US$350 billion in 2009. Economists predict that the world economy will achieve a solid 4.2 percent growth into 2011 and global demand for furniture is expected to accelerate.

New markets such as the Middle East, China, and Europe are

68 FDM Asia MARCH 2012 | www.fdmasia.com

emerging with great potential. Therefore, furniture manufacturers need to prepare themselves and secure efficient production lines in order to grasp these opportunities.

The Indonesian furniture manufacturing industry relies heavily on labour. However, with growing labour costs, the industry has to replace labour with machines to reduce costs and raise production efficiency. Moreover, increasing environmental concerns and eco-consciousness means that in order to remain competitive in the international market, aging machines need to be retired and replaced with more environmental-friendly and energy-efficient ones.

The show aims to address these issues by offering solutions through the display of advanced machines, tools and components. The event is organised through a partnership between Kaigo and Wakeni, exhibition organisers based in Taipei and Jakarta respectively. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2702

Exhibition Preview April 20 – 24, 2012 Rimini, Italy

Technodomus T

echnodomus 2012, the third edition of the International Expo of Wood Technology for the Construction and Furniture Industries, will be held at Rimini Fiera from April 20-24, 2012.

In the 2010 edition of the show, 300 exhibitors showcased their products over a total exhibition space of 42,000 sq m. A total number of 30,865 visitors attended the event, of which 9,550 are from 91 different countries overseas.

A new image for the event made its debut in June 2011 in Germany. Designed with the theme of Woodwide Technology, the visual concept features a suggestive image of wood shavings that stand out on a metallic background to communicate the combination of technology and creativity necessary to produce high quality machining and finishing of materials with great production and application potential.

In order to promote the show, the organisers went on a road show in 2011, reaching destinations such as Paris, Dubai, Moscow, Hannover and Shanghai. The fair aims to grab the attention of international visitors through the participation of major companies in Europe and its strategic timing after the Milan Furniture Exhibition.

The woodworking and furniture manufacturing industries in China have seen tremendous growth, with companies now reaching a workforce of 15,000. One of the main objectives of the show is to increase the participation of qualified Chinese buyers.

The exhibition will span over a total of six halls dedicated to primary and secondary wood machining industries. One will be reserved for finishing, while another will be used for a new section catered to the demands of the construction market. The entire Hall C3 will be reserved for Technoframe, which will feature technologies for aluminium and PVC window frames. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 2703 www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  march 2012

69

Calendar of Events March 6-10: MIFF 2012 Putra World Trade Centre & Matrade Exhibition & Convention Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +603 9282 2888 Fax: +603 9286 1551 Email: info@miff.com.my Website: www.miff.com.my

7-11: EFE 2012 Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +606 952 4545 Fax: +606 951 3112 Email: info@efe.net.my Website: www.efe.net.my

12-15: WMF 2012 China International Exhibition Center Beijing, China Tel: +852 2516 3382/3348 Fax: +852 2516 5024 Email: publicity@adsale.com.hk Website: www.woodworkfair.com

Singapore Expo Singapore Tel: +65 6569 6988 Fax: +65 6569 9939 Email: enquiry@iffs.com.sg Website: www.iffs.com.sg

Jakarta International Expo Jakarta, Indonesia Tel: +886 2 2595 4212 Fax: +886 2 2595 5726 Email: event@kaigo.com.tw Website: ifmac.kaigo.com.tw

Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center Dubai Tel: +9714 2829 299 Fax: +9714 2828 767

14-18: TIFF 2012

Website: www.dubaiwoodshow.com

Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre Bangkok, Thailand Tel: +66 0 2507 8363/61/64 Fax: +66 0 2547 4281/4266 Email: tiff@depthai.go.th Website: www.thailandfurniturefair.com

20-24: Technodomus 2012 Rimini Expo Center Rimini, Italy Tel: +39 0541/744 759 Fax: +39 0541/744 751

GD Modern International Exhibition Centre (GDE) Dongguan, China Tel: +852 2516 3348 Fax: +852 2516 5024 Email: publicity@adsale.com.hk Website: www.3fifm.com/IFM12

Email: a.piccinini@riminifiera.it Website: en.technodomus.it

26-28: Bangladesh Furniture & Interior Décor Ruposhi Bangla Hotel Dhaka, Bangladesh Tel: +88 20 9893773/2949

18-21: CIFF 2012 11-14 IFMAC

3-5: Dubaiwood

Email: info@dubaiwoodshow.com

16-20: IFM 2012 9-12: IFFS 2012

April

China Import & Export Fair Complex Guangzhou, China Tel: +020 8912 8062 Fax: +020 8912 8298-103 Email: ginaho@fairwindow.com.cn Website: www.ciff-gz.com

Fax: +88 02 9891253 Email: info@windmillbd.com Website: www.bfidexpo.com

May 8-12: Xylexpo 2012 Milan Fairgrounds

11-14: IFFINA 2012 Jakarta International Expo Jakarta, Indonesia Tel: +62 21 3926867 ext 117/118 Fax: +62 21 3926092 Email: info@iffina-indonesia.com Website: www.iffina-indonesia.com

