June/July 2009 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

PANEL, WOOD 

& Solid Surface 

Issue No. 13/14 June/July 2009 

In the news this month: 

MAKA holds a successful open house: see page 4. 

SCM opens its new building and showroom: see page 4. 

Planit Software, the name behind AlphaCAM and Cabinet 

Vision, tells its resellers to “Prepare for Success”: see page 10. 

Plus: Sanding & Denibbing 

Tooling ● Ligna Review 

Software for Designers & Manufacturers 

Design & Innovation ● Health & Safety 

Saws in All Shapes & Sizes 

New CNC Routershop division is launched by AXYZ 

International Ltd: see page 5.

NEWS 

‘Ambass-a-Door’ 

invests now for 

the upturn 

AMBASS-A-DOOR Windows & Doors Ltd is a sister company 

to Sprowston Joinery of Norfolk, which was first established 

in 1955, originally making general architectural joinery. 

Ambass-a-Door makes standard section windows and doors, 

which are made to any size. The company’s success and growth is 

down to its high quality products and reliable customer service. 

Ambass-a-Door sells products to national builders, window installers 

and other joinery companies. Despite the recession, business 

is steady and it has given the company the confidence to 

C.R. ONSRUD 

CNC Routers ■ Inverted Routers ® ■ Cutting Tools 

The company that knows routing best! 

This impressive range of high quality CNC routers is now available in Europe 

ATA Engineering Processes 

Tel: 01442 264411 — Fax: 01442 231383 

www.ataeng.com — www.cronsrud.com 

Above, David Lomax, managing director 

(right) and Peter Eliff, general 

manager, at the newly installed 

Power mat 400. 

Left, an Ambass-A-Door conservatory 

made for a large building company. 

prepare for the upturn. The company’s enquiry 

level is encouraging and there is a 

positive attitude for the company’s future, 

so in April, Ambass-a-Door installed a 

Weinig new generation Powermat 400 

moulder (P400) to increase production 

efficiency. 

The Powermat 400 features a memory 

system for quick set-up and provides the 

facility to use existing or new, much 

lighter PowerLock tooling — ideal for a 

first investment in new technology moulders. 

Benefits include faster setting, 

higher precision, top quality finish and increased 

productivity. 

“It has since met all expectations,” said 

managing director, David Lomax, “and the 

saving in set-up time is considerable. 

Quality and accuracy are noticeably 

near perfect and Weinig 

has lived up to its reputation for 

technology and service.” 

Ambass-A-Door windows are of 

the highest quality. The company 

has established a national customer 

base and steady growth 

level. Any bespoke window can be 

supplied in soft or hard wood, in 

small or large batches. A 30 year 

guarantee is given against rot and 

a 10 year guarantee on paint work 

is provided. Sash windows form 

the biggest part of the company’s 

production. 

It is good to know that the 

Lomax family has the confidence 

to invest now for the future. They 

are a shining light in the present 

market gloom. 

Michael Weinig (UK) Ltd 

Tel 01235 557600 

Email sales@weinig.co.uk 

www.weinig.co.uk 

Page 2 Panel, Wood & Solid Surface June/July 2009

CONTENTS 

Panel, Wood & 

Solid Surface 

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Editorial 

comment 

IT WAS announced on the local 

television news this morning 

(Friday May 29) that Hever 

Castle has invested in a biomass 

to energy system which will reduce 

the attraction’s heating 

bills and carbon emissions by 

burning wood chips. 

I was reminded of a conversation 

I had with Chris Franklin of 

Ranheat Engineering a few days 

ago, in which he described to me, 

from the woodwaste to energy system 

manufacturer’s point of view, 

some of the frustrations of the current 

round of Government grants 

for the installation of such systems. 

He says that when the Carbon 

Trust loan scheme was first introduced, 

it was straight forward and 

simple: he would fill in the forms 

on behalf of his customers, and 

they would receive an interest free 

loan from the Government to 

cover the cost of an installation 

which would save both energy 

costs and carbon emissions. 

Over time, that scheme has become 

more complicated, although 

the amount available to lend has 

been increased: and the picture 

has been muddied by the delay in 

making decisions on the latest 

round of the separate Bio-energy 

Capital Grants Scheme. 

The grants scheme is aimed at 

the commercial, industrial and 

community sectors and is intended 

to provide a grant to assist 

with the costs of “a biomassfuelled 

heat and/or combined heat 

and power project”. Chris tells me 

that a decision on which pro jects 

were eligible has been postponed 

from January to June: by the time 

you read this, the choices should 

have been made, but in the meantime, 

those hoping to invest in 

such a system have had to delay 

their plans by several months, 

since the grant is not retrospective. 

Obviously, most people would 

prefer a Bio-energy Capital Grant, 

which does not have to be repaid, 

to a loan from the Carbon Trust, 

which, even if interest free, will 

need to be paid back. This uncertainty 

about who will receive a 

grant has affected the timing of 

customers’ purchasing decisions. 

We have a number of very good 

quality British manufacturers and 

suppliers in the woodwaste to energy 

field. With a clear and 

straightforward grants and loans 

process, our Government could 

easily support this sector and cut 

our country’s greenhouse emissions 

at the same time. PMR 

Contents 

NEWS 

‘Ambass-a-Door’ invests now for the upturn .................................2 

Bavarian Open House at Maka a resounding success ................4 

SCM UK opens its new building and showroom ..........................4 

Routing support .......................................................................................5 

Individual service .....................................................................................6 

Reducing carbon emissions with Talbott’s......................................6 

Successful show........................................................................................7 

Service from RW Machines: the crucial difference between 

one CNC machine and another for Dimensions 3 ....8-9 

Planit Software: “Prepare for success” ............................................10 

TOOLING 

Hydrowedge tools.................................................................................11 

SANDING & DENIBBING 

Second QuickWood denibber at Quadraspire............................12 

High gloss polishing.............................................................................12 

Success for Kündig at Woodworking Scotland...........................13 

LIGNA REVIEW 

Someone has turned the light on! ..................................................14 

Efficiency...................................................................................................14 

‘Dancing’ at Ligna ..................................................................................14 

Busy stands for SCM at Ligna 2009 .................................................15 

Vision on show at Ligna 2009............................................................16 

Just ‘touch and go’ with upgraded Striebig saw.........................16 

SOFTWARE FOR DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS 

Software enables Gowercroft to grow...........................................17 

Are you using the web to win more work? ..................................18 

Textured surfaces: the latest trend in furniture design............19 

Design and quote..................................................................................20 

DESIGN & INNOVATION 

CARB 2 compliant..................................................................................21 

Looking to the future through partnership.................................21 

New Kaleidos laminates from ABET LAMINATI ...........................22 

SAWS IN ALL SHAPES & SIZES 

Wide range of saws available from SCM .......................................23 

“An excellent saw”.................................................................................24 

Thin kerf advantages............................................................................24 

Zapkut: “a really good piece of kit”..................................................25 

Accurate angled ends ..........................................................................25 

Dixon Timber Products chooses Striebig — again!...................26 

WACO BKS band re-saws.....................................................................27 

HEALTH & SAFETY 

Triplar: Phase 2 by Dustraction.........................................................28 

Cutting power bills with DCS ............................................................29 

Extraction and heating........................................................................29 

Air Plants makes it comfortable for Komfort ...............................30 

HSE enforces breathing air quality standards .............................31 

SIPS plants sip energy..........................................................................31 

Panel, Wood & Solid Surface June/July 2009 Page 3

NEWS 

Bavarian Open House at Maka a resounding success 

MAKA’s open house on 3-5 June 

drew customers in unexpected 

high numbers to the exhibition 

in Telford. Phil Pitchford, managing 

director, was delighted with 

the serious quality enquiries 

recorded and the reaction and 

enthusiasm of the visitors. 

Existing and new potential customers 

had a great opportunity to 

mix and exchange information. 

MAKA’s PE70 five-axis CNC router 

focused demonstrations on the 

machine’s speciality: hardwood 

joinery products, showing its superior 

technology, flexibility, fast 

job changes, precision and finish. 

This, together with the presence of 

experts from Leitz Tooling and 

software specialists NC Hops, Delcam, 

Compass and Staircon, provided 

all the support information 

needed. Visitors really appreciated 

the technical advice and solutions 

SCM GROUP UK, the UK subsidiary of the Italian manufacturer, 

SCM Group Spa, recently opened its impressive new 

building, Blenheim House, located in Bulwell, Nottingham, 

and the event also included a three-day In-House Exhibition 

in the new extended Showroom area. 

The Opening Ceremony, including the cutting of a ribbon with 

the Italian flag colours, was performed by SCM Group’s Vice President, 

Adriano Aureli, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Councillor 

Brian Grocock, in front of all SCM UK’s employees, Italian representatives, 

distributors, suppliers and visiting customers. 

SCM, a world leading manu facturer of woodworking and 

panel processing machinery, has had a presence in the Nottingham 

area for over 25 years, the last 19 years in SCM House, Dabell 

Avenue, Bulwell, but due to continued expansion, and with the 

business split over three separate buildings, it was decided to relocate 

to a new 37,000 ft 2 building that would contain sales, servicing, 

spare parts, training, accounts and logistics departments, 

plus showroom and warehousing, all under one roof. 

SCM UK’s managing director, Gabriele de Col, comments: “With 

Visitors crowding around the MAKA PE70 demonstration. 

to their individual production requirements 

— and said so. 

MAKA expects positive sales results 

as a consequence of the exhibition 

and is more convinced than 

before that customers are becoming 

more aware of the value of the 

company’s five-axis CNC routers 

and reliable backup services offered. 

Says Phil Pitchford, who was 

very upbeat about the exhibition 

results: “Open house exhibitions 

may well be the best way to attract 

customers in future.” 

The Bavarian reception was 

much appreciated by visitors, who 

enjoyed the beer, sausage and 

salad refreshments and the 

friendly hospitality. An enjoyable 

and productive visit was had by all. 

MAKA Machinery UK Ltd 

Tel 01952 607700 

Email pp@makauk.com 

www.maka.com 

SCM UK opens its new building and showroom 

Above, visitors attending SCM UK’s opening of the new 

building and showroom in Nottingham. 

Left, Sheriff of Nottingham, Brian Grocock, SCM UK’s managing 

director, Gabriele de Col and SCM Group vice president, 

Adriano Aureli, opening SCM UK’s new building. 

the new building, we expect to continue SCM’s progress in the 

UK and Irish markets and having everyone together will ensure 

we provide comprehensive demonstration, servicing and most 

importantly these days, training, to all our existing and potential 

new customers. 

“Even in this difficult economic climate, we see the move as a 

positive sign to the market. SCM Group UK, with its financial and 

organisational strength, has appealed to small, medium and 

large companies for the guarantee that we will be here today and 

tomorrow to serve the needs of our industry.” 

