August/September 2011 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

PANEL, WOOD 

& Solid Surface 

Issue No. 39/40 August/September 2011 

The countdown to W12 begins here! 

See pages 3, 14 & 15 

Also inside this month: All the latest News; 

Furniture Fittings & Components; Panels & Panel Processing

NEWS 

W12 in exhibitions premier league 

A GLANCE at the already busy floor plan for W12 shows that the exhibition 

is in the very top flight of events focused on UK manufacturing. 

The widely acclaimed success of the joinery and furniture 

manufacturer’s exhibition in October 2010 is the reward for doubled 

visitor marketing. 

With further development and funding already in place for the 2012 

show, expectations from suppliers to the furniture and joinery manufacturing 

industries run higher than for many years. This has expressed itself 

in early re-booking for W12 (7-10 October 2012 at the NEC). Many experienced 

exhibitors assert that the ability to do business face to face at a genuinely 

national industry gathering becomes even more compelling when 

trading conditions are tough. Astute buyers seek out value rather than 

‘cheap’ — and are certainly looking for ways to diversify their own product 

range. A day at an exhibition is often viewed as free business consultancy. 

A year to go to the show sees very little space available in the main 

halls. Exhibition director, John Smith-Bodden, says: “A handful of spaces 

remain in halls 7 and 8 and we are delighted by the firm re-booking of the 

market leaders from W10. This is a market which appreciates the confidence 

and conviction of suppliers keen to demonstrate the latest products 

to the UK market. W12 is a simple and attractive proposition. It is 

well understood by the visitor base to be the gathering point for their UK 

industry — buyer active in the market will be at W12, investing to reduce 

production costs and expand capability.” 

Meanwhile the expansion of the exhibition is taking place in hall 6. Especially 

exciting is the launch of the Working with Design concept (see 

separate article in this issue) which is bringing major suppliers of materials 

and components into the halls. This is great news for visiting manufacturers, 

who get an even better return from their day at W12. 

As the 12 month run in to this major manufacturing even begins, the 

visitor awareness campaign kicks off. The show is delivering a high profile 

in both manufacturing and design led media areas, from now right up 

to the opening of W12. “By mid 2012 every serious buyer in the market 

will have W12 in their diary,” says John. 

Responding to visitor demand, W12 is now two co-located shows. 

Working with Wood exhibits the full range of woodworking technology 

whilst Working with Design shows manufacturers ways to increase their 

margins by using designed materials. 

W12 Exhibition ● Tel 01629 530998 

Email sales@w12exhibition.com ● www.w12exhibition.com 

Panel, Wood & Solid 

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Panel, Wood & Solid Surface August/September 2011 Page 3

NEWS 

Benton ready for market upturn 

BENTON Furniture Ltd of Highbridge, 

Somerset, makers of exclusive 

bespoke interior 

furniture, is expanding its sales 

network to meet the signs of 

steadily growing market demands. 

The company has built 

an enviable reputation in the 

design, manufacture and installation 

of furniture in domestic 

and commercial markets, since 

being established in 1986. It is 

well placed to do this today, 

having recently upgraded its 

computer design software, 

manufacturing systems and 

timber processing methods in 

close working partnership with 

Weinig. 

Benton’s modern machinery includes: 

an Opticut S 50 CNC 

Weinig optimising and defecting 

cross cut saw with label printer; a 

CNC router and spindle moulder; 

and a Weinig Quattromat planer/ 

moulder. 

Manufacturing bespoke products 

is very time consuming and 

expensive, where hundreds of different 

parts must be pre-cut and 

then further processed. This particularly 

applies to kitchen and furniture 

manufacturers. It represents 

a major logistic problem for these 

manufacturers to avoid losing 

track of cross-cut pieces — sometimes 

hardly distinguished in size 

by eye alone. Some manufacturers 

often have to work strictly on an 

order-by-order basis, but this 

means that a large quantity of 

wood is lost in the form of unusable 

residual pieces. Hardwood 

waste is particularly costly. 

Benton’s software allows users 

to simply take product data from 

customers’ specific programs and 

to change existing order lists into 

complete cutting lists, at the press 

of a button. In order to optimise 

the timber yield, parts from different 

orders can be combined together 

into a single cutting list, 

minimising waste and maximising 

yield. 

The software allows labels to be 

printed on a barcode with useful 

information on the cut piece, eg 

length, next process, job number, 

customer name or any other significant 

information in up to 14 

different fields, for the part to be 

easily and quickly recognised at 

assembly, to create the end 

product. 

The S 50 Weinig saw optimises 

and can also be used for defecting. 

The benefits the saw provides are 

substantial. Says Steve Benton, 

Product and Development Manager, 

“It is key to the whole production 

process, and is highly 

productive, simple and safe to operate. 

It replaces up to three manually 

operated cross-cut saws, and 

gives much greater flexibility and 

accuracy with perfectly square 

cuts. It is ideal for a small company 

like ours.” 

Benton’s received considerable 

software help from Daniel Dew of 

Millvision (based in the USA) and 

Adam Bumpsteed, UK Pattern Systems 

engineer (who linked the 

two software systems together). 

They provide the systems back-up 

service, direct, when required. 

In essence, the timber to be 

crosscut, from 10 mm up to 300 x 

1,000 mm solid stave, is placed on 

the S 50 in feed table and is 

marked for defects; then the useable 

timber is measured auto - 

matically by the saw and 

cross-referenced to the cutting list 

(linked from the main office pc). As 

the sections are cut, a label for the 

part is printed at the out feed 

printer, and the cut part is removed 

from the cutting list. 

Benton’s directors examine the quality of timber from the optimising 

and defecting cross cut saw. 

Said Richard, sales director, 

“With the elimination of the need 

for a tape measure, cutting list 

plans, plus the ease of repeatability, 

scalability, recognition of parts 

for assembly, client data and production 

schedule and with accuracy 

guaranteed, final assembly is 

faster and free from delays. 

“I must also add that the system 

works extremely well and reliably, 

with dependable prompt service 

attention from Weinig on their 

machines.” 

Today, Benton’s is in a good position 

to take full advantage of opportunities 

in retail and partner 

retail outlets, particularly where 

design and high quality bespoke 

furniture is concerned. 

Michael Weinig (UK) Ltd 

Tel 01235 557600 

Email sales-uk@weinig.com 

www.weinig.co.uk 

Steve Benton (left) in discussion with Paul Heffernan, Weinig’s 

local representative, at the saw control. 

An attractive storage solution for a recess in a bedroom. 

Page 4 Panel, Wood & Solid Surface August/September 2011

NEWS 

American Softwoods 

AMERICAN Softwoods, the promotional 

partnership of three 

major US softwood trade associations, 

the Southern Forest 

Products Association (SFPA), the 

Softwood Export Council (SEC) 

and APA — the Engineered 

Wood Association, has been relaunched 

in the UK under the directorship 

of Charles Trevor. 

The timber marketing communications 

and management specialist 

and former managing 

director of wood for good intends 

to bring a new focus to the promotional 

campaign, which has been 

active in the UK for many years. 

He said, “American softwoods 

have been exported for almost 

200 years, and it is our role to 

make sure the industry is fully 

aware of the advantages, oportunities 

and benefits of species such 

as Southern Yellow Pine, Douglas 

fir and hemlock in a wide range of 

applications, both commercial 

and domestic. We aim to encourage 

the use of American softwoods 

for both internal and 

external projects and to work with 

the timber industry, providing 

technical information and assistance 

to develop the market for 

these under-used species. American 

producers are keen to do business 

in the UK and are able to 

supply high class, well graded material 

suitable for many different 

end uses.” 

New information and technical 

guidance has been produced in 

the form of three new brochures 

focusing on the environmental 

credentials of Southern Yellow 

Pine, Profiles, and Decks, which 

will be available shortly in PDF format 

on the American Softwoods 

website. 

American Softwoods was one 

of the first organisations to confirm 

its support for Timber Expo in 

Coventry in September, and is 

working with the Timber Decking 

and Cladding Association to develop 

three seminars for the timber 

industry, the first taking place 

during Timber Expo, the second in 

London on October 5th and the 

third in Leeds on October 12th. A 

series of advertisements has also 

been created, focusing on low carbon, 

low impact and naturally renewable 

key messages, and a new 

web site is also in development, 

and, at time of writing, is expected 

to be ready to launch this summer. 

Mr Trevor continued, “Because 

of its sustainability, durability and 

beauty, interest in and demand for 

timber is increasing. So much so 

that, in Europe, some grades are in 

short supply. American softwoods 

are not only hugely popular but 

readily available and sustainably 

produced. American softwoods 

have been something of a wellkept 

secret of late and we are keen 

to bring their benefits and beauty 

to a wider audience.” 

American Softwoods 

Tel 020 8444 0885 

Email 

info@americansoftwoods.com 

www.americansoftwoods.com 


NEWS 

Rialto Joinery start up with Joinerysoft 

DAVID Carey, owner of Rialto 

Joinery, based in Witney, Oxfordshire, 

has been involved in 

joinery since leaving school. 

Having served an apprenticeship 

with a local joinery firm, he 

then stayed with the company 20 

years before starting up his own 

company, part time, in 2004. 

Buying in his joinery initially 

while building up the business, 

David put together a business 

plan to invest in machinery and 

software. He says, “Purchasing 

software was always part of my 

start up investment plan because I 

knew that I needed help managing 

the paperwork associated with 

running my own business. 

“Joinerysoft was the obvious 

choice for me, because I have 

been on the receiving end of their 

professional quotations when 

buying in joinery for customers.” 

Just two years after launching 

full time into the business, David 

now has seven joiners working for 

him, with two staff in the office 

and four installers on site. David 

now manufactures a broad range 

of joinery items in house to individual 

customer specification, and 

relies upon Joinerysoft’s Joinery 

Management Software to provide 

the support he needs to manage 

all his paperwork from professional 

quotations to invoices. 

David hadn’t experience of joinery 

software before he started his 

own business: in fact, he wasn’t familiar 

with computers at all, but one 

thing he did know was that he hated 

paperwork. Never having seen JMS 

in action, David had a demonstration 

before purchasing, which reassured 

him that it could do 

everything he wanted. In fact, it 

could do more than he thought possible. 

He says, “I bought JMS straight 

away because I could see it would 

save me time and money. Paying in 

installments helped with cash flow, 

particularly during start up.” 

Concerned that he would find 

JMS difficult to use, David was 

pleasantly surprised to find that 

the software was easy to use: 

borne out by the fact that in the 

past two years he has hardly rung 

for support at all! “Having a joiner 

provide the training on Joinerysoft 

was good because he could see 

things from my side of the fence 

and explain everything in joinery 

terminology,” says David. 

