PW&SS July 2011:Layout 1 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

LIGNA REVIEW
Innovative cleaning system from Teknek
MICROSCOPIC dust particles
trapped beneath film can have a
serious impact on furniture production:
it is generally accepted
that the film “magnifies” particles
trapped beneath it by a factor
of ten, enabling particles too
small to be seen by the naked
eye to ruin the look of a finished
product.
And at a time when modern finishes,
such as high gloss films, are
becoming increasingly popular in
the production of doors, kitchens
and other furniture, it is good to
know that a Scottish company,
Teknek, has developed a solution
which has met with success
around the world, reducing waste
in workshops and factories.
PW&SS took the opportunity to
visit the Teknek stand at Ligna to
learn more.
Traditionally in the furniture industry,
brush or vacuum methods
have been used to remove debris
from a workpiece before film is applied.
Renfrewshire-based Teknek
can supplement these methods of
cleaning with a contact cleaning
system which uses an elastomer
roller, believed to be unique,
which can remove particles as
small as one micron from the surface
of the substrate on which the
foil or laminate is to be applied.
For a sense of scale, one micron
is one thousandth of a millimetre:
impossible for humans to see
without magnification.
Once removed, the debris is
then transferred to a special reverse-wound
sheeted adhesive
roll for permanent disposal.
Although the roller makes direct
contact with the surface of
the material, Teknek assures customers
that there is no risk of damage
to the material being cleaned.
The technology was initially developed
for use in the electronics
industry, for processes including
the manufacture of printed circuit
boards and flat screen TVs, fields
in which contamination must
be minimised as far as humanly
possible.
This has now been adapted for
use in the furniture industry: in
one case, PW&SS was told, a customer
was able to increase his
yield from 37% to 90%, although
this is an extreme example. Teknek
systems can be used in conjunction
with membrane pressing,
PUR and laminating processes.
The Teknek range is available in
a range of formats: web, sheet and
manual; and in a wide range of
sizes.
Having previously exhibited at
W10, Teknek’s team was delighted
with the response the product received
from a world-wide audience
at Ligna. When PW&SS visited
the stand on the third day of the
five-day exhibition, a sale had already
been completed off the
stand and particular interest was
reported from Australia, New
Zealand, Colombia and, particularly,
Turkey. Teknek exports 98%
of its product, with offices in
Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
Korea and the USA as well as in
Scotland.
The contact cleaning system
can work with a wide variety of
sheeted materials, including glass,
film, panels, laminates and graphics,
as well as reel to reel materials
such as labels and foil.
Used in conjunction with methods
such as brush and vacuum
methods, a Teknek system can reduce
waste for the manufacturer
by offering additional, more intensive
surface preparation.
Teknek Europe
Tel 0141 568 8100
Email teknek@teknek.com
www.teknek.com
Leadermac at Ligna
Left to right, Michael Chang, managing director of Leadermac Machinery Co
Ltd; Graham Bell, Health & Safety Manager, Ramsey Timber Group; Michael
Ramsey, managing director, Ramsey Timber Group; Dale Daglan, shift manager,
Ramsey Timber Group; Kevin Wright, managing director, Leadermac
UK Ltd; and Lawrence Marklew, project manager, Ramsey Timber Group.
LEADERMAC UK Ltd has been
working closely with the Ramsey
Timber Group and is due to
deliver to the company a sixth
Leadermac machine.
The teams recently met up at
Ligna, Hannover.
Ramsey Timber Group is a company
with an excellent reputation
who started in 1890 building canal
boats and barges in Bradford. 121
years later, Ramsey Timber Group
is a dynamic and innovative manufacturer
and a major supplier of
timber components to the UK
bedding and furniture industry,
annually sourcing over 30,000 m 3
of quality softwoods.
Operating across three sites,
Ramsey Timber Group has currently
running in its hi tech plant
three Leadermac machines.
Leadermac first installed in 2002
a five-head Compact machine and
a six-head Compact machine. In
2008 Leadermac supplied a
Thundermac 120 m/min machine
and in 2010 Leadermac supplied
Ramsey Timber Group with two
new 6 head Compact machines.
The Thundermac which was delivered
in 2008 was the first of this
model in the UK and was installed
as part of what is believed to be the
UK’s first high speed and stacking
system, operating at feed speeds of
120 linear metres/min producing
60,000 m of components per day.
The new machine, due to be
delivered in July, is a Leadermac
Speedmac 6 head high speed fully
jointed machine.
Leadermac UK Ltd
Tel 01942 859933
Email info@leadermac.uk.com
www.leadermac.uk.com
Page 34 Panel, Wood & Solid Surface June/July 2011