SCM Group (UK) Ltd 

Tel 0115 977 0044 

Email scmgroupuk@scmgroup.com ● www.scmgb.co.uk 


NEWS 

Routing support 

THE CNC ROUTERSHOP consumables 

and after-sales support division 

of leading global manu - 

facturer, AXYZ International, is 

now fully operational. Whilst 

the facility is currently providing 

full after-sales support (including 

routing tools and 

accessories, training, service 

and upgrades) to the AXYZ, 

Pacer and CAMTECH ranges of 

CNC routers, it is intended ultimately 

to extend this to other 

machine brands. 

Heading this new division is 

AXYZ’ managing director, Mark 

Sweeney, who has 25 years of experience 

in the CNC routing technology 

sector. 

He commented: “It is my intention 

to build on the already successful 

CNC Routershop brand 

and deliver a better choice of options 

at truly affordable prices. We 

have built a team of highly skilled 

and factory-trained specialist engineers, 

who are fully conversant 

with all aspects of routing technology 

and who will enable the division 

to deliver a first class service 

and market-leading solutions at 

very competitive prices.” 

The stock of CNC routing tools 

and accessories currently held by 

this new division is one of the 

largest and most competitively 

priced available. It can be accessed 

either via the CNC Routershop catalogue 

or online. For companies 

where the volume and nature of 

the work undertaken may now require 

higher productivity, improved 

quality or more flexible 

programming, which cannot effectively 

be met by the routing 

technology currently installed, the 

new facility will provide a range of 

new upgrade options that will prevent 

the need for heavy capital investment 

in new machinery 

during the economic downturn. 

Further support for users of 

CNC routers is provided by the 

team of fully trained AXYZ engineers, 

who are experts in all aspects 

of machine maintenance 

and installation and who will respond 

immediately to meet any 

requirement. This may be just simple 

routine maintenance, moving 

machinery to new or rearranged 

premises, arranging upgrades or 

dealing with unlikely breakdowns 

that must be carried out with minimum 

disruption to the production 

cycle and the cheapest price 

possible, regardless of whether or 

not a maintenance contract is in 

place. 

The servicing and preventative 

maintenance available can now be 

supported with tailored solutions 

to keep machines running continuously 

and to avoid potentially 

damaging and costly breakdowns. 

This is further supported with a 

range of either standard or customised 

product training courses. 

These cover not only machine operation 

but also programming, 

CAD and application-specific issues 

and can take place either infactory 

or at the AXYZ training 

centres in Nottingham and 

Wolverhampton. 

AXYZ International (CNC 

Routershop Division) 

Tel 01902 375600 

Email sales@axyz.co.uk 

www.cncroutershop.com 


NEWS 

Individual service 

“IF IT’S WOOD, we could!” is the 

motto of Howard Walsh Carpentry 

and Joinery, a small company 

which, for the past 30 years, has 

been offering purpose made 

woodwork to both domestic and 

commercial clients in London 

and East Anglia. 

A long time member of the 

Guild of Master Craftsmen, 

Howard Walsh Carpentry and Joinery 

can offer a full range from replacement 

windows, doors and 

staircases through to bespoke 

built-in and freestanding furniture, 

working with either hardwoods or 

softwoods and all forms of sheet 

materials. Most materials used are 

FSC certified. 

When the company won a contract 

for a considerable quantity of 

oak windows, Howard faced a 

choice: should he invest in additional 

sash clamps, or find another 

way of setting glue quickly and 

then moving on to the next job? 

One factor to be borne in mind 

was that Howard’s workshop is in a 

former farm building: there is very 

little heating available and, during 

winter months, it can take a long 

time for glue to dry. 

Howard visited various woodworking 

forums on the internet to 

assess the suitability of RF gluing 

for his purposes: could it take the 

place of a few days’ drying and 

extra sash clamps? His research indicated 

that indeed it could. 

Howard had read within the 

pages of Panel, Wood & Solid Surface 

about the products and 

The manufacture of these oak windows was aided by the gluesetter. 

The Lamont gluesetter in action in Howard Walsh’s workshop. 

ser vices offered by Lamont, and 

was impressed enough to give 

Alan Lamont a call to discuss the 

application. 

Because of the thickness of the 

timber sections, Howard’s application 

was a new departure for Alan. 

Howard was impressed by the way 

that Alan requested a couple of 

sample joints, with the glue that 

would be used, before he would 

commit himself: “It struck me that 

he was interested in providing a 

service for the customer’s needs, 

rather than achieving a quick sale. 

“The deal he offered us was, ‘try 

it for a week, see if it works: if it 

does send me a cheque, otherwise 

I’ll come and collect it.’ You can’t 

say fairer than that.” 

Alan had been concerned that, 

due to the thickness of the 

combed joints, it may not be possible 

for the RF curing system to 

penetrate deeply enough to 

achieve the desired results. He 

therefore developed a new 

method of curing from both sides. 

“When he came, we experimented 

with him here and 

achieved a result that couldn’t be 

knocked apart with a hammer. So 

we took his offer to try it for a 

week … and we’ve still got it!” said 

Howard. “Since then, we are forever 

finding new ways to use it, on 

a wide range of woodworking 

projects. The gluesetter really is a 

solution looking for a problem to 

solve … just like a computer.” 

Howard would have no hesitation 

at all in recommending the 

Lamont gluesetter to others. “It 

frees up sash clamps and it speeds 

up work. If you can put items together, 

glue them up and move to 

the next operation, it speeds up 

the whole production process.” 

Lamont 

Tel 01461 40017 

Email aalamont@hotmail.com 

www.lamontclamping.co.uk 

Reducing carbon emissions with Talbott’s 

BASED in East Lothian, Scotland, Christopher Howard Cabinet Makers has installed a Talbott T75 wood waste to energy system to provide heat 

for the company’s Gullane workshop. The T75 is designed for the clean combustion of wood off-cuts, particle board, softwoods and 

pallets. This provides an output of 85,000 BTU/hr (25 kW/hr), more than sufficient to heat the entire 

working area within the Christopher Howard Cabinet Makers premises. 

The system is utilised to provide the company with heating sourced by its wood 

waste generated on site, eliminating an approximate £4,000 pa in traditional oil 

fuelled heating bills and waste removal expenses. This ensured a pay back period of 

just 12 months! 

Christopher Howard comments: “After the completion and subsequent 

operation of the system, we are extremely pleased to eliminate 

previous costs including £100 pw on bottled gas and £100 pm 

on skip fees. Talbott’s was extremely professional from start to finish 

and were continuously on hand to assist throughout the 

product selection and installation process. Simply put, it’s 

the best thing I have ever bought for the workshop.” 

Talbott’s has built up a portfolio of satisfied customers 

throughout the UK, Ireland and as far afield as Japan and 

North America, where customers have invested in anything 

from a simple hand fed hot air space heating system 

up to comprehensive hot water boiler systems for 

process energy requirements. All units offered by Talbott’s are 

exempt from Clean Air Act regulations. 

Talbott’s Biomass Energy Systems Ltd 

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


NEWS 

Successful show 

SCM GROUP UK recently held its 

Spring In-House Exhibition in its 

new Nottingham showroom. 

The In-House was held over 

three days and the total number of 

visitors was far greater than expected, 

with the number of customers 

being spread evenly over 

the three days of the Show. 

SCM’s managing director, 

Gabriele De Col, commented, “A 

number of customers travelled 

long distances as they wanted to 

view machines that they want to 

see working and demonstrated for 

their own purchasing requirements, 

whether for the present 

time or in the future when the upturn 

arrives.” 

There was continued interest in 

SCM’s wide range of CNC and 

panel processing machines for 

kitchen, bedroom and furniture 

manufacturing including the 

Pratix 48NST and the Accord 40 

which, with its extensive 7,320 

mm x 2,280 mm table size, was 

making its UK debut. 

The Cyflex F900 CNC drilling 

and grooving machine for panels, 

especially designed for kitchen 

and bedroom manufacturers and 

upholstered furniture, was in continuous 

demonstration. 

The latest “Actionline” range of 

Record CNC machining centres 

proved very popular. A bar/pod 

table machine, the Actionline AL 

TVN P, sold to a door manufacturer, 

machined various types of 

internal and external doors. It is fitted 

with a dedicated, high power 

Universal K2 two outlet machining 

head for lock and hinge recessing, 

with glass and letterbox openings 

being machined and fed out of 

the machine with an in-built conveyor 

system. 

The Record 132 NT TVN Prisma 

five-axis machine produced complex 

hand rails, stair strings, newel 

posts and arched window components. 

Along with the Windor 1 

CNC window machining centre 

and the Compact, Superset and 

Topset planer moulders, this illustrated 

SCM’s strength in depth 

within joinery manufacturing. 

A large number of SCM’s Classical 

range of woodworking machines 

were displayed, including 

the top of the range L’Invincible 

machines. Blyth Machinery, SCM’s 

distributor based near Leicester, 

sold a TEN 220 Class to Chris 

Sandercock Joinery and a K300 

edge bander and panel saw to 

Omega Kitchens. 

SCM’s S2000 edge-bander demonstrated at the In-House Exhibition. 

Five SCM edge banders, including 

the new K300, K500 and S2000 

models were continually working 

and SCM’s Sandya range of wide 

belt sanders sanded solid wood 

components and frames as well as 

veneered boards, with the newly 

launched Sandya 9S machine sold 

at the show. A high specification 

Sigma Impact 107C beam saw was 

displayed and demonstrated, 

showing the high quality of cut 

this machine provides. 

Concluding, Gabriele De Col 

stated, “We timed our exhibition to 

take place as we opened our new 

building for SCM UK, and we were 

very pleased with the number and 

quality of visitors, with many existing 

and a large number of new 

customers to SCM who had not 

been to see us before attending. 

Many orders and serious enquiries 

were received and, above all, the 

number of orders taken both at 

the show and with other orders 

that will definitely follow in the 

days after the In-House, it was very 

satisfactory.” 


Tel 0115 977 0044 

Email 

scmgroupuk@scmgroup.com 

www.scmgb.co.uk 


NEWS 

Service from RW machines: the crucial 

and another for Dimensions 3 

NIGEL Bicknell at Dimensions 3 

reckons that his new Anderson 

Stratos Pro from RW Machines 

has given him the means to negotiate 

the Credit Crunch and 

while he would not normally expect 

to be making what is for 

him so major an investment in 

times of a recession, he said: 

“The business realities are clear: 

expand or die.” 

Dimensions 3 is a small bespoke 

cabinet maker in Gloucestershire 

and Nigel Bicknell found very little 

to choose between the specifications 

of CNC machines at the grass 

roots level at which he was searching. 