Previously when quoting, David 

would calculate the cutting list in 

order to obtain accurate material 

lists for pricing. This was time consuming 

and prone to errors. Now 

he only enters information once at 

the design stage, and accurate 

pricing is automatic, as well as providing 

drawings on quotes, order 

confirmation, cutting lists, delivery 

notes and invoicing. Changes can 

be made simply be recalling the 

job with point and click technology 

allowing you to drill down to a 

specific item or change a profile 

with a click of the mouse button. 

The design element of JMS has 

proved essential for one of David’s 

top end clients: architects based in 

London. Quoting for a heritage 

job, they had to design and provide 

missing windows for a renovation. 

Using JMS, David was able 

to design and price the windows 

from historical photographs of the 

house. The architects were then 

able to enlarge the drawings on 

the JMS quotation to full size and 

paste them into the window 

openings on the house for the 

heritage team to approve. 

JMS has also received a full vote 

of approval from David’s wife, 

Carla, who works in the office. 

Prior to purchasing the software 

David would hand write all quotations 

for Carla to type up and send. 

A time consuming process including 

a longwinded description to 

clarify what the customer was getting. 

JMS accurate pricing and automatic 

quotations not only 

include true scale diagrams but 

also detail fittings, glass and materials 

used, removing confusion 

and reducing disputes later. Not 

only can David print the quotes 

himself, as soon as the order is 

confirmed, he can also print off 

detailed diagrams and specifications 

for the workshop so work 

can start without delay, and without 

duplication of input. 

The joiners in the workshop 

enjoy the level of detail they receive 

from the JMS drawings, specifying 

sizing, materials, fittings, 

moulds, glazing and finish. With 

customisable reports, the joiners 

can choose how much detail they 

receive. “Clearer communication 

has speeded up the workshop 

with fewer queries and less checking 

of details required,” he says. 

With all jobs designed and managed 

through JMS now, David has 

his paperwork so streamlined that 

he is able to spend just two hours 

early each morning in the office 

and spend the rest of the time in 

the workshop and continue to 

make joinery. Despite not having 

used computers extensively before 

purchasing JMS, David is now utilising 

the email feature within JMS 

and even emailing quotes directly 

from his computer. Customers 

hounding him for late quotes are a 

thing of the past! 

David is confident that JMS 

saves him time. Quoting for an 

£84,000 job recently took him just 

one day, compared to the week it 

would have taken previously. Having 

confidence that each job is 

priced accurately means that 

David is not only in control of his 

costs but can also ensure that 

profit margins are maintained. 

He confirms, “Pricing large jobs is 

easy with JMS, all drawings are consistent 

and I know that pricing is accurate 

because all the correct 

materials have been accounted for. 

There is less potential for error now.” 

He concludes, “The best thing 

about JMS for me is the time I save 

by only inputting information 

once. I can provide a consistently 

professional and timely response 

to customers without all the hassle 

associated with paperwork.” 

Rialto Joinery 

Tel: 01993 770772 

Email: 

rialtojoinery@googlemail.com 

Joinerysoft Ltd 

Tel 01608 643302 

Email 

enquiries@joinerysoft.com 

www.joinerysoft.com 


NEWS 

New management 

for Weinig Concept 

ON July 1st, 2011, Dr-Ing Otto Leible took office as General Manager of Weinig Concept GmbH 

& Co KG. He is the successor to Uwe Motzkau, who left the company on April 30th, 2011. 

The 52 year old, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering, is very experienced in the 

project business of the woodworking industry. From 1992-2003 he worked in several leading 

positions for sawmill technology manufacturer, Linck, in Germany and France. 

From 2003, Dr Leible was the general manager of Springer France SAS in Obernai (France). 

“We are convinced that we have found with Dr Leible a very qualified general manager 

and personality with a lot of experience in engineering projects in the woodworking industry, 

which enables him to lead our Concept Engineering Company,” says CEO Wolfgang Pöschl. 

The engineering company within the Weinig Group specialises in realising projects from 

the first idea and the planning to help with the financing, setting up of the turnkey plant and 

finishing with professional commissioning and training. 

Michael Weinig (UK) Ltd ● Tel 01235 557600 

Michael Weinig AG 

Tel 0049 (0) 93 41 86-0 ● Email info@weinig.com ● www.weinig.com 

Weinig site honoured as World Heritage site 

100 years after the foundation 

stone was laid, the Fagus plant still 

seems modern. And successful, 

high-precision products are still 

designed and made there. Undoubtedly 

an acknowledgement 

of this epochal building, which 

was declared a listed building in 

1946 and now is a World Heritage 

Site. 


Tel 01235 557600 

Michael Weinig AG 

Tel 0049 (0) 93 41 86-0 

Email info@weinig.com 

www.weinig.com 

THE OFFICES at the Fagus plant 

in Alfeld, Lower Saxony, normally 

see large orders 

processed for solid wood processing 

companies around the 

world. The production site is 

known to insiders as a high-tech 

centre for top-quality finger 

jointing systems from Weinig 

GreconLine, industrial instrumentation 

and fire protection 

installations from the reputed 

Grecon brand as well as Fagus 

shoe last production. 

However, enthusiasts of architecture 

associate more with this 

striking building. Built in 1911, the 

factory is an important piece of architectural 

history. The German 

architect, Walter Gropius, created 

a classic of industrial architecture. 

At that time revolutionary, unadorned 

façades and interiors 

flooded with light were the hallmarks 

of this construction made of 

a steel skeleton and glass. 

UNESCO has now declared the 

Fagus plant a World Heritage Site. 

This places it in a group of only 35 

German sites which have been 

awarded this honour to date. 

Originally the Fagus plant produced 

shoe lasts, which gave rise 

to the name which means beech 

in Latin. The founder of the company, 

Carl Benscheidt, who commissioned 

the building, was an 

entrepreneur with vision and a 

man with a social mission. In his 

view, a pleasant environment 

would encourage the high level of 

precision required to manufacture 

shoe lasts. 

This positive atmosphere is appreciated 

by Weinig employees in 

their work today just as much as 

their predecessors. Benscheidt 

commissioned a young architect, 

Walter Gropius, who was relatively 

unknown at that time, with the 

work, who then created his first 

great masterpiece. 

Mate Series CNC Router 

Model M12 

From 

£49,900 

● All new design offers traditional C R Onsrud build quality and performance 

● 3 12 HP-24,000 rpm HSD spindle ● Linear tool change ● Servo drives 

● B & R controller ● 2 year warranty 

Bed sizes 4 x 8 (1245 x 2464); 5 x 10 (1524 x 3050) 2M x 3M (2050 x 3050) 

ATA ENGINEERING PROCESSES 

Tel 01442 264411 ❆ Fax 01442 231383 ❆ Email sales@ataeng.com 

Web www.ataeng.com ❆ www.cronsrud.com 


NEWS 

Sharing technology cuts development time 

A TOTAL of 117 independent specialists 

in Planit’s CNC software, including 

Alphacam and Cabinet Vision, from 

around the world, attended the company’s 

annual global resellers conference 

at Atlanta, Georgia — representing 

1,000 years of CAM experience. 

Resellers from over 30 countries heard 

Planit Chief Executive, Bryan Pryce, say the 

group was working towards becoming the 

world’s number one specialist provider of 

CAD/CAM software solutions for the solid 

metal machining, sheet metal fabrication, 

woodworking and stone industries. He 

added that Planit’s wide range of software 

presented a definite competitive advantage, 

and that globally, resellers had 

demonstrated a 25% growth in achievement 

during the past 12 months. 

Chief Technology Officer, Russell Franks, 

said Planit and its global brands of Alphacam, 

Cabinet Vision, Cabnetware, Edgecam 

and Radan, were constantly looking for, and 

driving, market changes. “Thanks to the 

software you provide throughout your 

home countries, your customers can design 

anywhere in the world, and manufacture 

anywhere else in the world.” 

He spoke of the direction Planit and its 

software was now taking, including the role 

Above: Resellers from around the world gathered at Planit’s annual conference in Atlanta. 

Below: Jack Nicholson and Marilyn Monroe lookalikes, with Planit Chief Commercial officer, 

Patrick Love. 

of Cloud technology, and how increasing automation in the software will 

help resellers to make their own customers even more efficient, more reliable 

and less reliant on machine operatives. 

America’s Regional Director, Steve Sivitter, and EMEA/AP Regional Director, 

Simon Lee, spoke of the sales successes of 2010 and plans for 2011. 

Other presentations at the three-day conference included a look at the history 

and development of computers and software from Danish delegate, 

Jørgen Sønder, who told the conference: “People like us are building software 

history: between us we have over 1,000 years of CAM experience.” 

Product director, Raf Lobato, explained how sharing technologies between 

brands — for example, the Radan nester is now incorporated 

within Alphacam and Cabinet Vision — had saved over 40 years in development 

time. He added that during the previous year Planit had expanded 

its worldwide network of developers, giving the Group a total of 

630 years of development experience. 

There were also sessions devoted to how Planit software plays a major 

part in the success of the aerospace and medical equipment industries. 

Delegates had flow into Atlanta from all over the world, including America, 

Germany, Turkey, China, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Russia, Finland 

and Taiwan. The highlight of the conference was the Global Reseller Awards 

Ceremony at a gala Hollywood-style dinner, with Jack Nicholson and Marilyn 

Monroe lookalikes. Bryan Pryce presented awards to the world’s 16 

leading resellers of 2010/2011, as well as a Special Achievement Award for 

Jørgen Sønder following his 25 years working with Planit products. 

Planit Software 

Tel 01233 506100 ● www.alphacam.com ● www.cabinetvision.com 


NEWS 

Feel the heat, not the pinch, this winter 

TALBOTT’S goes from strength to strength with the introduction of its new hand fed 

wood waste heater. 

Talbott’s, an established name in the manufacture of wood waste heating equipment, has 

launched a new hand fed model, the Talbott 150-CMH. The well known and extremely popular 

“Talbott T500’, which was one of the first ever hand fed wood waste heaters introduced 

to the UK over 30 years ago, has now been replaced by the model 150-CMH. 

This 150 kW/500,000 BTU unit maintains the robustness and reliability of the T500 but has 

been re-tested in 2011 ensuring continued Clean Air Act compliance whilst utilising such 

fuels as MDF and chipboard without the requirement for an afterburner. This model is the 

largest of four within the range, with smaller sizes available. 

The Talbott range of hand fed units is designed to offer a simple and cost effective solution 

to the disposal of general wood off cut type waste including MDF and chipboard, whilst 

at the same time producing factory space heating. Talbott’s customers would typically see a 

payback on their equipment within 12-18 months due to the elimination of wood waste disposal 

costs and heating bills. 

Talbott’s can also offer competitive financing through Siemens and the Carbon Trust’s energy 

efficiency loan scheme, to which the company is an authorised supplier. 

This British manufacturer, based in Stafford, has completed numerous projects, from 

simple hand fed solutions up to automatic and highly efficient boiler projects. 