27-29: Domotex Asia/China Floor

Milan, Italy

Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China Tel: +86 21 61956088 Fax: +86 21 61956099 Email: dacf@vnuexhibitions.com.cn Website: www.domotexasiachinafloor.com

Tel: +39 02 8921 0200

27-30: Interzum Guangzhou To be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of Events, send details of event (name, date, venue, organiser contact) to: The Editor FDM Asia Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road EPL Building #02-05 Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Email: fdmasia@epl.com.sg

Pazhou Complex Guangzhou, China Tel: +86 20 8755 2468-12 Fax: +86 20 8755 2970 Email: k.lee@koelnmesse.cn Website: www.interzum-guangzhou.com

Fax: +39 02 8259 009 Email: info@xylexpo.com Website: www.xylexpo.com/eng

9: Global Softwood Log & Lumber Conference Hyatt Regency Hotel Vancouver, Canada Tel: +1 604 801 5996 Fax: +1 604 801 5997 Email: infor@woodmarkets.com Website: www.woodmarkets.com

Kindly indicate the events you are interested in and fax the sheet/s along with your details in the Product Enquiry Page to (65) 6379 2806 or enquire online at www.fdmasia.com

*All details subject to change without notice. Please check with organisers for updates.

Product highlights Datacolor: Handheld Spectrophotometer

Homag eSolution: CAD/CAM Software

The 45G’s unique light source provides a full spectrum of visible light simultaneously firing all 27 white and coloured LEDs onto a patented reflective surface that ensure consistent, stable circumferential illumination.

Since the light from all of the LEDs is mixed together in a simultaneous pulse, there is no ‘shadowing’ effect on textured surfaces that could degrade inter-instrument agreement.

The tool captures the effect of colour, texture and gloss on overall appearance.

The 45/0 optical geometry is suited to comparing surfaces that differ in texture or finish. Numeric colour differences from 45/0 measurement offer the best correlation with visual evaluation.

This is useful in a variety of applications such as paint and coatings, shiny surfaces and others.

The software offers efficient methods for free designing in 3D. With the included 5-axis technology, even complicated components can be produced.

Separate parts can be assembled on the screen like they were finished at the final assembly, and all these are presented in 3D. Designers can concentrate on components and forms, then add mouldings, materials and supplier parts later. The software will generate drawings of components and cuts with dimensions, part lists and CNC programmes.

Through 3D simulation of move paths of the milling cutter and the 5-axis unit, operators can check and indentify potential collision or obstructions visually.

ENQUIRY NO. P281

ENQUIRY NO. P283

Holzma: Panel Saw

Rockler: Shelf Component

The improved 2 series panel saw sports a new design, more optional extras and a higher speed. The integrated feedstacking table with automatic panel labelling system is a time-saving solution with minimal space requirements.

The I-Semble Slip-on Shelf Brackets enable the construction of custom shelving units and other furniture using basic tools. The brackets, made of durable ABS plastic, slide over standard 1x10 inches lumber of other pre-fabricated shelving material to create the vertical sides of a shelving unit.

Each bracket also features a lip that functions as shelf support.

They are pre-drilled for attachment to the frame as well as the vertical and horizontal attachment of each shelf.

The mounting screws provide support for shelving spans of up to 36 inches using standard 0.75 inch material.

The HPP250 features a 75 mm saw blade projection and a Bargstedt TLF 210 horizontal storage system. The automated saw-storage combination can handle 30 randomly stacked panels ensuring organisation, transparency and smooth production. It saves time and provides flexibility in cutting.

ENQUIRY NO. P282

ENQUIRY NO. P284

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA march 2012

71

Advertising Index

Enquiry No Advertisers / Agency Page No

333 American Hardwood Export Council OBC

331 American Lumber Co

29

330

Baillie Lumber Co

35

199

BINO (SH) MACHINERY CO LTD

17

313

Dalian Northern International Exhibition Co Ltd

67

310

DunHua Yalian Machine Co Ltd

33

332

French Timber

7

317

Fulpow Industrial Corp

72

335 Homag Asia Pte Ltd

9

336 IMA AG Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

47

264 Internet Wood Glue Co Ltd

5

318

Jeffer Machinery Co Ltd

63

328

Koelnmesse Pte Ltd (FurniPro Asia 2012) IFC

337

Lignar Engineering Pte Ltd

49

329

Northwest Hardwoods Inc

15

334

Shanghai Rocky Adhesives Co Ltd

25

261

Siempelkamp Maschinen - und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co KG 3

316

Taihao Woodworking Machinery Co Ltd

59

321

Taihao Woodworking Machinery Co Ltd

65

298

Thermwood India

21

319

Tong Fong Cutters Co Ltd

55

320 Wen Chih Machinery Industrial Co Ltd

57

Legend:

Advertisers with e-Brochures

This quick reference guide is provided as an additional service.

The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or ommission.

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ENQUIRY NO. 317

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Korea Young-Seoh Chinn Tel: 822-481 3411/3 Fax: 822-481 3414

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