Yet he knew that the machine 

he chose would make a fundamental 

difference to the way his 

shop floor operates and it was the 

attention to detail that he found 

with David Thompson Rowland 

and his team from RW Machines 

that tipped the balance in favour 

of the Anderson Stratos Pro. 

Dimensions 3 began as a very 

focused manufacturer of bespoke 

kitchens at a 6,000 ft 2 factory in 

the pretty village of Churcham, 

near Gloucester, where the team 

quickly built a formidable reputation 

locally for quality and attention 

to detail. During the past two 

years those developing standards 

of craftsmanship have extended 

that focus into bespoke production 

also of furniture for the NHS in 

the region and for schools, colleges, 

local retail businesses and 

even for local authorities — everything 

from toilet cubicles to smart 

Through cutting nested panels on his new Anderson Stratos Pro, Nigel Bicknell has discovered 

simple answers to maintaining and improving higher quality standards in today’s marketplace. 

counters for fast food outlets. 

It was this diversification, and 

the opportunities that it generated 

for expansion, that precipitated 

the search for quick and 

flexible CNC technology, says 

Nigel Bicknell: “As a kitchen manufacturer 

our work was always 

highly specialised but, of course, 

that is the nature of bespoke projects 

at all levels. Unique shapes 

and dimensions were in the past 

all cut manually on an old sliding 

table saw and routered by hand.” 

He adds: “With the automation 

our new Anderson Stratos Pro has 

given us, we have been able to increase 

output exponentially. We 

can now do in a day what used to 

take us a week!” 

When the technology quest 

began a year ago, Nigel Bicknell 

and his fellow directors reviewed 

the market to see where developments 

might lead them and they 

whittled down their choice options 

to a shortlist of three CNC 

systems. “Our reputation for quality 

and attention to detail locally 

has tended to generate more business 

than we were realistically able 

to address,” he says, “so this was an 

investment that had to be made.” 

The specification was clear and 

The screen on the new Anderson Stratos Pro at Dimensions 3 is 

well positioned and easy to read. 

The automatic 10 position tool changer on the Anderson Stratos 

Pro generates huge flexibility for Dimensions 3. 


NEWS 

difference between one CNC machine 

RW Machines also supplied a panel lifter and a dust extraction 

station as part of the deal. 

included, at the top of the wish list, 

a capability for panels nesting in 

order to give Dimensions 3 the 

throughput they needed and their 

‘top three’ systems focus highlighted 

the capabilities they 

sought. But Nigel Bicknell also has 

a friend with a senior engineering 

post at Honda, who ran an expert 

eye over the details of the shortlisted 

machines side by side and 

concluded that, in terms of pure 

technical detail, the Anderson 

Stratos Pro had to be the premier 

choice.” 

Nigel continues, “It was David 

Thompson Rowland among the 

suppliers, who took the trouble to 

review our business and to reach 

an in-depth understanding of the 

fine detail of our needs. We began 

to realise that it wasn’t just a machine 

for the production shop floor 

we were looking for: it was essentially 

a change of philosophy that 

would take us forward in difficult 

times and would affect every part 

of the Dimensions 3 operation. 

“David saw that the machine 

would fit directly into our production 

process seamlessly and would 

help us to make the transition 

from what was essentially a manual 

production process to a fully 

automated CNC one,” says Nigel. 

“He took the trouble to review the 

shop floor and to recognise that 

the demolition of a small storage 

area there would allow the positioning 

of the new Anderson exactly 

where it needed to be and 

that has made a profound difference 

to the overall benefits of the 

new machine. 

“Nesting was the primary requirement,” 

Nigel continues, “and 

with David’s help we have been 

able to organise a take off point 

from the new CNC that can be easily 

handled by a single operator. 

With the feed mechanism rigged 

as it is, the Anderson pushes the 

cut panels off the table, making 

way for the next incoming panel 

on the worktable. The edgebander 

is no more than a metre from the 

CNC — it’s a simple progression 

that, over the course of a working 

week, is saving us many man 

hours of time.” 

In addition to exponential increases 

in output capability, the 

software and controllability advantages 

of the Anderson Stratos Pro, 

and its advanced nesting capabilities, 

are bringing opportunities for 

the designers and fitters at Dimensions 

3 to explore new market 

niches at all levels. Dimensions 3 

sells direct to end customers, as well 

as servicing the needs of independent 

trade studios on the high street, 

and also now a growing number of 

builders and developers. 

The helical rack and pinion 

drive of the Stratos Pro system introduces 

a very high level of flexibility 

— work tables can be 

extended in the x-axis bringing 

important advantages for the machining 

of kitchen end panels and 

the full height panels of bespoke 

bedrooms or home office layouts. 

A set of pop-up location pins in 

the work table of Stratos pro and 

its grooved HPL phenolic table 

combine to promote high levels of 

accuracy in positioning and 

clamping, both for single panels or 

for nested component sets. Sixteen 

vertical plus two-way horizontal 

spindles for drilling and an 

automatic 10 position tool 

changer generates huge flexibility 

and a high speed software bus is 

incorporated to speed and simplify 

CAD-CAM programming. 

Through cutting nested panels 

on the Anderson Stratos Pro, Nigel 

Bicknell has discovered simple answers 

to questions about maintaining 

and indeed improving the 

higher quality standards that 

today’s marketplace demands. In 

addition to providing him with opportunities 

to develop new market 

niches independently, he is 

also finding RW Machines to be a 

very flexible and reliable partner in 

support of this extremely adaptable 

technology. 

To add further value to the 

package that RW supplied is a 

panel lifter and a dust extraction 

station, so the whole deal was selfcontained 

and pretty well ready to 

go. The add ons were a bonus that 

would have cost Dimensions 3 significantly 

more money in the normal 

course of events — so Nigel 

Bicknell feels he’s bought himself 

a real bargain! 

“Taking the decision to invest is 

never an easy one,” he says; “the 

first consideration is whether you 

invest in anticipation of growth or 

whether you wait until you’re 

pushed — are you pro-active or 

reactive? In a recession this judgment 

is even trickier. But we are 

now very diversified in skills terms 

and we have all the tools we need 

to address the market at every 

level. 

“We knew we could generate 

the volume if we had the right machine 

for the job. Now everyone 

here is confident that we have.” 

RW Machines Ltd 

Tel 01869 244943 

Email sales@rwmachines.co.uk 

www.rwmachines.co.uk 

Dimensions 3 has been extending its range into smart cabinet among other panel based components 

of system furniture at retail level. 


NEWS 

Planit Software: “Prepare for success” 

PLANIT Software Ltd, the name 

behind AlphaCAM and Cabinet 

Vision, recently celebrated its 

continuing strong market position 

by inviting its resellers from 

around the globe to attend a 

four-day conference in Manchester 

and to attend an awards 

ceremony, in which sales performance 

was recognised. A 

total of 48 of the company’s 93 

resellers worldwide attended, 

representing more than 25 

countries. 

During the conference, Planit’s 

senior management team took 

time out to talk to the press about 

their hopes and expectations for 

the coming year. 

Based around the theme of ‘Prepare 

for Success’, the conference 

combined talks on subjects such 

as ‘Opportunities from Challenges’ 

with hands-on demonstrations of 

the latest releases of the company’s 

products for the woodworking, 

metalworking and 

production tool industries: Alpha- 

CAM, Cabinet Vision, Edgecam 

and Radan were particularly 

emphasised. 

Planit is investing in research & 

development and, as a result, the 

company’s software is continually 

improving. Planit aims, where possible, 

to roll out two upgrades of 

each program every year, with the 

company’s divisions working together 

to ensure that benefits 

from one sector feed through into 

another. 

AlphaCAM and the wood and 

panels industry in general are 

making two important contributions 

to this development. 

The first is the modularity of the 

AlphaCAM system: there are modules 

for different types of router 

(standard, advanced, 3D 3-axis 

and 3D 5-axis) and add-ons to suit 

particular products: doors, windows, 

stairs, cabinets and art are 

all represented. In addition to 

AlphaCAM for wood, there are also 

sets of modules for AlphaCAM for 

metal and AlphaCAM for stone. 

The ease with which a company 

can specify software ideally suited 

to its products and methods of 

production, combined with the 

flexibility to upgrade over time, is 

seen as a definite advantage. 

Nesting is the second contribution 

that AlphaCAM is making to 

the whole Planit range. Nesting is 

well developed within the wood 

and panels industry as a means of 

gaining the greatest advantage 

from the materials, particularly 

where high quality, and therefore 

expensive, materials are being 

used. 

However, there are further efficiency 

and material saving gains 

to be made with even more advanced 

nesting functionality 

being included in the latest release 

of AlphaCAM. 

AlphaCAM has good relationships 

with woodworking machinery 

manufacturers and agencies 

and often works with them to supply 

the program with new machines. 

Alternatively, it is always 

possible to introduce AlphaCAM 

at a later date. 

Resellers from around the world gathered in Manchester to “prepare for success”. 

The award winners on the steps leading up to Concorde. 

Cabinet Vision is Planit’s leading 

CAD program and is in a particularly 

strong market position in the 

United States. Planit believes that 

there is a great deal of potential 

for growth within the UK and 

European markets and plans 

important developments for the 

autumn. 

Although Cabinet Vision was 

created with the needs of the designer 

in mind, manufacture is not 

forgotten: once the product has 

been designed to the customer’s 

satisfaction, the instructions required 

on the shopfloor are easily 

generated. 

Radan offers a CAD/CAM solution 

for the sheet metal industry, 

while Edgecam is a CAM system 

designed for the needs of the production 

tooling sector. 

The venue for the Planit Global 

Awards evening, the Concorde 

hanger at Manchester Airport, 

summed up the company’s 

attitude: Concorde was a dream of 

supersonic passenger flight which 

became a reality, becoming a byword 

for the best way to travel, 

and in the same way Planit’s management 

team sees the company 

going from strength to strength in 

the decade to come. 

There were seven categories for 

the awards, with Camtech GmbH 

awarded as Global Reseller of the 

Year. The company is headed up 

by Ulrich Riencks, CEO. Camtech 

has worked with Planit for a long 

time and its dedication has been 

vital to its success in Germany. 

The other winners of the 

evening were European Reseller of 

the Year: Nexnet Inc; Americas 

Reseller of the Year: SKA 

Automacao de Engenharias; European 

Highest Sales Growth of the 

Year: MW Programmation SA; 

Americas Reseller for Sales 

Growth: SIDISA (Sistemas de 

Diseno e Ingenieriea S de RI de 

CV); European Outstanding Sales 

Achievement: MP Engineering AB; 

and Americas Reseller for Maintenance 

Performance: M2 Technologies 

Inc. 