Talbott’s Biomass Energy System 

Tel 01785 213366 ● Email sales@talbotts.co.uk ● www.talbotts.co.uk 

A boost for storage and more with Combilift 

CHILTERN Timber Supplies’ proprietor, 

Gerry Barton, has been 

through quite a collection of 

forklift trucks at his Hemel 

Hempstead premises since he 

established the company in 

2006, but he has finally found 

the one truck solution to all his 

handling requirements with a 

Combilift C4000 model. 

The Combilift has enabled storage 

capacity to be increased by a 

good 30% as Gerry explains: “The 

13,000 ft 2 we have at our disposal 

is relatively tight for the amount of 

products we stock, and now that 

we can cut aisle widths to almost 

half their size in our undercover 

area this is a real boost. 

“The truck’s larger capacity than 

our old 3 t machine means that 

the top racks of the 5 m high outside 

cantilever racking can also be 

used to the full. In addition, previously 

redundant space at the bottom 

of the racking and either side 

of it can be utilised thanks to the 

Combilift’s manoeuvrabiity and its 

ability to block stack. 

“Time and efficiency is an issue 

for an outfit of our size to make 

sure we offer the best possible 

customer service,” says Gerry, “and 

the Combilift has been very beneficial 

on this count. 

“Its versatility to replace a combination 

of other trucks also eliminates 

the need for drivers to 

switch from one truck to another, 

reducing the number of forklift 

movements on site for better 

health and safety procedures. 

“At one point we thought we 

may have to look at larger premises 

due to the constraints on 

space, but the Combilift has enabled 

us to stay put and avoid the 

considerable costs associated with 

moving.” 

SIMPLY 

THE 

BEST 

— and 

always has 

been! 

Combilift Ltd 

Tel 07870 976758 

Email info@combilift.com 

www.combilift.com 

www.chilterntimber.co.uk 

www.lamontclamping.co.uk 


NEWS 

SCM machines increase efficiency at Oakwood Joinery 

LOCATED in Sudbury, Suffolk, 

Oakwood Joinery Services (OJS) 

is a progressive and dynamic 

business that is benefitting from 

its recent investments in a range 

of classical woodworking machines 

from SCM. 

Owner and managing director, 

Malcolm Rogerson, wanted some 

windows manufactured for an office 

development in 1996, and 

upon approaching a local joinery 

manufacturing company, he 

found they were in financial difficulties, 

so he decided to invest in 

the company and soon became 

the owner. The company steadily 

expanded, then in 2001 moved to 

its existing, purpose built factory 

that has recently been extended 

to 10,000 ft 2 . 

When the recession hit in 2007, 

Malcolm Rogerson looked at this 

period as being an advantage to 

examine the whole business and 

change OJS’s operating methods, 

as previously the focus had been 

on longstanding traditional methods 

and tooling. As the Government 

increased business rates by 

30%, it meant OJS had to look at 

where savings could be made and 

overheads controlled. 

Malcolm Rogerson comments: 

“The world had moved on and the 

basic principles of our business 

were now being driven by safety, 

costs and the environment. When 

we looked at the layout and the 

machines we operated, it had 

turned from an efficient operation 

into a fragmented layout of equipment. 

For example, we had 13 

spindle moulders, all set up for 

performing only one operation on 

each machine. Elements of the 

production process came together 

as the goods went out of 

the door. Because we were busy, 

the ‘Emu’ effect was present where 

we just got the job done.” 

Along with OJS’s workshop 

manager, Scott Grimwood, Malcolm 

Rogerson looked in detail to 

exactly what the company was 

doing and decided a number of 

radical changes had to be made to 

the production processes. They 

identified that they needed to release 

valuable space and therefore 

dispose of machines that were either 

not being used or were surplus 

to requirements, and for 

example, all machines were 

switched on whether being used 

or not, wasting costly electricity, 

and also they were all linked to the 

extraction system, making it very 

inefficient. 

Malcolm Rogerson called in Phil 

Vaux of Blyth Woodworking Machinery, 

SCM UK’s distributor for 

East Anglia, and with Scott Grimwood 

they looked at various options. 

A CNC machining centre that 

many joinery manufacturers have 

purchased was a set too far at this 

time, and with the mix of work OJS 

undertook, including windows, 

doors, stairs, reception desks, 

screens etc, for building contractors, 

the public, major house 

builders and refurbishing companies, 

Phil Vaux recommended the 

purchase of several new SCM machines, 

part exchanging some of 

OJS’s old redundant traditional 

machines. Orders were placed. 

The new SCM machines include 

a Compact NT Planer Moulder, a 

L’Invincibile Spindle Moulder 

model TF 1400, a TI 155EP Class 

Spindle Moulder, a TEN 220 Class 

Single-End Tenoner and a Re-Saw, 

adding to existing SCM planers, a 

thicknessser and a sliding table 

panel saw. 

The two new spindle moulders 

each have SCM’s powerful ‘Easy’ 

Electronic Controller fitted that 

makes setting up of the spindles 

fast, simple and precise as well as 

being safe and reliable with recovery 

of programs easily achieved. 

The TI 155EP Class has a tilting spindle 

providing even more flexibility. 

Both spindle moulders have interchangeable 

spindles ensuring fast 

changeover between jobs, avoiding 

the use of spanners, thus reducing 

set up times by as much as 75%. 

The SCM Compact NT replaced 

a four-sided planer and has a 

moulding facility as well as 

straightening and planing all 

round. Manufactured from a rigid 

single-piece steel main base, the 

Compact NT has a long table infeed 

system that ensures high 

quality finished products. Setting 

up is fast and easy and includes 

the latest pressure shoes, fences 

and exhaust hoods with an axial 

adjustment of 40 mm and a 40 

mm profiling capacity. The electronic 

control unit provides rapid 

adjustment of the work piece section 

and along with the integral 

safety cabinet, all controls are on 

the front of the machine for maximum 

operator safety. 

The TEN 220 Class tenoner has a 

rapid tool change system making 

changeover between jobs very fast 

with the machine ready to use in 

seconds. The two clamps for clamping 

two components together allows 

the simultaneous processing 

of two tenons at the same time. A 

rotating chip breaker with turret 

stops can be easily replaced for new 

profiles when required. 

Malcolm Rogerson is clearly 

very happy with his SCM machine 

purchases and concludes, “After 

the last three years, in our busy periods 

we can achieve a 30% increase 

in production with 50% less 

machines and with more factory 

space, our assembly area is now 

twice the size it was. 

“Our electric bill has been reduced 

and, thankfully, the noise 

level, due to the efficiency of the 

new machines, has dropped by at 

least 20% in the machine shop, 

which makes a better environment 

for our employees. As business 

increases as the country exits 

recession, we will certainly call on 

Phil Vaux again and invest in more 

SCM machinery to benefit Oakwood 

Joinery Services and further 

expansion plans.” 

Oakwood Joinery Services 

Tel 01787 880600 

www.oakwoodjoinery.me.uk 

SCM Group (UK) Ltd 

Tel 0115 977 0044 

Email 

scmgroupuk@scmgroup.com 

www.scmgroup-uk.com 


NEWS 

New Trend Modular Window System brochure 

TREND has launched its revised, new 64 page, Modular Window System brochure. The 

brochure includes the following new products and features: 

Five new alternative window profile styles in addition to the existing five styles, giving a 

total of ten; new doors and door frame tools; new tools to produce a splayed meeting rail on 

the Sliding Box Sash window; new routing jigs for Sliding Box Sash pulley wheels and weight 

pockets; new tooling stand; special drilling jig for Espagnolette lock handles. 

The MWS will run on any spindle moulder with the following specification: Flush mounted 

sliding table; spindle shaft 30 mm or 1 1 ⁄4”; usable spindle shaft 120 mm minimum; recommended 

motor power 7.5 hp (3 phase); power feed (mandatory); 220 mm aperture required 

through machine table; 240 mm diameter required inside the hood and with clear vertical 

access. 

The Trend TSM100 spindle moulder is an Italian made machine that has all of the above 

features to run the MWS. The TSM100 can also be specified with a manual or electronic tilting 

shaft, electronic rise and fall, tenoning hood, front table extension, reverse spindle rotation 

and infinitely variable speed control from 800 to 10,000 rpm. 

Trend has a network of dedicated Modular Window System dealers around the UK that 

are able to demonstrate how to make eight different window styles on one machine with 

only one set-up. 

Over 150 manufacturing companies are currently using the system to revolutionise the 

way they are producing timber windows. 

For further information on the Trend Modular Window System or the TSM100 spindle 

moulder, please contact Ian Small on 07989 329404 or Colin Peacock on 07779 803704. 

Trend Machinery & Cutting Tools Ltd 

Tel 01923 249911 ● Email enquiry@trendm.co.uk ● www.trend-uk.com 

New 18 V Li-ion cordless planer from Makita 

MAKITA’S new 18 V Lithium-ion 

cordless planer has the same 

performance as the 82 mm 

mains machine in the range. 

This powerful cordless machine 

will plane off up to 2 mm of material 

at each pass. 

The double sided blade drum 

will run up to 14,000 rpm without 

load, which can given up to 28,000 

cuts/min. The two blades can be 

easily changed for service and 

sharpening varieties. 

Depth of plane is accurately 

controlled by the fine adjustment 

knob at the front of the planer, 

which adjusts in 0.01 mm increments. 

This 82 mm planing width 

machine has a maximum rebate 

depth of 9 mm. The cutting blades 

are protected when not operating. 

As the planer is lifted clear of 

the material, a small foot drops 

from the baseplate, which acts as a 

stand to keep the blades off the 

material or bench surface, protecting 

them from damage. 

Weighing just 3.4 kg, including 

the Li-ion cell, this planer is exceptionally 

well balanced. The central 

top handgrip with softgripcovering 

and control trigger is well 

positioned for accurate control of 

the machine in horizontal or vertical 

positions. 

A large exhaust connector on 

the right-hand side of the planer 

enables easy connection to a dust 

extraction unit to collect waste 

material during operation. 

The Makita BKP180 cordless 

planer is available as a body-only 

unit for those carpenters who already 

have a number of 18 V 

Makita Li-ion cells, or as a complete 

kit with charger and two 3.0 

Ah Li-ion cells. Recharge time is 

just 22 minutes. 

More information about the extensive 

and comprehensive Makita 

Li-ion cordless range is available at 

the company’s website. 

Makita (UK) Ltd 

Tel 01908 211678 

Email leads@makitauk.com 

www.makitauk.com 

No afterburner required 

Energy efficiency loans available* 

Ask about our New Release “150-CMH” 

150 kW Hand Fired Wood Waste Heater 

No afterburner required 


NEWS 

The Nature Collection from Compac 

COMPAC has taken the beauty, 

colours and textures of stone and 

combined these and other key 

physical characteristics with 

quartz to produce what is claimed 

to be the best kitchen or bathroom 

worksurface range on the 

market: The Nature Collection. 

