PW&SS July 2011:Layout 1 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

NEWS
Five Vollmer machines
THOMSON Sawmills Ltd, a forward-thinking
manufacturer of
fencing and landscaping/architectural
timbers, has replaced
the subcontract reconditioning
of its bandsaw blades and circular
saw blades with five machines
supplied by Vollmer UK.
In 2010 Thomson Sawmills
commenced a project to review its
blade reconditioning requirements.
“The blades struggle to cut
straight at high speeds if they are
allowed to run blunt. We change
our blades before they reach this
stage and as a result we get
through around 75 large bandsaw
blades a week, and up to 45 circular
saw blades,” explains company
director and sawmill manager,
Jamie Thomson.
“Previously we used two subcontractors
to turn these around,
but we were becoming increasingly
concerned about deteriorating
service and quality, as well as
lack of process control.”
The machines in the company’s
automated saw mill were supplied
in 2005 by a German specialist
company in timber processing
machinery, and it was in discussions
last year about the blade situation
that Thomson Sawmills was
referred to Vollmer.
Sited in a separate facility just
metres from the automated
sawmill, the company’s blade reconditioning
facility is now home
to five new Vollmer machines. Installed
in October 2010, the machines
are overseen by an
experienced saw ‘doctor’, who was
purposely employed by Thomson
Sawmills at the same time.
The new Vollmer machines are
arranged in cellular format. After
leaving a checking station, where
each bandsaw blade is assessed
for defects such as broken teeth,
bends and timber residue, the first
job is to re-tension the blade using
a Vollmer RC 100 benching centre
for fully automatic dressing, a
process that encompasses measuring,
levelling, tensioning and
straightening in a single set-up.
From here, blades progress to
the Vollmer CA 210 automatic profile
grinding machine, where each
tooth receives a reground top and
face to carefully determined parameters
in terms of size and angle.
After approximately 20 regrinds
tooth size diminishes to a point
where re-tipping is necessary. Here,
the innovative Vollmer GPA 200, a
newly developed machine based
on a plasma welding technique, is
deployed to deposit new stellite
material on the tip of each tooth.
After re-tipping, bandsaw
blades require profile grinding on
the Vollmer CA 210, but they also
require the attention of the fourth
Vollmer machine in the reconditioning
shop at Thomson
Sawmills, the Vollmer CAF 100 side
grinding machine. Here, the sides
of each tooth can be ground to
the required radial and tangential
angles at a rate of up to 16 teeth
per minute.
The final machine in the line-up
is the Vollmer CHC eco, a sharpening
machine with atuomatic bevel
grinding control for face and top
machining of carbide-tipped circular
saw blades with different diameters
and tooth geometries.
“With the installation of these
Vollmer machines we have
demonstrated that the processing
of saw blades has a direct impact
on the efficiency of the sawing
process and hence on sawmill success,”
concludes Mr Thomson.
“We’ve had no reliability problems
with any of the Vollmer machines
and we anticipate rapid payback
on our investment.”
Vollmer UK Ltd
Tel 0115 949 1040
Email
admin-uk@vollmer-group.com
www.vollmer-group.com
Panel, Wood & Solid Surface June/July 2011 Page 5