We will be bringing you news 

on the new developments promised 

during the year for both 

AlphaCAM and Cabinet Vision as 

they are released. 

AlphaCAM 

Tel 024 7671 3434 

Email 

Alphacam_sales@planit.com 

www.alphacam.com 


TOOLING 

Hydrowedge from Colton 

COLTON’S highly successful 

Hydrowedge tools are now 

available in an alloy/steel composite 

design for planing. 

This is a totally new design of hydraulically 

operated self centring 

cutter head. Huge setting-time savings 

of up to 80 per cent are 

achieved by simultaneous hydraulic 

clamping of all knife blades, 

thus eliminating the traditional 

clamping screws, with the added 

benefit of greatly reduced weight, 

with obvious implications for operator 

safety and reduced wear on 

the machine. This product was 

shown for the first time at W8 at the 

NEC by moulder tooling specialist 

Colton Tooling of Leicester, and is 

offered in a wide range of standard 

sizes as well as bespoke dimensions 

to customer specification. 

When used for planing, 4 mm 

serrated back cutters are incorporated 

in the design while for 

moulding operations 8 mm cutters 

are used. In both cases, the 

blades are simultaneously 

clamped under hydraulic pressure 

and the self locking action of the 

clamping wedges. 

A recent installation of 10 and 12 

knife planing heads 230 mm and 

260 mm long has been made on a 

Leadermac high speed planer/ 

moulder. The weight saving on a 

260 mm long block was 22 kg, from 

49 kg in all steel to 27 kg in composite 

alloy/steel construction. 

As well as this new product, 

Colton is also an established tooling 

manufacturer of 17 years, offering 

non-hydraulic and standard 

hydraulic planing and moulding 

cutterheads, as well as being a 

Weinig approved manufacturer of 

HSK Powerlock tools. To increase 

production, a dedicated manufacturing 

cell, formed around a new 

Deckel Maho vertical machining 

centre, has been established. 

Colton Tooling Ltd 

Tel 0116 276 6225 

Email info@coltontooling.co.uk 

www.coltontooling.co.uk 

… news in brief … news 

THE CONTINUATION of the Stenner 

name is now assured following 

a management buy out of 

the business. 

The buy out consists of ex Stenner 

directors Fred Harding, Syd 

Mather and Doug Richardson, together 

with Brian White of Twyford 

Engineering and long time distributors 

Daltons. “This has given us 

an excellent opportunity to realign 

the business to survive and 

prosper during these difficult 

times,” commented Syd Mather. 

Stenner is currently recruiting 

to ensure that the necessary skills 

are retained and had a very positive 

Ligna, where an order was 

placed by 11 am on the first day. 

Francis Dalton said, “We are delighted 

to have played our part in 

the rebirth of this high profile band 

and to having a significant role in 

its future. The Stenner range of 

stand-alone resaws is an important 

part of the Daltons sales portfolio 

and as main UK and Ireland distributors 

it is our intention to not only 

maintain but strengthen the Stenner 

name within the timber using 

and merchanting industries.” 

Stenner Ltd 

Tel 01884 255700 

www.stenner.co.uk 

Convert your wood waste and make 

Quote Ref: PWS 



Second 

QuickWood 

denibber at 

Quadraspire 

QUICKWOOD has recently installed 

a second denibber at 

Quadraspire, the high quality 

engineered Hi-Fi cabinet manufacturer. 

The first machine installed was 

a Quickwood PRO 800 suitable for 

denibbing items up to 800 mm 

wide. But with the expansion 

plans of Quadraspire and their 

ability to offer contract finishing, 

Ian Sibley decided on a PRO 1400 

to cater for denibbing and finishing 8ft x 4ft sheets and fire doors. 

The PRO range of denibbing machines have a series of abrasives mops 

mounted on a rotating carousel, which get in to all of the detail, giving a 

superior, smooth finish. 

QuickWood can now also offer a wide range of budget drying racks 

and spray-tables. Contact Warren to find out more. 

QuickWood UK 

Tel 01920 822922 

Email qw@quickwood.co.uk ● www.quickwood.co.uk 

High gloss polishing 

QUICKWOOD has recently installed a complete high 

gloss polishing line at a major kitchen door manu - 

facturer. The QuickWood PRO Power 1400 is the centre 

piece of the throughfeed line, which can polish high 

gloss panels up to 1,300 mm wide. 

The PRO Power is equipped with eight counter rotating 

cotton mops, which are mounted on a rotating carousel. 

The arrangement of the cotton mops means that the 

mops wear evenly even when the conveyor bed is loaded 

on one side. 

The PRO Power is fitted with a PLC which controls all the 

machine’s functions, including the automatic compound 

application, which is applied to the mops during operation. 

QuickWood UK can demonstrate the high gloss polishing 

system at its Hertfordshire showroom: contact Warren 

or Tony for further information. 

QuickWood UK 

Tel 01920 822922 

Email qw@quickwood.co.uk ● www.quickwood.co.uk 



Success for Kündig at Woodworking Scotland 

ONE OF the arguments for taking 

a stand at an exhibition is 

that you have the opportunity to 

meet potential customers with 

whom you have had no previous 

contact. Carl O’Meara of Kündig 

Ltd experienced just such an occurrence 

with an even better result 

at Woodworking Scotland, 

when he sold a large wide-belt 

sander to Illingworth Brothers. 

Established in 1951, Illingworth 

Brothers is based in Broxburn and 

specialises in sash and case traditional 

windows made to an 

‘Edinburgh Design’, which meets 

conservation requirements and is 

suited to the Scottish climate. They 

deliver what the company refers 

to as a “first class service” from 

planning through installation and 

maintenance. The double glazing 

“looks like single glazing” and incorporates 

energy saving technology 

that “won’t cost the Earth”. 

The company also manufactures 

doors, including French 

doors, and all timber is from sustainable 

sources. The company offers, 

in its own words, “the skill of 

traditional joinery methods coupled 

with the benefits of modern 

engineering”, which is where the 

Mike Illingworth (left) of Illingworth Brothers with Carl O’Meara of 

Kündig Ltd. 

latest investment in a Kündig 

sander comes in. 

As far as Woodworking Scotland 

is concerned, Carl O’Meara 

said: “We were impressed with the 

level of commitment shown by 

the organisers to ensure that all requirements 

were catered for.” 

He added: “The overall quality 

of the companies in attendance 

was somewhat impressive; as well 

as the actual sale of the Kündig 

Premium-2 we carried out a number 

of demonstrations on solid 

wood, veneered and lacquered 

panels and received a number of 

serious enquiries.” 

On the stand were four machines, 

the Brilliant-2, Premium-2, 

Uniq and Uniq-2. 

The second head of the Brilliant-2 

on show was oblique, to 

offer cutting in the shear plane resulting 

in a far flatter and fibre free 

surface. Both the Brilliant-2 and 

Premium-2 offer fixed working 

heights: the sanding heads lift up 

to 200 mm. Both benefit from dual 

controls, using either touch screen 

or manual control elements: and 

both machines have the capability 

to measure the workpiece across 

the width and then set itself to a 

predetermined finish size. 

The Uniq double sided edge 

sanding machine is suitable for 

both solid wood and fine finishing 

of veneered edges. This machine 

has adjustable oscillation to maximise 

the use of the sanding belt 

and motorised tilting of the abrasive 

to sand angled edges with the 

work piece remaining flat for accuracy 

and ease of use. The Uniq-S 

is also fitted with an integrated automatic 

feed system with variable 

speed control and optional variable 

speed control to the abrasive. 

Both edge sanders were also fitted 

with the optional additional 

cast table and bobbins. 

Kündig Ltd 

Tel 0845 833 0565 

Email sales@kundig.co.uk 

www.kundig.co.uk 

This article was first published in 

Scottish Woodworking News 

and is used with permission. 


LIGNA REVIEW 

Someone has turned the light on! 

“WHAT did we expect from the 

Ligna 2009 Exhibition in 

Hanover? Not a lot!” John Penny 

of John Penny Woodworking 

Machinery Ltd told PW&SS. 

“Very surprisingly, orders were 

being placed on the Stegherr 

stand and enquiries were better 

than expected, there were two 

KSF2-E fully automatic closed 

halving joint machines ordered for 

Canada, as well as a machine for 

Scotland. 

“The KSF2-E was again the star 

of the stand, the model shown 

was the KSF2-E/8 with eight working 

heads. This machine is able to 

drill, joint, scribe and angle cut all 

types of glazing bars and beads. 

Efficiency 

IN THE TEETH of the recession, new approaches 

and techniques are emerging to exploit natural resources 

more efficiently and economically. 

Typical is a series of innovations based on the thin 

kerf technology devised by Wood-Mizer 25 years 

ago. Its benefits have included high output, low energy 

consumption and minimal operating costs. 

Now the company is taking it a step further. In response 

to the difficult trading conditions being experienced by producers 

and consumers alike, it has worked on its own manufacturing 

process. By concentrating on engineering redesign and through 

the application of ‘lean’ manufacturing principles, it has reduced product 

costs and thereby its sawmills’ price without detracting from the functions 

of its timber processing machinery. 

Semi-industrial wood cutting was represented at Ligna by the LT70 series 

(illustrated). High capacity, increased productivity, reliability and safety convert 

this sawmill into the basis of the next level: industrial cutting. In 2009, 

Wood-Mizer is launching an LT70 remote controlled sawmill into European, 

Asian and African markets. The LT70-Remote has a remote operator control 

stand, enabling the operator to site himself in the optimum sawing position. 

Compound angle cutting on the Stegherr GLS-2 bead saw. 

“This machine was fitted with a 

remote measuring unit allowing 

each set of bars to be precisely cut 

to fit individual frames. 

“The machine is controlled from 

an easy to use touch screen programmer 

which can accept information 

by manual entry, via 

Bluetooth or on line from the window 

design computer. 

“The Stegherr GLS-2 glazing 

bead processing centre generated 

some interest, this machine can 

produce angle cuts from –45° to 

+45° in both vertical and horizontal 

planes. Both saws’ angles and 

the cutting stroke are controlled 

by servo drive, so any material can 

be cut. The material is fed and positioned 

by an NC pusher and the 

machine can be fully automated 

by the addition of customised 

work piece feeders.” 

Full information on all Stegherr 

equipment can be obtained from 

John Penny Woodworking Machinery 

Ltd. 

John Penny Woodworking 

Machinery Ltd 

Tel 01235 531700 

Email john.penny@btconnect.com 

Normally, with the addition of an optional log deck, inclined conveyor 

for board removal and transfer table, the sawmill repeats a lot of features 

of Wood-Mizer’s most productive mill, the LT300. However, the Ligna machine 

reflects engineers’ incorporation of less costly components and the 

conveyor and transfer table are replaced by manual roller ‘out-feed’ 

tables. Another example is manual- instead of electrically-operated hydraulic 

valves, to cut costs without compromising functions. 