This exciting new range manufactured 

using BIO resins from renewable 

organic material, improves 

on the already outstanding technical 

qualities of its existing Quartz 

worksurfaces: exceptional hardness, 

resistance to abrasion, impact, 

acids and UV rays, and a material 

that is extremely easy to clean. 

The Nature Collection is thought 

to be the most technically advanced 

quartz worksurface available 

and has been created with a 

perfect finish, depth of grain and 

uniformity of textures and colours. 

Available in seven beautiful 

colours (Botticino featured in 

photograph), standard 3 m 

lengths and a range of thicknesses, 

COMPAC’s Nature Collection 

can be easily fabricated, 

formatted and profiled to meet 

the most challenging of kitchen or 

bathroom design layouts. 

The Nature Collection is so resistant, 

stable and long-lasting 

that Compac is able to offer consumers 

a Lifetime Warranty. 

Compac UK 

Tel 020 8564 9377 

Email London@compac.es 

www.compac.es 

Odessa Oak 

NATURAL Odessa Oak from LG 

Hausys, exclusively distributed 

in the UK by David Clouting Ltd, 

is a classic representation of a 

perfect oak veneer, combining 

the elegant look of real wood 

with cutting edge technology to 

create a beautifully fresh, light 

and contemporary foil for a wide 

range of furniture applications 

for use in domestic, commercial 

and retail environments. 

LG Hausys’ patented 3D Mirain 

printing technology puts foil printing 

onto a totally new level and 

provides the exciting opportunity 

for furniture manufacturers to accurately 

replicate the natural look 

and beauty of real wood for fabrication 

onto a range of products for 

kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, 

studies and reception areas. 

David Clouting Ltd 

Tel 01376 518037 

marketing@davidclouting.co.uk 

www.davidclouting.co.uk 


NEWS 

Biesse: Take a look inside … 

BIESSE will once again be opening its doors to the woodworking industry 

at its annual autumn open house event, BiesseInside. 

Hosted at Biesse’s headquarters in Pesaro, Italy, it promises to present 

visitors with the latest technology and innovation from the Biesse Group. 

Visitors from all over the world and from all areas of joinery, furniture and 

cabinet manufacturing will be able to see first-hand Biesse’s range of pro - 

ducts working in the Biesse 

TechCentre situated in the 

heart of Biesse. There will also 

be the opportunity to tour the 

manufacturing facilities to see 

the Kaizen lean production 

methods that are used by 

Biesse to ensure quality. 

The event promises to 

showcase Biesse’s newest 

products including many of the 

machines that were at the recent 

Ligna exhibition, including 

the new Rover A-S 5 Axis, which 

received wide acclaim due to 

its being what is believed to be 

the smallest five axis machine 

currently available. “Never before 

has five axis technology 

been so affordable!” a company 

spokesman told PW&SS. 

As well as the impressive 

Rover A-S, Biesse will be 

launching new pro ducts at its 

autumn event. There will be 

From woodwaste to final feedstock 

for briquetting/palletising 

Batch feed all types of woodwaste into a Scanhugger HL series Hopper Shredder and without 

further handling develop a premium material, a perfect product to make pellets or 

briquettes. With Scanhugger’s PLC drive SmartRam system and newly developed SmartFeed 

system, the pre-shredded material is metered into the Scanhugger EU Hammermill. The end 

result is a premium material, perfectly sized and ready for a pellet or breiquette press. 

The Scanhugger Shredder Re-shredder system is designed to meet your needs with 

capacities ranging from 500-3,000 kg/hr. This Scanhugger line-up of shredders, 

reshredders and a full range of options and 

auxiliary equipment, enables us to build 

turnkey woodwaste utilisation systems. 

Our range of auxiliary equipment 

includes: Chip conveyor and auger 

discharge systems; metal detection and 

metal separation systems; wood scrap 

conveyors and specially designed 

auxiliary hoppers. 

something for everyone from the joinery, furniture 

and cabinet industry. For those visiting from 

the United Kingdom, Biesse Group UK will plan 

your trip for you, meaning all you have to do is contact Biesse and turn up. 

Biesse Group UK ● Tel: 01327 300366 

Email info@biesse.co.uk ● www.biesse.co.uk 

Scanhugger UK 

specialises in 

wood waste & biomass 

fuel processing machinery 

material handling systems 

shredders/re-shredders 

chippers/guillotines 

transport augers 

woodwaste conveyors 

metal separation 

Mobile: 07788 597749 

www.scanhuggeruk.com 

Scanhugger UK is a trading name of Woodheat Solutions Ltd. 

Company Registration No. 7159457 


NEWS 

Aspire to stunning CNC carvings 

ALPHACAM, a leading woodwork CAD/CAM software, is 

introducing a new module to create stunning low relief 

carvings from 2D designs and 3D models. 

Aspire for Alphacam is a totally new 3D relief modelling 

software for CNC routing and engraving projects such as carving 

decorative ornate panels and doors, swept flourishes, custom 

millwork, architectural mouldings, dimensional signage, 

bespoke company logos, custom gifts and awards. 

A full featured, easy to use module for all levels of decorative 

CNC work, its 3D component construction tools, believed 

to be unique, make it easy to work with existing 3D models 

and design 3D shapes. Users can quickly and easily convert 

2D sketches, photographs, drawings and graphic designs into 

high quality 3D carvings and designs. 

Solid surface seam setting solution 

THE SEAM Setter VCM from 

Omni Cubed, Inc, is a high quality 

clamping device which provides 

a quick and effective way 

to achieve top quality seams 

when jointing solid surfaces. 

Sold in the UK through national 

distributor CD (UK) Ltd, the Seam 

Setter VCM is an innovative “threein-one” 

installation tool used for 

joining seams, levelling seams and 

holding splash-backs and upstands. 

The Seam Setter VCM features 

durable 150 mm vacuum cups, 

which provide a reliable, full-contact 

hold. The tool is manually operated, 

using a ‘thumb-pump’ 

mechanism, and vacuum cups can 

be re-pumped without losing the 

The Aspire technology comes from Redditch-based Vectric, renowned for its high 

quality routing and carving software. 

Managing director, Brian Moran, and creative director, James Booth, have over 30 

years combined “real world, hands-on” experience of working in the sign making, 

woodworking and engraving industries. 

Alphacam Aspire gives fully integrated artistic design and modelling functions 

which, together with Alphacam’s traditional CAD tools and leading CAM, delivers a 

totally optimal solution. 

As well as benefitting existing Alphacam users who want more customisation; 

who currently use wholesale suppliers of carved parts; are looking to diversify into 

new markets; or simply have spare machining capacity, the Aspire module will also 

be attractive to woodworking customers who previously wanted a more “art” based 

solution, or those who are unhappy with their current engraving package not 

excelling in important areas. 

Aspire can be added as a module to any Alphacam routing system, including 

Essential. 

It will also be available as part of the educational bundle, to ensure that students 

learn about the full potential of using CNC machines to produce ornate carvings at 

an earlier stage in their career. 

The attractive interface links to tabbed menus for easy access to drawing, modelling 

and clipart icons; a 2D/3D view concept; import and export to Alphacam icons, 

along with a fully searchable and printable PDF help document. 


Tel 01233 506100 ● www.alphacam.com 

remaining vacuum. The two levelling 

components slide on rails for 

placement on each side of the 

seam, and feature non-spinning 

levelling feet with vinyl caps to 

prevent scratching of worktop surfaces. 

The extended rail-ends have 

soft vinyl caps, which make the 

tool a suitable solution for stabilising 

splash-backs or up-stands. 

Tightening handles are in quality 

machined aluminium and the 

tool is supplied with protective 

plastic vacuum cup covers. 

Made from long-lasting, 

anodised billet aluminium and 

stainless steel components, the 

easy-to-use product offers a reliable 

and convenient solution to 

achieve optimum seams between 

solid surfaces. 

CD (UK) Ltd is a leading distributor 

of specialist tools to the solid 

surface fabrication market and has 

been the UK distributor of Corian 

for over 30 years. It is also the exclusive 

distributor of Parapan high 

gloss acrylic surfaces. 

CD (UK) Ltd 

Tel 0113 201 2240 

Email info@cdukltd.co.uk 

www.cdukltd.co.uk 


FURNITURE FITTINGS & COMPONENTS 

Blue Diamond helps Optima door hinges stay 

quiet and smooth 

OPTIMA is a leading supplier of 

high performance partitioning 

systems used in prestigious 

buildings including banks, 

building societies and health 

care providers. For Optima, 

quality is paramount, so when 

the company began to experience 

noise and judder with the 

hinges on its range-topping 

glass doors, fast action was required 

to change the design and 

find an alternative supplier. 

Optima contacted Blue Diamond, 

a company with many 

years’ experience in the design 

and sourcing of engineering components 

and assemblies in a variety 

of materials. This experience 

includes the design and manufacture 

of similar hinges for glass 

products that include sliding 

wardrobe systems and external 

windows and doors. 

“We approached Blue Diamond 

to re-engineer our hinges to ensure 

quiet and smooth operation,” 

said James Durham, supply chain 

manager at Optima. “This included 

NEWS 

News from Vertongen 

VERTONGEN BVBA, the specialist 

Belgian manufacturer of machinery 

for window and door 

product, has recently introduced 

a new sales policy for the 

UK machinery market. 

Vertongen has reached an exclusive 

agreement with RJ Woodworking 

Machinery Ltd of St 

Helens, Lancashire, and R & J Machinery 

of Mallory Park, Leicestershire, 

to sell, distribute and service 

its range of Pentho Compact 

Single End Tenoners in the UK. 

Both well established companies 

will stock a Vertongen Compact 

Tenoner in their respective 

showrooms to show and demonstrate 

to potential customers, and 

improving the design and appearance 

and, where possible, taking 

cost out of the assembly.” 

The hinge assembly itself is 

made from stainless steel with a 

brushed finish and was being supplied 

as separate components 

which had to be assembled before 

being shipped out to customers. 

Optima wanted Blue Diamond to 

improve the look and finish of the 

hinge, as well as delivering the assembly 

fully labelled in a box 

ready for despatch: four variations 

were required for each of the four 

corners of the door. 

The engineers and designers at 

Blue Diamond discovered that a 

poorly-fitted plastic bush was 

causing the hinge to judder on the 

closing mechanism and the large 

glass doors acted as an amplifier 

so any little noise became exaggerated. 

Working closely with Optima, 

Blue Diamond was able to modify 

the existing design, meeting all 

the mechanical and aesthetic requirements 

as well as enhancing 

they will be assisted when required 

by Gerry Lynch, Vertongen’s UK 

sales agent since the year 2000. 