In terms of overall operation, the LT70-Remote is similar to the LT300 

but costs 40% less. Productivity is about 30% less. 

Wood-Mizer UK ● Tel 01622 813201 

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

‘Dancing’ at Ligna 

A HIGHLIGHT of this year’s 

Combilift stand in the outside 

area at Ligna was the hourly 

performance of the Combi-CB 

“dance”, which attracted large 

crowds and perfectly demonstrated 

the manoeuvrability of 

Combilift’s latest model. 

Combilift drivers, Sam Moffett 

and Phillip Condell, left onlookers 

in no doubt of their expertise as 

they deftly manoeuvred the two 

Combi-CBs within inches of each 

other in a routine set to Irish music. 

The Combi-CB is a compact, 

four-way counterbalance truck, 

launched in the autumn of 2008 

and designed for operations that 

handle a mixture of longer and 

shorter loads. All three power options, 

LP Gas, diesel and the new 

electric version, were on show at 

Ligna for the first time. 

“Sales of this model are going 

very well, in spite of the current 

economic situation,” says managing 

director, Martin McVicar. “We 

put this down to the excellent 

value for money it represents, as 

using just this one truck is an economical 

solution, particularly when 

you factor in the extra overheads 

for maintenance, insurance and 

training that are incurred when 

using multiple types of forklifts.” 

The wide range of the other 

models on show proved that Combilift 

has the ideal four-way solution 

for the varying requirements 

of the timber sector. 

Martin sums up: “We established 

some good new contacts, 

met up with familiar faces and had 

some orders signed and sealed at 

the show. All in all, it was a very 

worthwhile week in Hanover.” 

Combilift Ltd 

Tel 07815 314990 

Email info@combilift.com 

www.combilift.com 


LIGNA REVIEW 

Busy stands for SCM at Ligna 2009 

THE SCM GROUP attended the recent Hanover Ligna 2009 exhibition with stands in two 

halls covering an area of over 2,500 m 2 , showing a comprehensive range of the company’s 

latest technological machines offering integrated and innovative solutions for the woodworking 

and panel processing industries. 

Sales representatives from SCM UK were in attendance and as usual the SCM stands 

were busy and well attended. SCM UK’s managing director, Gabriele De Col, commented: 

“In these days of doom and gloom, we were pleasantly surprised with the number of UK 

customers visiting our stand, obviously preparing themselves for the upturn 

in the market when it arrives. We had several visits from 

key customers planning future investments 

and we will be finalising some sales in 

the very near future.” 

Ligna featured the unveiling of the 

ACCORD 40 TVN with bar and pod 

table for producing frames and joinery 

components. 

The machining head has two 

New SCM Accord 40 TVN CNC machining centre 

powerful routing units with on board 

tool changers to allow a switch from one machining 

operation to another in just a few seconds 

and a specific function module for carrying out all cutting operations 

using a blade. 

Two additional magazines allow a total of 72 tools to be constantly 

available. The fully automated worktable is completely 

covered by the entire machining head and consists of 1,900 mm 

long bars. 

Another model in the range is the ACCORD 40 with multifunction 

table which, having a component passage measurement 

of up to 330 mm and machining areas up to 7,250 mm 

long and 2,280 mm wide, achieves high levels of precision and 

an excellent quality of finish, even on large workpieces. 

Energy saving is constantly gaining importance: this is especially 

true for medium and large sized enterprises using largescale 

equipment. SCM and Routech decided to cater for this by 

Gabbiani Mahros CUBO panel processing system. 

presenting the Eco Power Pack (EPP), which offers power energy 

saving; vacuum energy saving; exhaust energy saving; and motor energy saving. All of the CNC machining centres exhibited at Ligna 2009 featured 

Eco Power Pack and it is available as an option on all new generation machines. 

Following its great success among small and medium-sized door and window frame manufacturers, SCM has developed new solutions to make the 

WINDOR 1 perform even better than the previous machine. During tenoning, the cycle becomes fully automated. 

To machine the two ends of the work -piece, automatic rotation occurs without operator intervention. Once the workpieces are locked on the central 

gripper, the entire process is managed by machine control, reducing down times. WINDOR 1 can be equipped both for tenoning and for profiling 

with HSK 85S interchangeable spindles, which guarantee rapid tool changes and therefore 

flexible production, plus an excellent quality finish. The HSK 85S tool change system has a 

pneumatically operated device which makes the procedure even simpler, faster and safer for 

the operator. WINDOR 1 now also comes with the T-SET device, a system for locking/releasing 

tools using compressed air. 

SCM’s CYFLEX F900 CNC boring machine is now even more compact and has turned ‘PRO’. 

Designed for the small woodworking and panel processing workshops, but also useful for 

prototyping for large companies, it is a true CNC machine, compact and flexible, for 

machining with the worktable tilted vertically and is controlled by Xylog software. The new 

type of integral protection has further reduced the machine’s footprint, having eliminated the 

previous safety mats, giving the new CYFLEX an improved design without distorting the original 

concept. 

From SCM’s Hi-Tech Panel Division, Gabbiani Mahros presented an innovation for a broad 

group of customers whose top priority is to improve the processing of very small, highly differentiated 

batches in very short cycle times. C.U.B.O. — Cutting Unit Batch One — is a panel 

sizing-squaring centre with a fixed worktable and two mobile gantries, each with a single machining 

head. The structure is very compact and strong and the use of two routing units 

achieves high standards of quality, finish, precision and productivity. Each gantry is driven by 

two, electronically synchronised, brushless motors. The drive transmission consists of two 

racks with hardened and ground helical teeth. Moving components travel on prismatic guides. 

Also on show on the SCM stand were the SCM Olimpic K1000 edge-bander; the L’Invincibile 

“Full Support” Frame with wireless connections to the controls; the Powerflex integrated 

boring system from Morbidelli; and the new IDM Genesis KS squaring edgebander. 


Tel 0115 977 0044 ● Email scmgroupuk@scmgroup.com ● www.scmgb.co.uk 

Tooling stack on SCM’s WINDOR 1. 

Hi-Tech Panel Division ● Tel 0115 977 7818 ● Email scmhitech@scmgroup.com 


LIGNA REVIEW 

Vision on show 

at Ligna 2009 

AT LIGNA 2009, Hamuel Reichenbacher once 

again demonstrated to the woodworking world 

why it is a leader in the field when it comes to developing 

new ideas. 

On a large double decker stand, the company unveiled 

the latest addition to its successful VISION 

range of CNC-machining centres. The new VISION 

Premium, designed for precise high-speed machining, 

has a head assembly, believed to be unique, that 

incorporates a five-axis working head as a central element 

and two slides, which can each accommodate 

a three-axis routing spindle. 

This powerful combination, together with an automatically 

operated beam table, provides extra - 

ordinary levels of flexibility and performance whilst 

Reichenbacher’s impressive VISION-UT door production cell was 

demonstrated to great effect. 

Visitors to the Hamuel Reichenbacher stand were able to witness 

for themselves the capabilities of the new VISION Premium. 

considerably reducing setting times. Like all the ‘new breed’ of Reichenbacher 

machines, the VISION Premium is supplied with Siemens 

Sinumerik control. Additionally, all its electrical and electronic components 

are provided by Siemens. 

Also demonstrated on the Reichenbacher stand was a door production 

cell, again believed to be unique, capable of machining around 300 

door blanks per day. The system, with twin automatic loading portals and 

through-flow table, was developed by Reichenbacher engineers for leading 

Swiss door manufacturer, Entla AG. 

The nucleus of the production cell is a Vision-UT Sprint CNC machining 

centre with two five-axis machining heads capable of working up to eight 

degrees below the horizontal plane to accommodate specialist Anuba 

hinges. 

Hamuel Reichenbacher 

Tel 01226 761799 

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

Just ‘touch and go’ with upgraded Striebig saw 

MAJOR improvements have been made to the popular Striebig Evolution and Control 

Series of vertical panel saws, improving their efficiency and making them even more attractive 

for use in the busiest of production environments. 

Launched at Ligna, both the upgraded Evolution and Control models now feature as standard 

Striebig’s innovative ‘touch and saw’ operating system. This delivers easy and convenient 

machine control through a touch screen panel. A fingertip touch is all that’s needed to 

operate all of the functions of the machine. 

The two other new features also available as standard are improved error messaging and 

a laser-supported display for making totally accurate horizontal cuts. 

A particularly advanced new option is the addition of a cutting list input function via a 

USB memory stick, with data coming from Striebig panel optimisation software developed 

specifically for vertical panel saws. All possible dimensions are shown on the touch screen 

with each dimension ready to be selected by the operator. 

Matt Pearce, sales coordinator at TM Machinery Sales, Striebig’s sole UK distributor, said: 

“The upgraded Evolution and Control machines offer as standard an unbeatable package of 

advanced features and ergonomic design that make them unrivalled in today’s market. 

“With full automation of the sawing operations and the additional special options available, 

the Control has been transformed into the world’s very first vertical panel cutting centre. 

“Because of their more efficient built-in operating functions, both upgraded models deliver 

the twin benefits of reduced energy use and less material wastage, which in these difficult 

economic times has to be a good thing.” 

The new models, which are accurate down to 0.1 mm, will be available to customers in 

the UK and Ireland from October. 

TM Machinery Sales 

Tel 0116 271 7155 ● Email sales@tmservices.co.uk ● www.tmmachinery.co.uk 



Software enables Gowercroft to grow 

ELEVEN years ago, David Brown 

and Chris Madge created 

Gower croft Ltd to rescue a failing 

joinery business from the 

liquidators and have turned it 

into a very successful business, 

which continues to grow even 

through the credit crunch. 

Based near Matlock, Derbyshire, 

Gowercroft employs 16 staff and 

has an annual turnover of £750,000. 

Gowercroft provides a full range of 

bespoke hardwood joinery including 

conservatories, windows, 

doors, stairs, furniture and kit - 

chens. The company has focused 

on providing a well designed quality 

product, combined with exceptional 

service to customers and 

ensuring prompt and comprehensive 

after care. Gowercroft has 

seen the value that investing in 

skilled staff, together with machinery 

and software, can bring. 

Purchasing Joinerysoft’s JMS 

just two years ago, Chris says, “We 

were at a stage where our business 

was being constrained by our 

paperwork, which was all handled 

manually. This software gives us 

clarity in what we do and a faster 

response time, so our customers 

see us as a more professional outfit. 

We are pleased that Joinerysoft 

has lived up to its promises. We 

have purchased a partnership 

rather than a product.” 

The company describes the 

purchase of Joinery Management 

Software, JMS, as one of the best 

value purchases made. 