RJ Woodworking Machinery will 

cover the North of England and 

Scotland, and R & J Machinery will 

cover the Midlands and Southern 

England. 

This new sales strategy will enable 

Gerry Lynch to concentrate 

on the sales and promotion of 

Vertongen’s new Control range of 

CNC controlled automatic 

tenoners, profilers and one man 

operated window lines. 

Gerry Lynch 

Tel 01743 353254 

Email gerry.lynch@talk21.com 

www.vertongen.be 

durability. All drawings were originated 

by Blue Diamond using its 

advanced CAD-based systems and 

prototypes were produced for 

testing and appraisal. These were 

sourced by Blue Diamond from 

one of their approved suppliers in 

the Far East who, once Optima was 

satisfied, could then produce parts 

in high volume to Blue Diamond’s 

stringent quality control standards. 

Packaging, too, played a significant 

role in the part played by Blue 

Diamond, with each of the four 

different assemblies supplied to 

Optima carefully packed in a 

clearly labelled cardboard box, 

ready for shipping to customers. 

“We are delighted with the new 

hinges being supplied by Blue Diamond,” 

continued James Durham. 

“They have enabled us to take advantage 

of overseas sourcing in 

the confidence that there will be 

no shortfall in quality.” 

Blue Diamond Technologies Ltd 

Tel 023 8025 8966 

Email bdsales@rolway.com 

www.blue-diamond.co.uk 

Handles from Armac Martin 

SOMETIMES the simplest statement in the kitchen is the most effective. 

This purposeful range from Armac Martin is available in three 

overall sizes, 230 mm, 108 mm and 64 mm, the latter being ideally 

suited to spice drawers. 

As in all Armac Martin Birmingham made solid brass products, the full 

range of finishes will be available, particularly the ever popular satin and 

polished nickel and chromes. 

For the client, though, who wants something a bit different, speak to 

the bespoke/special/custom department. 

That department now accounts for nearly half of Armac Martin’s factory’s 

production! 

Armac Martin 

Tel 0121 359 2111 

Email gary@martin.co.uk ● www.martin.co.uk 


NEWS 

Expanding range 

from Gibbs Sandtech 

GIBBS Sandtech has expanded its range of spray shop equipment to 

include a device for handling spindles during the spraying process. 

The sprung gripping system allows varying length components to 

be loaded as well as allowing them to be rotated through 360 

degrees. 

The extensive range of racks can be found at www.gibbsfinishing.com 

and with the ability to manufacture custom made racks with a competitive 

price and quick delivery, there is always something to suit your spray 

shop. 

Gibbs Sandtech 

Tel 01920 822404 

Email info@gibbsfinishing.com ● www.gibbsfinishing.com 

1 Meadow Street, Marsh, Huddersfield HD1 4QB 

Tel: 0870 760 9194 Fax: 01484 422605 Mobile: 07709 13149 

email: gareth@n-m-o.com www.n-m-o.com 

Used 

Wadkin PAR Four Side Planer 

Robland Z3200 Panel Scoring Saw CE 2000 

Startrite TA275 Saw Bench with sliding table 

Multico M3 & M1 Chisel Mortiser 240v 

Startrite 352 14” Bandsaw 240v 

Putsch SVP610 Vertical Panel Saw CE 2002 

Mesa GT700 Vertical Swing Chisel Mortiser CE 

Taylor JTL 12’ Panel Clam CE 2005 

Wadkin BEM Spindle Moulder with Power Feed 

Wadkin PAR 300 x 100 mm Four Side Planer 

Wegoma Double Mitre Saw 3.4 m 

Elcon 135R Vertical Panel Saw 

Steton BS740 Panel Band Resaw CE 2005 

Wadkin BAO/S 12” x 7” Planer Thicknesser DC brake 

Wadkin DM Chisel Mortiser 

Sedgwick 571 Chisel Mortiser 

Hoefek HB1000 Oscillating Edge Sander CE 

Robinson EV/T 16” x 9” Thicknesser DC brake 

Multico 16” Long Bed Surface Planer DC brake 

Wadkin UR Pin Router with Inverter Drive 

Wadkin BZB 30” Bandsaws 

APL Single, Two & Three Bag Extractors 

New from Onsrud 

ONSRUD Cutter revolutionised CNC routing with the introduction of 

the compression spiral cutter. 

Now with further development Onsrud Cutter offers the Marathon 

Compression Series, a long running compression tool, offering a combination 

of improved cutting geometry and a coating, believed to be 

unique, formulated to protect the cutting edge from high temperatures 

generated when routing laminated and composite wood products. 

Contact ATA Engineering Processes for full details of this new range and 

other recently introduced cutters for plastics, 

composites and aluminium. 

ATA Engineering Processes 

Tel 01442 264411 

Email sales@ataeng.com 

www.ataeng.com 

Over 70 new and used machines in stock 

For our full list, please check out our web site 

www.n-m-o.com 

Datum Tools Ltd 

Tel 01892 667800 www.flipstop.com 


PANELS & PANEL PROCESSING 

Three gluing technologies in one with Stefani Panel Suite 

THE REVOLUTIONARY idea behind 

the SCM Group’s Stefani 

Panel Suite is to provide different 

edge gluing technologies in 

a single application unit and it is 

the result of two year’s research 

by the Stefani R&D team. 

By using a modular approach, 

each Stefani customer can achieve 

maximum flexibility by fitting different 

edge banding technologies 

on to a single machine, with EVA 

hot-melt glue technology applied 

with the glue tank, polyurethane 

glue technology applied with the 

second generation Stefani Slim 

Line technology and the latest 

generation of optical technologies 

such as Laser Line. 

The three technologies above 

are activated individually, but they 

are always available, making 

switching production between 

the technologies extremely fast, 

thus considerably reducing setting-up 

and down times. The cost 

can also be spread over time by 

setting up the machine for the various 

technical modules and installing 

them at a later stage as 

and when required. 

Switching between the various 

types of gluing is practical and 

fast, without the need for any tools 

or disassembling of any parts. In 

terms of production this means 

that one, or multiple changes, in 

the type of production do not affect 

daily productivity in any way. 

Based upon panel type, servoassisted 

cutting of the edge and 

automatic and intelligent dosing 

of the glue are available on all 

three technologies. The Panel 

Suite gluing machine can be fitted 

with 24-roll edging magazines and 

can apply edges on panels with a 

maximum thickness of up to 80 

mm with the EVA and Slim Line 

technique. 

“Melt on demand” is now available 

on the Slim Line. This new technology 

allows for the continuous 

control of the pressure that guarantees 

a constant amount of glue application, 

even under 100 g/m 2 . This 

ensures that only the glue required 

is melted, so there is absolutely no 

waste of raw materials. 

Also, with Slim Line and PU gluing, 

where the glue is applied to 

the edging material, distribution 

of the glue is more uniform because 

the problem of panel porosity 

is eliminated during 

application and the more uniform 

surface of the edge enables far 

less glue to be used compared 

with traditional edge banding — 

75% less than with hot-melt glue 

and 50% less than with poly - 

urethane glue. This translates into 

a glue layer thickness of a few 

hundredths of a millimetre compared 

to tenths of a millimetre 

with traditional edge banding. 

Furthermore, less glue means 

lower heating times and therefore 

greater efficiency and production 

readiness. 

Using less glue saves on the 

cost of materials and the energy 

required to melt the glue. Therefore, 

the slot distribution system 

has eliminated the glue pot and 

the various mechanical components 

of traditional gluing units, 

thus reducing maintenance costs 

and eliminating downtime, both 

of which have considerable influence 

on production costs. 

It is shown that a Slim Line 

panel processed with poly - 

urethane glue has the same cost 

of a panel processed with traditional 

edge banding using hotmelt 

glue, but with a far superior 

bond. 


Tel 0115 977 0044 





Three-in-one from AXYZ 

A PREFERRED system for the processing of aluminium 

composite and metal composite panels, the three-inone 

PANELBuilder system from AXYZ Inter - 

national has evolved from years of testing 

and field interaction with fabricators of these 

materials. The system provides an allembracing 

three-in-one panel processing solution, 

comprising a specially configured large-format CNC 

routing machine and a dedicated software 

program to simultaneously groove, drill 

and profile-cut single or multiple sheets of 

ACM/MCM. 

The system can be configured to handle all standard 

ACM/MCM sheet sizes up to 8 m x 2 m. Key 

design features include a triple Z tooling 

arrangement (complete with three 5 hp router 

spindles), an automatic tool mister/coolant facility 

for machining plate aluminium, pop-up location pins for 

material alignment and a powerful vacuum hold-down system 

to firmly secure sheets during the routing process. Waste 

generated during this process is safely removed through a chip-extraction system 

complete with an automatic vacuum extraction manifold. 

The supporting PANELBuilder software includes both 2D and enhanced 3D design and layout capabilities 

for more complex panel processing requirements, in addition to precise panel nesting to maximise sheet utilisation 

and automatic tool path creation. Once a panel cyanotype has been created, it can be saved with parametric values for recall at any time. 

Panels can be easily created by changing the dimensions of the design, adding these to the job schedule and finally nesting onto the materials to be 

processed using the software’s powerful nesting feature. Significantly, PANELBuilder software is supplied loaded with many usable existing panel 

designs to help start-up and accelerate panel processing. It will also link with and enhance existing software programs to increase the ability to 

create panel blanks for ACM façade systems. 

The system is supported with a comprehensive range of specially designed cutting tools and accessories to accommodate multiple panel processing 

requirements. These include tools to profile materials in a thickness of between three and six millimetres and those that will provide the required fold 

angle and bend radius and specially configured tool options for the processing of exotic materials. 

The PANELBuilder system is backed by a comprehensive training programme to ensure the benefits are fully understood and maximised by 

operatives, together with ongoing technical support from the AXYZ International team of dedicated engineers. 

AXYZ International ● Tel 01902 375600 ● Email sales@axyz.co.uk ● www.axyz.co.uk 

Koolkut’s the saw for Sawtry 

ONE OF the challenges often 

arising as a result of rapid workshop 

growth is the need to be 

able to reliably, accurately and 

speedily cut large volumes of 

assorted sheet materials. 

Cambridgeshire based Sawtry 

Cabinets has found the solution to 

this challenge in Sagetech’s range 

of Koolkut vertical panel saws. 

Sawtry Cabinets provides a bespoke 

fitted bedrooms service, including 

design, manufacturing 

and fitting, mostly for local residential 

customers. The company 

uses melamine-faced boards 

heavily, and while the majority of 

the shaping work is handled by 

CNC routers, the 2.6 m x 2 m 

‘Jumbo’ boards that Sawtry uses 

must first be cut down to size, as 

the routers only take sheets sized 

up to 8’ x 4’. 

“Initially, I was working on my 

own,” David Shipp, Proprietor of 

Sawtry Cabinets, recalled. “I had to 

lay the boards on timbers on the 

workshop floor and cut them with 

a circular saw. That took a lot of 

space and created a serious dust 

problem. Also, 2.6 m x 2 m of 18 

mm melamine is heavy: simply 

getting the boards into position 

was difficult and time-consuming.” 

The business grew and David 

took on a couple of employees. By 

the late 2000s he was in a position 

to look for a better solution to the 

problem of sizing sheet materials 

for the routers. 

It was at 2008’s Woodmex exhibition 

that David came across 

Sagetech’s Koolkut moving column 

vertical panel saw range. Impressed 

by the company’s approachable, 

helpful attitude and the capabilities 

of the machines, he looked into the 

range in more detail. 

David settled on the Koolkut 

KK21S, specifically designed for 

boards 2.1 m wide, as the unit best 

suited to his requirements. “It was 

the Koolkut’s price that tipped the 

balance, though,” he observed. 

“Given the machine’s specification 

and capabilities, it’s really very attractive 

indeed!” 

Installed in 2009, Sawtry Cabinet’s 

Koolkut KK21S quickly became 

key to the company’s 

production process. The Koolkut is 

used to size sheets of a wide variety 

of materials, including 

melamine faced boards, veneers, 

MDF, chipboard and plywood, 

usually for the CNC routers. 

Asked what difference the 

Koolkut has made for the business, 

David was clear and to the point. 

“Huge,” he said. “It’s saving us enormous 

amounts of time: we’ve 

been able to accelerate our production 

process with no impact 

on quality. Put simply, the business 

is more profitable because of 

the Koolkut.” 

Given the difference the Sage - 

tech machine has made to David’s 

business and the very attractive 

pricing of the range, it’s perhaps 

no surprise that he gives his 

Koolkut panel saw “Ten out of ten” 

for value for money and is more 

than happy to recommend it to 

other businesses needing a quick, 

safe and economical solution to 

the challenge of cutting sheet 

materials. 

Sagetech 

Tel 0118 970 1950 

Email info@sagetech.co.uk 

www.sagetech.co.uk 



Exports of Medite and 

Smartply top €2.25 bn 

MEDITE Europe, a leading producer 

of MDF and part of 

Coillte’s Panel Products Division, 

has reached a significant 

production milestone with 

seven million m 3 of MDF panels 

produced in its Clonmel factory 

since it was established in 1983. 

In addition, Smartly Europe in 

Waterford, also part of Coillte 

Panel Products, has manufactured 

four million m 3 of oriented strand 

board (OSB) since it was set up in 

1996. 

This amounts to a substantial 

total of 11 million m 3 of timber 

panel products produced in Ireland 

from Irish timber with an estimated 

value of €2.5 billion. With 

90% of these products exported, 

€2.25 bn worth of timber panel 

products have been shipped from 

Ireland over the life of these plants 

to markets across the world. 

Geoff Rhodes, Coillte Panel 

Product’s marketing and business 

development director said, “This is 

a fantastic achievement. With our 

international exports so high, this 

is a real success story for Ireland. 

Over the years, both brands have 

produced award-winning marketing 

campaigns and have strong international 

profiles. 

“High standards, consistency, 

innovation and environmental responsibility 

are vital, and these impressive 

figures demonstrate that 

our customers recognise these 

qualities in both SmartPly and 

Medite products.” 

Since 2008, Coillte Panel Pro - 

ducts has continued to ask decision 

makers at every level and in 

every part of the supply and specification 

chain to be uncompromising 

in their choice of certified 

and locally grown and manufactured 

wood products. The aim of 

the international and multifaceted 

“Time 2 Choose” campaign 

is to ensure that specifiers are 

aware that Coillte’s panel products 

meet the environmental and performance 

expectations of today’s 

marketplace and encourages active 

consideration of wood products, 

rather than reliance on 

habitual or traditional decision 

making. 

Mr Rhodes continued, “The 

‘Time 2 Choose’ campaign not 

only raises awareness of Medite 

and SmartPly’s FSC certification 

and local manufacture, but also 

asks the trade and specifiers to 

question their purchasing decisions 

and to ensure they are making 

correct, environmentally 

responsible choices.” 

Commenting on the achievement, 

Gerry Britchfield, managing 

director of Coillte Panel Products, 

said: “Coillte Panel Products is 

unique in Europe because we are 

part of the company which owns 

the forests and hence the raw material 

— wood fibre — which we 

use to make our panel boards. This 

means we can guarantee supply 

to our customers in a way which 

other producers can’t. As markets 

for these value added products 

improve, fibre security is increasingly 

becoming an issue for our 

customers and highlights the 

strength of the Coillte Group strategy 

as an integrated forest products 

company. 

“Coillte’s forests are Forest Stewardship 

Council (FSC) Certified as 

being managed in a responsible 

way, as well as our panel products 

themselves being FSC certified, 

enabling us to export 90 per cent 

of what we product. SmartPly and 

Medite’s environmental credentials 

are critical for many of our European 

customers looking to reduce 

the carbon footprint of their 

buildings whilst using highly innovative 

panel products.” 

He went on to say, “These businesses 

have come through a difficult 

period since the collapse in 

the Irish construction sector but 

with a focus on innovation and 

customer service and a renewed 

emphasis on export markets we 

have turned them around. We are 

now finding new markets for our 

products and helping secure over 

500 jobs both directly in our plants 

and indirectly with the companies 

we do business with in Ireland.” 

Waterford-based SmartPly Europe 

is one of ten Irish companies 

selected to represent Ireland at 

the 2011 European Business 

Awards sponsored by HSBC. From 

around 15,000 relevant European 

companies, an independent jury 

selected the ten best-case companies 

in Ireland which had clearly 

demonstrated an ability to grow 

and thrive despite challengeing 

economic conditions. 

Medite is a market leader in 

MDF and has been very successful 

in bringing new and innovative 

products to the market, which 

adds value to the wood fibre resource 

managed by Coillte. 

Coillte Panel Products 

Tel 01322 424900 

www.coillte.com 

www.medite-europe.com 

www.smartply.com 



Mirror quality finish 

VALERIO Pellegrini of Siteworx 

Ltd is very enthusiastic about 

the potential of his Kündig Brilliant-2 

REd-L sander with 

oblique shear sanding technology, 

purchased in January 2010. 

The more you use it, he told 

PW&SS, the more you understand 

what its capabilities are: you really 

trust the machine, he says, even 

on the most expensive materials. 

Twenty years ago, Valerio and 

business partner, Luigi Clementini, 

moved from Tuscany to London 

and opened a site spraying business 

with a small workshop by the 

Thames. In 2009, the company 

moved to a 4,000 ft 2 unit close 

to the Thames Barrier, a site offering 

good road access 

throughout Greater London. 

Siteworx offers top quality 

workshop spray painting. 

Quality is the company’s key 

word: to this end, only the 

best pro ducts are used to 

guarantee a durable, hardwearing 

finish on a wide 

range of surfaces, including 

wood, MDF and metalwork. 

Preparation of the surface is 

key, especially with high gloss, 

where an extremely smooth 

surface is required. Siteworx 

had been sanding manually, 

but this was proving both 

time consuming and costly in 

terms of materials. 

Having recognised the 

need to automate the sanding 

process, Valerio began investigating 

the market, looking at 

several brands. He was recommended 

by one of London’s prestigious 

joinery contractors to 

contact Albert Holland of A12 Machinery, 

in Essex, with whom they 

had previously worked to resolve 

surface finishing issues, and to ask 

Siteworx uses only the best products to ensure a durable, hardworking 

finish on a range of surfaces. 

A mirror-quality finish, achieved by Kündig and Siteworx. 

A new definition of a “photo finish” from Kündig and Siteworx. 

about the Kündig oblique sander, 

similar to the one they had already 

purchased. A12 Machinery is an 

authorised dealer in Kündig UK’s 

dealer network. 

A visit to Switzerland, where 

Kündig is based, with a sample of 

Valerio’s own product, demonstrated 

that a Kündig sander produces 

excellent results and is easy 

to use, and the decision to purchase 

was made. 

The Kündig Brilliant-2 REd-L, 

which Valerio selected, has a first 

contact roller for accurate calibration 

of the material and a second 

head, which is an electronic segmental 

sanding pad, which can be 

used for sanding veneer and, on 

this particular machine, also lacquer. 

It also has a vacuum bed, 

belt blowers for cleaning the abrasive 

and variable speed to the 

abrasive, which is electronic inverter 

controlled; the segments in 

the pad are 22 mm. 

Several factors were key in Valerio’s 

decision to purchase this machine. 

One was that it represented 

excellent quality at a price that 

was within the available budget. 

Another was that it was the sanding 

group that moved rather than 

the panel, giving a fixed datum for 

ease of handling and setting. 

Valerio explained to PW&SS that 

the boards he works with come in 

a range of very slightly different 

thicknesses, and the fact that the 

thickness is set on the machine 

rather than the panel means that 

he does not have to continually 

readjust the base to allow for 

these differences in thickness, 

making the machine much easier 

to use. For Valerio, this was a key 

selling point. 

Albert Holland adds that this 

type of variation is “not a problem 

for the Kündig: you just set the machine 

to automatic. It is in effect a 

very straightforward machine for a 

very complicated process.” 

Albert is also enthusiastic about 

the standards Siteworx sets for itself 

and the standards that are 

achieved. “Their great selling 

point is the quality of the finish 

and their emphasis on 

punctuality. Siteworx can turn 

bare looking MDF into a high 

quality lacquer finish. The aim 

is to regularly produce a finish 

that can be used as a mirror.” 

Valerio told PW&SS that the 

standard requirement is to 

produce a surface that is very 

smooth and flat, especially for 

a high polish gloss. “Any details 

show through on the 

gloss finish. The Kündig prepares 

the panels really well, 

achieving a very flat surface. 

After spraying, we use the machine 

to fine cut back and 

then polish by hand. The quality 

is excellent.” 

Valerio is delighted with the 

precision of the machine as 

well as its ease of use: “It works 

to 0.1 mm and when you have 

a good knowledge from using the 

machine of how it works, the pressure 

on the belts, the pressure on 

the pads and the belt speed, you 

can adjust the variables: the more 

you use the machine, the greater 

your understanding of it and 

hence, the greater your appreciation 

of its sophistication. 

“The board responds exactly to 

your needs. You really trust the 

machine, once you understand 

what you can achieve with it. We 

use it with complete confidence 

on panels where, if anything went 

wrong, the consequences would 

be very expensive. In eighteen 

months, we have never had any 

doubts about the sander: it has 

never “played up”, and its reliability 

and accuracy is retained 

through all the different work that 

we do with it.” 

Albert Holland seconds the 

view of the “sheer quality” of the 

Kündig sander, adding, “It’s a privilege 

to sell products of the highest 

quality!”. 