Chris continues, “Everything 

went through David and our sales 

manager, Andy, who were spending 

too much time with cutting 

lists. We knew we needed to do 

something, but were worried that 

software could not be flexible 

enough to handle bespoke joinery. 

We were concerned with the 

changes it would mean to the way 

people worked, so we made sure 

all areas were involved in discussions 

to specify how it should 

work and gain understanding and 

commitment from all involved.” 

He says, “My concerns were unfounded 

as it turned out. I think 

that’s because the software is so 

easy to use. The JMS training and 

installation was very thorough 

and set us off to a really good 

start.” He adds, “I think it is one of 

Joinerysoft’s great strengths that 

all their installers are joiners too.” 

Sales manager, Andy Wilson, 

confirms: “Quoting is a lot more 

professional now and customers 

can clearly see what they are getting.” 

Accurate scaled diagrams 

show the shape, style and size of 

each item, while details such as 

hardware, timber, glass sizes and 

even the colour of the paint finish, 

give the customer confidence to 

approve the job knowing what 

they will be getting. 

Before JMS, Gowercroft were 

using written quotations without 

pictures and confess that it inevitably 

led to customers ringing 

up asking, “What does this mean?”. 

With JMS, the quote is clear and 

also has the added advantage that 

anyone in the company can now 

pick up the quote and see what is 

required. This is vital in promoting 

good customer care. 

The workshop has seen a significant 

improvement in productivity. 

With the quote agreed, Andy 

can now print out accurate and 

detailed cutting lists without any 

extra work involved. He confirms, 

“JMS has meant fewer mistakes are 

made. Our joiners are a lot happier, 

the new cutting lists are easier 

to understand and diagrams 

show them the finished product.” 

With JMS, cutting lists can be 

customised to suit individual 

workshops, depending upon the 

job or joiner/machinist’s needs. 

The time savings introduced by 

JMS are significant. Andy confirms 

he can now quote and produce 

cutting lists for 10 bespoke sliding 

sash windows in just half an hour, 

instead of a minimum of five 

hours. Both Dave and Andy have 

more time to manage staff, take 

time with customers, enhance 

products and therefore grow the 

business. As a direct result, the 

company has now taken on and 

equipped installation teams to ensure 

that the carefully manufactured 

product is correctly installed 

and enhanced further the customer 

care. 

Andy comments, “JMS is speeding 

up production no end. There 

isn’t one thing that I like about 

JMS, but lots of things.” 

He adds, “Joinerysoft has been 

very helpful. One of the best features 

of their support is the ability 

to log on to my computer. It 

means Joinerysoft can see the 

problem for themselves and 

demonstrate the solution on my 

computer in front of me.” 

Joinerysoft’s pledge: “Designed 

by joiners, for joiners” has stood up 

to the test at Gowercroft. Chris 

Madge confirms, “JMS has given us 

clarity in terms of providing understandable 

outputs; both quotations 

and cutting lists. JMS has 

been everything we’ve needed it 

to be and given us the chance to 

grow our business further. We’ve 

also seen the way the product 

continues to be developed just in 

the period we’ve been using it. 

Joinerysoft has a really good relationship 

with its customers and 

works with us to tackle any new 

challenges we throw at them to 

get the best product available.” 

Gowercroft Ltd 

Tel 01629 823853 

www.gowercroft.com 

Joinerysoft Ltd 

Tel 01608 643302 

Email enquiries@joinerysoft.com 

www.joinerysoft.com 



Are you using the web to win more work? 

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 

New 

Steton S630/S Thicknesser 

Maggi Junior 640 CE Radial Arm Cross Cut Saw 

Maggi 2034 Power Feed Unit 

Used 

Mayer PS7Z 3.8 m Beamsaw CE 1998 

Centauro R800 Power Band Resaw CE 2004 

Wadkin GC220 5 Head Planer Moulder 

DMC Castelli C/LCL95 Roller, Pad & Brush Sander 

Saomad UT4S Single End Tenoner 

Wilson FX Spindle Moulder with power feed & DC brake 

Wadkin LS Pin Router with compound table 

Wadkin BSW 20” Rip Saw with DC brake 

APL 2500D 3 Bag Dust Extractor 

Wilson FX Spindle Moulder with table extensions & DC brake 

Wadkin BAO/S 12 in x 7 in Planer Thicknesser 

Wadkin EQ H/D Spindle Moulder with PFU & DC brake 

Inventair MK4 Bag Dust Extractor 

Wadkin LS High Speed Pin Router with DC brake 

Ortza S320F 3·2 m Panel Scoring Saw 

Wadkin JY Bobbin Sander 

Wadkin BZB 30” Bandsaw 

Rye M1 Twin Spindle Borer 

Interwood FSO 8 ft x 4 ft 3 Screw Press 

Over 70 new and used machines in stock 

For our full list, please check out our web site 

www.n-m-o.com 

SomCom develops websites for joiners 

THE internet revolution has left 

many feeling confused and left 

behind. 

Traditionally, joiners have developed 

their business by reputation 

of time honoured skills and 

craftsmanship, with work coming 

from repeat work or referrals. 

The credit crunch means that 

few joiners will have the luxury of 

waiting for enquiries to just come 

to them. 

Joiners need to adopt new 

strategies to help attract new customers 

and the internet offers the 

ideal way to access a much larger 

market. 

Enfield Speciality Doors recently 

commissioned SomCom to 

update its website with remarkable 

results. 

The design criteria was to present 

a professional and corporate 

image with a modern feel. 

“Our aim was to use the website 

as a brochure, allowing customers 

to understand what we do and the 

different products and services 

that we offer, but ultimately to 

contact us. That objective has 

been successfully achieved, resulting 

in new calls and requests daily,” 

says Simon Bliss on behalf of Enfield 

Doors. 

He adds, “Our SomCom designed 

website has opened new 

doors for us.” 

SomCom, the sister company to 

Joinerysoft, who produce the JMS 

software, has been providing website 

services since 2001. 

The company’s close association 

with Joinerysoft provides a 

unique insight that allows Som- 

Com to cater for the specific needs 

of the joinery industry. 

Simon Bliss confirms, “The overall 

feel and professionalism of 

SomCom design was reflected in 

providing a finished website that 

exactly meets our needs.” 

A SomCom website will enable 

you to reach more customers, 

thereby increasing customer enquiries 

and showcase your work 

with an online image gallery or 

catalogue, helping you to present 

a professional image and giving 

you greater credibility. 

SomCom provides professional, 

effective websites for a wide range 

of clients. 

David Pottinger from SomCom 

adds, “We specialise in making 

websites that work for you and 

can provide links to order processing, 

customer databases and also 

joinery software such as JMS.” 

SomCom 

Tel 01608 643302 

Email sales@somcom.co.uk 

www.somcom.com 

Enfield Speciality Doors 

Tel 020 8805 6662 

Email sales@enfielddoors.co.uk 

www.enfielddoors.co.uk 



Textured surfaces: 

the latest trend in furniture design 

Delcam, a CAD/CAM software 

development specialist, discusses 

the alternative methods of 

creating tactile surfaces. 

TEXTURED doors and panels are becoming increasingly 

popular in today’s furniture industry. 

However, these are relatively simple things to 

create using any one of the CAD/CAM (Computer 

Aided Design & Manu facture) software packages 

in Delcam’s ArtCAM range. 

One simplistic, yet effective, method using any 

one of the ArtCAM products: Express, Insignia or 

Pro, is to use the shapes and sizes of CNC router tools, such as Conical or Ball Nose tools, 

to create the texture as they carve away the material. 

This can be done by designing line drawings (also known as vectors) and repeating 

or mixing them with other designs which will then be used for the router tools to follow 

(the toolpath). 

An alternative method to create extremely eye-catching results is for the designer to 

choose from a variety of textures available in the ArtCAM Relief Clipart Library, or by importing 

a photo or image of a texture into the software. ArtCAM is compatible with a 

wide variety of bitmap file formats. 

ArtCAM attributes differing heights to the lights and darks within an image to 

create a greyscale image, which is then converted into a 3D image/relief. In ArtCAM 

Express and Insignia, this can then be saved and imported into any ArtCAM model file 

on which the designer is working. 

With ArtCAM Pro, the advanced product in the range, the user has even greater design 

freedom, as they can then manipulate and work with the 3D texture relief to 

create their complete 3D model using its patent pending relief layer management 

system. Additionally, the user can create a multitude of organic textures with its 

sophisticated modelling and sculpting tools. 

For example, using ArtCAM Pro’s ‘Texture Relief’ tool, the user can select from an 

assortment of shapes that they would like to apply to their relief, such as conical, spherical 

or weave effects. 

With the ‘Clone’ tool, the user’s 3D texture relief can be used as a sculpting brush of 

any size, and then ‘stamped’ on the relief layer wherever the user clicks their mouse or 

taps their pen on the Wacom tablet. 

Other sculpting tools can then be used to smudge and smooth the design. Unique 

shapes that spin, twist and turn can also be easily made with ArtCAM’s intuitive relief 

tools. 

All ArtCAM products offer the user the opportunity to see their design prior to 

machining. In ArtCAM Pro, the user can view their textured panels with their other 

models, or furniture components, so that they can see how the textured piece will look 

in context. 

These are just a handful of methods that can be used to create tactile surfaces. 

However, if you want to find out more about using CAD/CAM and CNC technology to 

create furniture, please visit the company’s website or email Sandra (details below). 

Delcam Plc 

Tel 0121 683 1000 ● Email Sandra@delcam.com ● www.artcam.com 



Design and quote 

A STRATEGIC decision by Clevedon-based 

Paneltec Manufacturing 

some eight years ago to 

change production methods 

has helped the company keep 

its place in a highly competitive 

environment. 

Today, Paneltec supplies to a diverse 

customer base, including 

dental cabinetry, health centres, 

hospitals, schools, bespoke furniture, 

washrooms and contract 

panel processing. 

Investment in CNC machinery 

supported by Cabinet Vision software 

from Planit has resulted in diversification, 

flexibility and higher 

output with turnover of around 

£1m /a from a total staff of six. 

Office manager, Ian Larmer, 

says: “After investing in CNC machinery, 

it became clear there was 

no link between design in the office 

and the machinery on the 

shopfloor.” The company investigated 

software solutions and Cabinet 

Vision soon became the 

system of choice. 

“We invested in Cabinet Vision 

about five years ago,” says Ian. 

He receives quotes from the 

company’s customers, ranging 

from rough sketches of rooms to a 

full CAD plan. He converts this to a 

detailed 3D room design fitted 

with units that match the customer’s 

specification. The company 

is currently working for a 

number of health authorities as 

well as dental practices, producing 

anywhere between one and four 

completely fitted rooms per week. 