Kündig UK Ltd 

Tel 0845 833 0565 

Email sales@kundig.co.uk 

www.kundig.co.uk 



Striebig saws prove popular at top London art colleges 

CENTRAL Saint Martin’s College 

of Art & Design has ordered a 

Striebig Evolution in advance of 

its forthcoming move to a landmark 

building at the heart of 

the capital’s multi-millionpound 

King’s Cross redevelopment 

scheme. 

Pete Smithson, one of the college’s 

technical co-ordinators, said: 

“The Evolution will replace a conventional 

table saw. As well as taking 

up far less room than a table saw 

in our new workshop, it will allow us 

to handle much larger panels. 

“After seeing a Striebig in a 

drama school’s workshop and visiting 

trade shows, it was clear that 

their saws are the best on the market 

and ideal for our needs.” 

The Evolution 4216 bought by 

the college has a cutting range of 

3,300 x 2,160 mm and a maximum 

depth of cut of 80 mm. 

It is one of nine models in the 

Evolution range, believed to be 

the most efficient and advanced 

manual panel saw available. It features 

as standard Striebig’s userfriendly 

“touch and saw” operating 

system. This delivers easy and convenient 

machine control through 

a touch screen panel that operates 

all of the machine’s functions. 

Other standard features include a 

digital measuring system, accurate 

to 0.1 mm, and an adjustable precision 

display that can be set to an accuracy 

of 1.0, 0.5 or 0.1 mm, 

according to the thickness of the 

panels being sized. It will be supplied 

with an optional scoring saw for the 

smooth cutting of laminate panels. 

Chelsea College of Art and Design 

has benefitted from greater 

accuracy and reduced panel manhandling 

since a Striebig Compact 

entry-level machine, featuring a 

digital measuring system, replaced 

a table saw in 2005. 

Resource manager, Steve Meadows, 

said: “We set up a new wood 

workshop here six years ago after 

A technician uses the Striebig Compact vertical panel saw at 

Chelsea College of Art and Design. 

The Striebig Evolution vertical panel saw bought by Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design. 

An ‘installation’ work produced by a student at Chelsea College of Art 

and Design with the help of a Striebig Compact vertical panel saw. 

four colleges merged into one, 

and because of the increase in the 

volume of board cutting needed 

we decided to replace our table 

saw. One of our technicans saw a 

Striebig working at a B&Q store 

and suggested it would be perfect 

for us, so after checking out the 

manufacturer and supplier we 

made the decision to buy.” 

Technicians at both colleges, 

which are part of the University of 

Arts London, use saws exclusively 

in their woodworking workshops 

to size panels for students. 

At Chelsea, the Compact sizes 

wood-based panels plus the occasional 

laminate and acrylic sheet, 

ranging in thickness from 3 mm up 

to 25 mm thick MDF panels. The 

materials are used by students in 

their work, which can range from 

sculptures and installations of all 

kinds to picture frames and display 

plinths needed for exhibitions. 

Steve Meadows said: “Because 

it’s so easy to load a panel onto the 

Streibig it has cut out all the backbreaking 

work of manhandling a 

heavy panel onto the table saw’s 

bed. It also delivers the kind of sustained 

accuracy when cutting repeat 

pieces you just can’t get on a 

table saw. Once it has been set up 

it makes fast work of making multiple 

cuts, like the request we had 

from a student for 1,000 two inch 

thick strips. I reckon that that on 

average it takes a third of the time 

to size a panel compared with 

using the former table saw.” 

The college’s Striebig 4164 is 

the smallest model in the ninestrong 

entry level series with a cutting 

range of 3,100 x 1,644 mm (10 

ft x 5 ft) and a maximum depth of 

cut of 60 mm. A space saving allrounder 

that brings Striebig quality 

within the reach of the smallest 

workshop, it has a powerful 3.9 kW 

motor and exceptionally efficient 

integral TRK dust extraction that 

far surpasses current European 

health and safety legislation. 

Features include automatic 

moving backing support, and the 

option of a scoring saw for laminates. 

It is based on a single, fully 

welded sawing frame to give 

decades of reliable service whilst 

maintaining cutting precision. 

An important reason why 

Chelsea chose the Compact 4164 

model was that with a height of just 

2.39 m, it could slot easily in to the 

area reserved for it in the workshop 

which has an extremely low ceiling. 

Whether requiring a machine 

with manual or automatic feed, 

the Compact series is characterised 

by flexibility and costeffective 

use. A huge range of 

original Striebig accessories are 

available. 

“We have never had a serious 

problem with the Striebig and it is 

still as accurate as the day it was 

installed,” said Steve Meadows. 

“With regular servicing it just goes 

on and on. It’s the best bit of kit we 

have in the workshop and our 

technicians have had many requests 

from the maintenance staff 

who want to use it.” 

The supplier of the saws to both 

colleges is Striebig’s sole UK distributor, 

TM Machinery Sales. 

TM Machinery Sales 

Tel 0116 271 7155 

Email sales@tmservices.co.uk 

www.tmpartnership.co.uk 



Cabinet Vision “essential to our success” 

WITH Planit’s Radan CAD/CAM 

software playing what CED Fabrications 

calls “an essential role” 

in its stainless steel commercial 

kitchen business for more than 

a decade, the company knew exactly 

what was needed when it 

set up a wood-based domestic 

kitchen division. 

“Radan has paid for itself time 

and again as a vital part of our 

sheet metal manufacturing 

process, and we realised that Cabinet 

Vision and Alphacam would 

be just as essential to the success 

of our new venture,” said CED’s 

sales director, Andrew Siddle. 

Based near Blackburn, CED Fabrications’ 

long-standing core business 

has been to manufacture 

commercial stainless steel 

kitchens for hospitals, schools, colleges, 

restaurants, pubs, motorway 

service stations — “in fact, our 

products are suitable wherever 

there’s a commercial kitchen,” adds 

Andrew Siddle. 

CED commercial kitchens and 

servery display counters can be 

found in Virgin Trains’ buffet cars, 

along with Debenhams, Sainsburys 

and Tescos restaurants. 

Over the past couple of years 

CED has also been producing a limited 

amount of wooden fascias and 

solid surface worktops for its stainless 

steel and shopfitted counter 

carcasses. “It’s necessary for us to 

provide this additional service ourselves 

rather than relying on a third 

party, and our new domestic 

kitchen business developed out of 

that. There’s great potential for us 

to grow into a large business in that 

sector, and Cabinet Vision and Alphacam 

will play a vital role in our 

plans to achieve that.” 

The new woodworking plant 

houses an SCM CNC nesting/routing 

cell driven by Cabinet Vision 

Solid Ultimate with Screen-to- 

Machine, along with Alphacam 

router Advanced and Cabinet 

Door Manufacturing. Cabinet Vision’s 

Screen-to-Machine is believed 

to be the industry’s only 

fully integrated solution. It is capable 

of nesting and optimisation, 

and generates machine-ready 

code for saw, point-to-point machines, 

CNC routers, drill and 

dowel machines, chop saws, and 

other specialised woodworking 

machinery. 

While CED has been using Alphacam 

to create the components 

and send toolpaths and manufacturing 

instructions to the CNC machines 

producing the wooden 

panels and worktops to go with its 

commercial kitchen, the company 

is now using its Cabinet Door 

Manufacturing facility to meet demand 

for specialised production 

for the new domestic business. It 

gives instant parametric programming 

for the production of external, 

internal and fascia doors, 

along with an order-entry facility 

providing information for built-in, 

fully customisable bar coding and 

part labelling functions. 

The flagship Cabinet Vision Ultimate 

keeps simple tasks easy and 

makes complex jobs possible. Andrew 

Siddle explains it is ideal for 

CED’s new domestic operation because 

of its advanced solid modelling 

technology. “As well as 

producing pre-packed cabinets of 

standard sizes, Cabinet Vision Ultimate 

is also giving us the ability to 

offer bespoke sizes with no additional 

input from designers. Its 

flexibility to produce any size and 

variation of design is very important 

in helping to achieve good 

quality bespoke products while 

keeping costs down. It’s very impressive 

what it can do. Sometimes 

in business you look at something 

you want to do, and have to say ‘I 

can’t do that’, but with Cabinet Vision 

you can do it.” It allows CED to 

design the entire kitchen or a single 

piece of cabinet furniture, automatically 

generates a full cutlist, 

photo realistic renders, working 

drawings, optimised nested sheets 

and a full costing function. CED 

uses the costing function to create 

customised quotations directly 

from the design, including adjusting 

profit margins on individual 

jobs or components. This function 

gives full analysis on the breakdown 

of costs by material, labour 

and components, ensuring accurate 

costing. 

All of the advanced software 

readily links directly to CED’s various 

brands of machinery, providing 

enhanced productivity, 

exceptional reliability and additional 

flexibility, all contributing to 

increased profitability. 

Andrew Siddle’s confidence 

that Planit software will be essential 

to the domestic division’s success 

is borne out of lengthy 

experience of using a variety of 

Radan products for the successful 

fabrication of stainless steel commercial 

kitchen carcasses. 

CED’s standard products are designed 

in SolidWorks, which is 

then imported directly into Radan 

as 2D drawings and flatpattern developments. 

The toolpaths are automatically 

added and the CNC 

programs generated with Radpunch. 

Radpunch’s revised user interface 

and graphics display now 

simplifies operation, while enhancements 

to the manufacturing 

database mean more information 

about the production process is 

captured by the system for use in 

future programs. Andrew Siddle 

says “A major advantage of Radan 

is that it not only manages the 

standard components swiftly and 

accurately, but it also means the 

company can handle bepsoke 

parts in its stride.” 


Tel 01233 506100 

www.cabinetvision.com 



CED Kitchens invests heavily with SCM Group 

CED FABRICATIONS is one of the 

UK’s leading manufacturers and 

suppliers of commercial catering 

equipment, operating from 

a 55,000 ft 2 manufacturing facility 

in Clayton-Le-Moors, near 

Blackburn, Lancashire. 

CED, or Catering Equipment Design, 

was founded 21 years ago by 

Howard Rishton, managing director, 

firstly refurbishing catering 

equipment, then expanded to 

produce an extensive range of 

standard and bespoke catering 

equipment, with stainless steel 

featuring heavily in the product 

ranges. To continue expanding the 

company, CED looked at other 

products to manufacture and sell, 

and it was decided to explore the 

production and supply of kitchens 

to the trade. 

Howard Rishton comments, 

“We needed to look at other markets 

for further expansion of CED 

and there seemed to be a gap in 

the market for supplying quality 

kitchens including carcasses, 

doors and appliances, so last year, 

CED Kitchens was created as a 

separate company, with new manufacturing 

units taken on nearby 

to our main building and factory.” 

Howard Rishton contacted several 

potential suppliers of machinery 

including Ian McCarthy of SCM 

Group UK to discuss CED’s requirements 

machinery wise, basing 

their carcass production on the 

‘Nesting’ process using 18 mm 

MFC and cam and dowel construction, 

supplying carcasses fully 

assembled. Demonstrations on 

relevant equipment followed and 

orders were placed with SCM for a 

Morbidelli Universal 20 CNC machining 

centre, an SCM Olimpic 

S2000 single sided edge bander 

with return conveyor and a DMC 

wide belt finishing sander. 

The high specification Morbidelli 

is part of a fully automatic 

line, and has a 4,250 x 2,280 mm 

work table. A stack of panels is 

loaded on to the infeed platform, 

with vacuum system, mounted on 

the Universal’s mobile gantry, to 

collect the top panel from the 

stack and feed it on to the machine’s 

multi-function aluminium 

table that has a high capacity 500 

mc/hr vacuum system fitted to 

firmly hold down the panel to the 

table for the Nesting process. 

A powerful 8.5 kW routing head 

machines the required panels 

from the full-size sheet, optimised 

and programmed via the machine’s 

PC using Cabinet Vision. A 

Rapid 16 automatic tool changer 

feeds the routing head with tools, 

and an F18 drilling unit with vertical 

and horizontal drills with an integrated 

sawing unit for grooving, 

etc. Upon completion of the Nesting 

cycle, the completed panels 

are expelled automatically on to 

an unloading belt, where a labelling 

station produces labels 

that have bar codes and information 

contained for panel recognition 

later on in the factory. 

Panels are edge banded, normally 

with 2 mm thick ABS edging, 

on an SCM Olimpic S2000 T-ERL 

single sided edge bander that has 

auto panel spacing at the infeed 

followed by an edge machining 

unit with diamond cutters for a 

perfect edge before gluing. Hot 

melt glue is fed automatically from 

a hopper system with pre-melting 

to ensure the glue in the glue pot 

is always at the correct temperature 

before application to the 

panel edge. 

After end trimming and top and 

bottom edge trimming, a Round 

SK corner rounding unit, with two 

positions for different thicknesses 

of edge banding, trims the ABS 

edging perfectly, before profile 

scraping and an oscillating buffing 

unit completes the edging 

process. At the outfeed is a “Spinner” 

return conveyor system that 

transports the edged panels back 

to the infeed of the S2000 so that 

the operator can continue edge 

banding the other sides of the 

panel as required. 

CED Kitchens will be pressing its 

own doors, including high gloss 

finishes, using either a hot platen 

press or a membrane press. To ensure 

a perfect surface on the MDF 

core before pressing, CED Kitchens 

has installed a DMC Masterbrush 

MB 1350 M4 Finishing Sanding 

system with four operational units. 

With a 1,350 mm working width, 

the first two units, each 300 mm 

diameter, are rotating brush units 

with abrasive strips and can be 

counter rotating and operate at an 

angle, ensuring a top class, uniform 

sanding quality over the 

complete surface of the door. The 

third unit is a rotating disc, orbiting 

unit, with the movement of 

the supporting structures enabling 

the rotary discs to round 

the sharp edges and the brushing 

action to reach the machined and 

grooved areas on profiled doors. 

The fourth unit is another brush 

roller with horse hair to give a final 

finish to the door before pressing, 

with any dust being removed at 

the outfeed of the DMC by two oscillating 

blower rods and a turbo 

blowing unit. 

As production is now gearing 

up to commence supplying the 

new customers, CED Kitchens is 

determined to make a big impact 

on the kitchen supply market. 

CED’s sales director, Andrew 

Siddle, states, “We want to ensure 

we are capable of supplying top 

quality carcasses and doors to the 

trade, hence the massive investment 

with SCM and their own top 

of the range machinery, that we 

know will be able to produce our 

products to the highest standard. 

Installation and training on the 

new machines was carried out by 

SCM’s factory trained engineers. 

Our aim is to be a ‘One Stop Shop’ 

to all of our customers who can 

purchase a complete kitchen from 

one supplier with confidence and 

we believe we have an exciting future 

in a new market to CED.” 

CED Kitchens 

Tel 01254 238282 

www.cedkitchens.co.uk 


Tel 0115 977 0044 

Email 





Holz-Her sales & service exclusively from Weinig UK 

Holz-Her’s range of products 

Edgebander 

Vertical saw 

Beam saw 

Machine centre 

SINCE the take over of Holz-Her 

by Weinig AG, 15 months ago, 

Weinig UK has taken on exclusive 

full responsibility for the 

sales and service of the complete 

range of Holz-Her products 

in England, Scotland and 

Wales. All new sales and service 

requirements are handled by 

Weinig UK. 

Holz-Her customers can be assured 

of the same high level of 

service care that Weinig UK 

provides on its existing range of 

products. 

Weinig values prompt, efficient 

Investment completed 

ENGINEERED wood-based panel 

manufacturer, Norbord, has 

completed the final phase of a 

£25 million investment programme 

at its site in Cowie, 

Scotland. 

The investment improves and 

extends the particleboard operations 

and includes the replacement 

of a forming station and 

pre-press components. 

Karl Morris, managing director 

of Norbord Europe, said: “The installation 

of a state-of-the-art continuous 

press has already allowed 

us to considerably grow our market 

share in flooring and other 

construction-related products. 

“Work continued on a ‘24 hours 

a day, seven days a week’ basis 

while the forming stations were 

replaced and the new forming 

bins installed. 

“The completion of the final 

stage of works has provided us 

with added operating flexibility, a 

broader product mix, further quality 

improvements, capacity 

growth of over 10% and a reduction 

in total manufacturing costs. 

“These cost reductions are important 

as we strive to partially 

offset rising wood costs which are 

under pressure due to strong competition 

from the energy sector.” 

Norbord currently employs more 

than 250 people at its Cowie plant 

and a further 120 at a sister site in 

and reliable after-sales and offers 

a totally dependable service tailored 

to individual customer’s 

needs. 

The comprehensive Weinig 

service includes planned service 

contracts and individual training 

from its base in Abingdon. 

Morayhill near Inverness. It also employs 

in excess of 400 people at its 

plant in South Molton, Devon. 

Contacts for sales and service 

are: Paul Nightingale, Sales Manager; 

and Shaun Crump, Service 

Manager. 


Tel 01235 557600 

Email sales-uk@weinig.com 

www.weinig.co.uk 

Norbord 

Tel 01786 812921 

www.norbord.com 



Alphacam serves up furniture winners 

A STUNNING combined reception 

desk, seating area and logo at the 

headquarters of leading fashion label 

Fred Perry, won a top industry award 

for a Cambridgeshire woodworking 

company. 

Along with the architects and materials 

supplier, The Cutting Room jointly 

won the Furniture Category of The 

Wood Awards 2010 for the highly complex 

project comprising 405 individually-shaped 

components made from 18 

mm birch plywood, which has a finished 

length of 7·3 m and weighs 2·5 tonnes. 

Cutting Room partner, Mark Durey, 

was delighted with the win, as the company 

is not a furniture maker, but a component 

manufacturer and CNC routing 

specialist. And he says the CAD/CAM 

software, Alphacam Advanced Router, 

was vital in helping the company produce 

the required effect. 

The original concept model was created 

in Rhino3D by Amr Assaad, an associate 

at architects Buckley Gray Yeoman, 

who liaised closely with The Cutting 

Room during the early stages about what they needed for the CAD file. The 

design was then swivelled and laid flat. “Once it became flat Alphacam 

managed the rest of the operation, through to generating the machine 

code for our Anderson Duo router that manufactured all the parts. We took 

a series of slices and put holes through for the dowels, which we did partly 

as a surface and partly as a solid model. Then we took the slices out and 

spun them into a plan view before nesting them into sheets.” 

He says Alphacam was instrumental in overcoming surface layer issues 

that could not be handled in Rhino. “We pulled in all the slices of different 

heights and progressed with the zero surface command. Once we’d 

got that, we ensured the geometry connected, which is very easy to do 

with the break function — and that’s absolutely vital for this type of work, 

showing where the geometry is open and manipulating the geometry 

to close it.” 

Thousands of lines of Alphacam CNC code were generated to create 

the toolpaths necessary to ensure that each of the individual panels was 

correctly shaped and had accurately placed dowel holes. Once the components 

had all been made, the unit was built over two days at The Cutting 

Room’s Huntingdon workshop to check everything was absolutely 

right; it then took a day to disassemble it, and a further two days to reassemble 

it at Fred Perry’s Covent Garden headquarters in London. 

“While almost all of the 405 components were different, we had every 

confidence that our Anderson Duo could produce the high precision 

work needed to make this project a success,” says Mark Durey. “Although 

it is quite old, we feel it is more robust than many new CNC routers, and 

Alphacam gives it the full capability of the more modern machines.” The 

Anderson has two heads with eight-station auto tool changers, along 

with twin 1,600 mm x 1,600 mm beds which were used as one large 3,200 

mm x 1,600 mm bed for the Fred Perry project. 

The shaped components were cut from a total of 70 sheets of 10 ft x 5 

ft birch ply. Once they had all been produced, hand sanding the 1,800 m 

of plywood edge then became a key element. “All edges were lacquered 

three times — meaning we sanded more than 5,000 metres of edge, plus 

the surfaces!” 

As well as undertaking the unusual one-off projects, The Cutting Room 

manufactures a variety of kitchen, bedroom and bathroom cupboard 

doors, on an SCM Routomat 3. The company also uses an SCM Record 

220 router with a single 10-station auto tool changer and 16 spindle drill 

block, mainly for the 3D work which makes up around 5% of the company’s 

turnover, along with overspill from the other two machines. All 

three CNC routers are driven by Alphacam. 

When The Cutting Room got its first CNC router, the company was putting 

the code in by hand and working 

out the dimensions on graph paper. 

“Then I saw how Alphacam would be 

ideal for putting our toolpaths in, so I 

bought it straight away. That was about 

20 years ago, and I’ve used Alphacam 

ever since as it’s absolutely the best software 

for our needs. 

“The more accurately we can work, 

the better, and that’s what Alphacam 

gives us. Working with Alphacam means 

we’re working to perfection. In the office 

we work to perfection on the programming, 

then in ‘real life’ when it gets to the 

machine, it’s also perfect, making it ideal 

for the quick turnaround 2D work that 

we do, especially the 2D panels and fascia 

doors that make up the majority of 

our turnover. And it easily handles our 

small number of 3D jobs. 

“It does everything we want it to … 

we owe our living to Alphacam.” 


Tel 01233 506100 

www.alphacam.com 


Contact us for the latest developments in sanding lacquer and high grade surfaces 

Tel 0845 833 0565 ● Fax 0845 833 0567 

Email sales@kundig.co.uk ● www.kundig.co.uk 

Kündig Ltd

August/September 2011 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

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