“Normal cabinets are not used 

in the dental sector as they have to 

be special heights and there is 

special equipment that has to be 

housed in each cabinet. We also 

find that each dentist will want the 

design tweaked to suit their 

needs. Before using Cabinet Vision, 

these tweaks would cause a 

huge problem because you have 

to change the program for each 

individual cabinet component, 

which takes time and also opens 

up the chance of errors occurring,” 

Ian Larmer points out. 

He goes on to say: “Within Cabinet 

Vision, you can store cabinet designs 

by type, so kitchen cabinets 

and dental cabinets can be held in 

different databases and pulled into 

the planned layout. Any changes to 

the standard cabinet structure can 

be quickly input parametrically and 

in the background the software is 

automatically writing the CNC programs 

for each component part. It’s 

simple to modify a design and you 

can be confident that it will run 

through the workshop and be 100 

per cent correct.” 

Designs are laid out in what 

looks like a 2D frame, but the software 

has the intelligence to know 

that these are 3D cabinets. Ian 

Larmer sets the room out and 

places all the cabinets required according 

to the customer’s sketch or 

detailed plan. Cabinet Vision then 

allows him to very quickly generate 

a 3D realistic view of what the 

finished room will look like, complete 

with rendered cabinet doors 

or drawer fronts, worktops, sinks 

and so on. This is supplied to the 

customer along with fully dimensioned 

plan and elevation views as 

well as lists of the cabinets and the 

materials that will be used. “With 

Cabinet Vision the fully detailed 

drawing and quote with itemised 

costs are sent back to the customer 

within an hour and this level of detail 

and quick turnaround has secured 

orders for the company,” 

confirms Ian. 

The quotation is also generated 

by Cabinet Vision, because he uses 

the software to calculate the cost 

to produce each cabinet, although 

the software can also calculate the 

cost based on type of material and 

how much is used. It has been 

configured this way to match how 

Paneltec’s customers want to see 

the price per item displayed. 

Savings have also been made 

on raw material costs thanks to 

Cabinet Vision. Prior to using the 

software, raw material calculations 

were performed as a separate, 

time consuming process. As Cabinet 

Vision knows exactly what is 

required and optimises sheets to 

provide an exact count, the correct 

amount of stock can be ordered. 

The system also highlights how 

much edging is required and how 

many handles are needed. This 

material accuracy means Paneltec 

can order on a just-in-time basis. 

Cabinet Vision is hardwired to 

the machines on the shopfloor 

and the optimised sheet cutting 

code is sent to the beam saw while 

the drilling program is sent to the 

drill via the company’s NC link. 

Each cabinet produced is numbered 

and each panel for that cabinet 

carries the same ID number. 

As it cuts, the beam saw prints a 

bar code label which also has a 

drawing of the panel with details 

of which sides need edging strips. 

Ian Larmer explains: “You can pick 

up any panel on the shopfloor and 

you will know what type of cabinet 

it’s for, which job and how it 

should be edged. Scanning the 

bar code at the CNC drill automatically 

pulls the correct program up 

and even tells the operator where 

on the machine to load the panel.” 

The labelling also aids the onsite 

installation because the drawing 

contains the same cabinet 

numbering used in production, so 

the fitter can easily follow which 

cabinet goes in which location, 

avoiding cabinets which look very 

similar getting mixed up. 

Cabinet Vision provides the flexibility 

to turn jobs around in a very 

tight time scale. “We have had a 

sketch in the morning and shipped 

the complete surgery in the same 

afternoon. This would not have 

been possible without Cabinet Vision,” 

Ian Larmer confirms. 

The software also provides a 

record of jobs that have been completed. 

This allows the company to 

quickly supply replacement panels 

or cabinets if they have become 

damaged during fitting or use. 

Ian Larmer concludes: The fact 

that Cabinet Vision offered everything 

— the front end, the design, 

the manufacturing — is what sold 

it to us.” 

Cabinet Vision 

Tel 024 7671 3434 

Email Alphacam_sales@planit.com 

www.planit.com 



CARB 2 compliant 

FORMALDEHYDE, a component 

in the raw material of the resins 

used to bind wood fibres by the 

wood based composites industry, 

has long been subject to 

debate. 

With continued and growing interest 

in ‘healthy buildings’, pro - 

duct emissions and indoor air 

quality, this is now a major live 

issue for panel products in Europe, 

the USA and Japan, all of which 

have developed their own standards 

in response. 

Europe has led the way on 

formaldehyde reduction with the 

E1 standard, but demands from 

the market, home product retailers 

and regulation coming from 

California have resulted in the call 

for stricter standards on MDF and 

chipboard producers than are currently 

being applied in Europe. 

The Californian Air Resources 

Board CARB system (which measures 

airborne emissions rather 

than the amount of formaldehyde 

in the board) is emerging as the 

standard in the marketplace. 

In the USA, the Californian 

CARB 1 regulation came into effect 

in January 2009 and, whilst 

not yet a national regulation in the 

US, is already being adopted ‘defacto’ 

by all US states, and several 

ON JUNE 11, at the Irish Embassy 

in London, Titan Wood 

international home products retailers 

who are heavily dependent 

on composites are also developing 

formaldehyde reduction 

strategies. When the final limits are 

fully in place by 2012, the regulation 

will establish the toughest 

production standard in the world 

for formaldehyde emissions from 

composite wood panels. 

Medite, part of the panel pro - 

ducts division of Coillte, the Irish 

forestry and forest products company, 

is an industry pioneer and 

has long been at the forefront of 

low formaldehyde innovation in 

Europe. 1987 saw the introduction 

of Medite E1 and a few years later, 

the launch of Medite Ecologique, 

a specialist zero-added formaldehyde 

product which, since its introduction, 

has been widely 

specified for environmentally sensitive 

interior applications such as 

museums, laboratories, art galleries 

and schools. 

Following a recent €16 m investment 

in new technology and 

equipment to improve production 

facilities and refiner capabilities at 

its plant in Clonmel in Ireland, 

Medite continues to be able to respond 

quickly to constantly evolving 

regulations. Now Medite has 

the ability to manufacture MDF 

(part of Accsys Technologies Plc) 

and leading MDF manufacturer, 

Back row: John Hunt (Enterprise Ireland), Emanual Carcalho (EI), 

Michael Maes (Titan Wood), Adrian Wyn-Jones (Accsys Technologies), 

Andrew Macdonald and Geoff Rhodes (Coillte Panel Products). 

Front row: His Excellency Bobby McDonagh (Irish Ambassador), 

Kevin Wood (Accsys Technologies), Gerry Britchfield (Coillte Panel 

Products), Mary Coughlan (Tánaiste and Irish Minister for Enterprise, 

Trade and Employment), David Gunning (CEO Coillte). 

panels which have been certified 

in compliance with the emission 

standards of CARB 2; 18 months 

before the CARB 2 regulation becomes 

compulsory in the US. This 

also means that Medite is able to 

produce MDF which meets the 

EPF-S guideline standards currently 

being developed in Europe. 

In response to the growing 

market demands for reduced 

formaldehyde emissions from 

MDF panels, Medite’s managing 

director, Joe Kennedy, says, “Our 

customers continuously demand 

that we provide panels which 

meet the highest international 

standards. We are now seeing a 

growing demand for MDF which is 

in compliance, not just with the 

current CARB 1 standard that 

came out this year, but also with 

Medite Europe Ltd (part of 

Coillte Panel Products, a division 

of Coillte) met the Irish Ambassador, 

His Excellency Bobby 

McDonagh, and Mary Coughlan, 

Tánaiste and Irish Minister for 

Enterprise, Trade and Employment, 

to sign a joint development 

agreement which will 

push the boundaries of wood 

product innovation. 

Reflecting Ireland’s drive for industrial 

and technological development, 

Titan Wood and Medite 

Europe will work towards developing 

an economically viable and 

non-toxic medium density fibreboard 

(MDF) panel made from Tricoya® 

wood elements; an environmentally 

responsible process 

which protects wood from rot and 

improves stability and durability. 

This will enable new products to 

be used in new and exciting applications, 

including those in high 

moisture areas, especially outdoors. 

Medite has been a major player 

the much more rigorous CARB 2 

standard. 

“Medite provides the assurance 

needed by our customers in the 

form of MDF produced to CARB 2 

standards which we can produce 

to order, and we are now one of 

the first manufacturers able to satisfy 

this growing demand. 

“Meeting these new ‘best in 

class’ levels is a great step forward 

and to do it so far in advance of 

the 2011 US regulation deadline is 

a massive achievement for the 

technical and production teams at 

Medite.” 

Medite Europe Ltd 

Tel 01322 424900 

Email 

geoff.rhodes@coillte.com or 

andrew.macdonald@coillte.com 

www.medite-europe.com 

Looking to the future through partnership 

in the European MDF market since 

1976 and has exhibited a consistent 

commitment to research and 

development. 

As a result, Medite has established 

itself as a leading innovator 

with a matchless range of added 

value high specification panels, 

each one with specific properties 

for particular applications. 

Gerry Britchfield, managing director 

of Medite parent division, 

Coillte Panel Products, explains, 

“Medite has a long history of leading 

the panel products industry 

and prides itself on being an innovator 

and pioneer. 

“We are pleased to officially 

partner with Titan Wood in introducing 

the world’s most durable 

MDF product to international 

markets.” 

Says Finlay Morrison, CEO of 

Accsys Technologies, “Together we 

will revolutionise the industry.” 

Medite Europe Ltd 

Tel 01322 424900 

www.medite-europe.com 



New Kaleidos laminates from ABET LAMINATI 

Datum Tools Ltd 

Tel 01892 667800 www.flipstop.com 

KALEIDOS is a new range of laminates recently launched in the UK by ABET 

LAMINATI. The first application is in the reception area at Leeds University, where 

the main reception desk is clad with Shards 879 from the Kaleidos range. The 

charcoal grey cladding was specified by Works Architecture and features an innovative 

LED illuminated glass top designed by Ardent Products. 

Kaleidos is the latest innovative and visually stimulating range from ABET LAMI- 

NATI. It comprises four interactive finishes to capture the essence and structure of the 

Kaleidoscope, ranging from the optical illusion in ‘Lens’ to the broken fragments in 

‘Shards’ and the shimmering and playful colours of ‘Crystal’ and ‘Sparkles’. 

Suitable for all vertical applications, Kaleidos is part of the post-formed grade Collection 

and comprises four colours in each finish, including 

white, beige, charcoal grey and black. 

The range has stunning visual appeal and its deep threedimensional 

effects have been hailed as a remarkable breakthrough 

in laminate design. This development reinforces 

ABET LAMINATI’s position as a global laminate manufacturer 

and leader in laminate creativity and innovation. 

It is Abet’s design-led approach, coupled with strong links 

to the best Italian and international designers, that enables 

the company to offer designers and specifiers such a diverse 

choice of laminates and such a comprehensive range of 

colours, styles and textures. Samples and technical literature 

are available from Abet’s sample line. 

Abet Ltd ● Tel 020 7473 6915 

email sales@abet.ltd.uk ● www.abetuk.com 



Wide range of saws available from SCM 

SCM IS a world leading manufacturer of woodworking and panel processing 

machinery, and its range of sliding table panel saws and 

panel beam saws is claimed to be unrivalled in the market today. 

SCM circular panel saws allow the operator to carry out error-free mitre 

cuts and/or cuts with a tilted blade, thanks to SCM-patented software 

functions which greatly assist the operator. 

For L’Invincibile machines and those with Full Support 

Frame, SCM has created a new 

option which uses a wireless 

device to connect the 

control, the digital display 

of the Full Support angle 

and the three digital displays 

of the stops on the 

squaring fence. 

Basically, every time 

the operator tilts 

the Full Support 

Frame on the 

workpiece, the digital 

display automatically 

shows the positions of 

the stops on the squaring fence for the 

actual cuts to be made on the panel. 

Therefore, the operator no longer has to use the control 

for calculations, nor does he need to carry out test cuts to 

check the exact positions of the stops. With this new device, the set-up on 

circular panel saws becomes simpler and faster, eliminating all down 

times and, thanks to automatic workpiece recognition and the consequent 

machining set-up, reducing the likelihood of any errors arising. 

SCM continues to study new systems to create machines suitable for 

the machining methods used by operators. With regard to this, SCM has 

also provided new sensors which allow the control to automatically 

recognise the position of the Quick Lock Guide. 

Specifically designed for small and medium-sized furniture manufacturing 

companies, the new SCM Sigma Impact 107 panel beam saw can 

machine chipboard, laminated, MDF, wood and wood-based panels in dimensional 

sizes of up to 4,500 mm in length and 4,300 mm width. 

SCM’s vast experience guarantees rapid and precise axis movement of 

up to 135 m/min on the blade carriage and up to 75 m/min on the pusher. 

Ideal ergonomics are provided by the remote control panel. The machine’s 

cyclical speed is ensured by empowered automatic detection standards 

featuring panel length, width and thickness photocells. 

Gabbiani, specialist panel saw manufacturer within the SCM Group and 

part of the Hi-Tech Panel Division, has presented its new range of Galaxy 

3 single beam panel saws featuring the very latest technology with the 

new ‘Flexcut’ device. 

This is Gabbiani’s high-end range aimed at specialists, industrial woodworkers, 

panel processors and furniture manufacturers who specify perfect 

quality panel sizing on both single panels and packs of panels. Fast 

cycle times ensure high throughput rates and a high level of customisation 

ensures that the same machine model can be tailored to a wide variety 

of differing requirements. A very strong machine base and reliable 

components ensure a long, productive life cycle for the Galaxy 3. 

The machine is based around the modular Flexcut system. The system 

consists of mobile units with grippers which can 

be excluded individually, 

making it possible 

to handle highly complex 

cutting patterns in 

very short cycle times. 

Gabbiani has also redesigned 

the major components 

at the heart of 

this panel saw. The saw 

carriage now ensures even 

greater cutting precision. Carriage 

movements are even faster 

thanks to the drive units and the 

smooth-running recirculating 

ball screws. The machine bed 

has a single upright fitted with 

THK slideways for the sawblade 

carriage. This feature is a characteristic 

of all Gabbiani machines and 

has been redesigned to support intensive, heavy duty use 

on three working shifts per day. 

The Galaxy 3 is backed by Gabbiani’s expertise acquired over 

nearly 50 years at the forefront of technological innovation in 

panel beam saws. 

SCM Group UK Ltd ● Tel 0115 977 0044 

Email scmgroupuk@scmgroup.com ● www.scmgb.co.uk 

Hi-Tech Panel Division ● Tel 0115 977 7818 

Email scmhitech@scmgroup.com ● www.scmgb.co.uk 

New SCM Full Support 

on L’invincibile panel saw 



“An excellent saw” 

IN RECENT years, Oxford-based 

Chris Drewett Signs has grown 

steadily, taking on an ever-increasing 

workload. 

Over this period, the company’s 

principal sheet cutting tools, an exsawmill 

wall saw at one extreme 

and a hand-held jigsaw at the 

other, proved increasingly limited. 

Managing director, Chris Drewett, 

found that Sagetech Industries’ 

Koolkut vertical panel saw range 

offered the ideal tools for fast, accurate 

sheet material cutting. 

Chris Drewett Signs offers a 

wide variety of high quality signmaking 

and digital printing services 

to customers ranging from 

small, local businesses, to multimillion 

conglomerates. Established 

by Chris Drewett, managing 

director, in the mid-1980s, the 

company has been trading from 

its workshop in Cowley, Oxford for 

the past 17 years. 

For much of that time, the signmaker 

cut sheet materials either 

on a wall saw that started its life in 

a sawmill, or by hand, with a jigsaw. 

As the company grew, the 

limitations of this approach began 

to make themselves felt. 

Researching the saws on the 

market, Chris came across Sage - 

tech Industries’ Koolkut range at 

the company’s website. It was 

quickly clear to him that the Kool - 

kut Series ‘1’ saws provided exactly 

what he needed. Compact, robust 

and accurate, they can handle 

cross, rip and diagonal cutting to 

the full length and width of boards 

ranging in size from 2,500 mm by 

1,250 mm to 4,200 mm by 2,100 

mm. Following further research, 

including reading about existing 

users of Sagetech’s saws in the 

sign press, Chris ordered a Koolkut 

Series 1 KK12. 

The saw was installed at Chris 

Drewett Signs’ Cowley workshop 

in 2007. Chris is impressed: “I 

chose the Koolkut because I was 

confident that it would do what I 

needed. It hasn’t disappointed.” 

The company typically cuts a 

couple of sheets of plywood, 

acrylic or dibond each day. “We 

use the Koolkut primarily for cutting 

sheets to size, modifying existing 

panels and making multiple 

duplicate cuts on a number of 

boards,” Chris explained. 

“The Koolkut’s built-in scales are 

great, and the machine has been 

extremely accurate,” he went on. 

“Having used it day-in, day-out for 

almost two years now, I’m delighted 

with the ways it’s reduced 

stress levels and made huge savings 

in time, as well as helping us 

to further improve the quality of 

our signs.” 

Chris Drewett Signs’ KK12 is one 

of Sagetech’s Series ‘1’ family of 

space-saving vertical panel saws 

from Sagetech Industries. These 

saws are designed for light to 

medium use, using a standard 13 

amp domestic power supply. 

Series ‘2’ Koolkuts are tough workhorses, 

intended for medium to 

heavy use. They have a 5.5 hp three 

phase motor as standard, yet are still 

available at remarkably attractive 

prices. The heavy-duty Series ‘3’ units 

are designed for continuous use. 

They feature a twin-blade scoring 

power head for ultra-clean cutting of 

faced boards and transport rollers 

for heavy sheets. 

Summing up, Chris said, “The 

Koolkut is an excellent saw. It’s 

strong, accurate, remarkably compact 

and very easy to use. On top of 

all that, it’s astonishingly good value 

for money. We couldn’t run the business 

without it. Recommended!” 

Sagetech Industries Ltd 

Tel 0118 970 1950 

Email info@sagetech.co.uk 

www.sagetech.co.uk 

Thin kerf advantages 

SIMBA Parquet sprl in Kinshasa, 

capital of the Democratic Republic 

of the Congo, has 

boosted parquet manufacturing 

since it switched to sawing its 

own timber rather than buying 

it in ready sawn. 

Established in 2003, the company 

now produces 6,000 m 2 per 

month of finished parquet, which 

it exports to Poland and Italy. This 

represents a 40% increase over the 

past three years and results from 

the acquisition of an electricallypowered, 

hydraulically-assisted, 

semi-industrial band sawmill with 

hydraulic log handling. 

This has eliminated the reliance 

on either bought-in boards or sub 

contracted sawmills, whose ser - 

vice was “miserably lacking in 

quality, flexibility or punctuality,” 

according to chief executive, 

Tomasz Mazurek. 

“We became increasingly uneasy 

about relying on the service 

for 100% of our sawn timber,” 

Tomasz Mazurek explains. The increase 

in the quality of the boards 

turned out by the new band 

sawmill certainly impressed him. 

The firm’s Wood-Mizer LT70 

band sawmill could have been designed 

for a modern log processing 

operation such as Simba’s. 

One instance encapsulates the 

sawmill’s value to Simba Parquet 

when the company was approached 

by a client who wanted 

logs from the extremely hard Bubinga 

tree sawn into boards for 

export. 

This species is so hard that its 

structure is almost designed 

against being sawn. Four other 

sawmills had been unable to cope. 

At first it burned the band 

blades, then the logs jammed 

after deviating from the cutting 

line by 8-10 cm. However, by 

re-sharpening the blades, increasing 

the set of the teeth and 

operating at a relatively slow pace, 

the band sawmill cut the Bubinga 

successfully. 

Tomasz Masurek claims that the 

mill’s inherent thin kerf technology 

was a factor in making it possible 

to cut such a wood. Certainly, 

on ‘normal’ hardwoods such as the 

local Wenge he often gets an extra 

board from each log. 

Band sawmills incorporating 

the thin kerf principle enjoy a 2-3 

mm cut. 

Broadly speaking, such a narrow 

band sawmill will achieve approximately 

0.68 m 3 of sawn production 

from a 61 cm x 3 m log. 

Fortunately, the operation rarely 

cuts Bubinga, but the example illustrates 

the fact that the sawmill, 

in skilled hands, can tackle almost 

anything with its ‘ruggedness’ and 

with components such as the mill’s 

600 mm pulley wheels and roller 

double block guides. 

The mill is equipped with computerised 

setworks called ‘Accuset’, 

a centrifugal clutch which engages 

the drive to the blade and a blade 

lubrication system which melts 

away sap and is known as ‘Lube - 

Mizer’. 

Generally, the four-man team 

saws Wenge logs with diameters of 

from 10 cm to 120 cm running in 

two 16-hours shifts daily. The 

Wenge is bought in the round from 

log dealers in Kinshasa harbour. 

The band blades are usually 

changed every two hours or so and 

sharpened and reset on-site with 

one of Wood-Mizer’s customer 

blade maintenance packages. 

It is an unlikely location for a 

parquet producer, but it certainly 

works since Simba Parquet assumed 

full control of the production 

process ‘from log to final form’. 

Wood-Mizer UK 

Tel 01622 813201 

Email info@woodmizer.co.uk 

www.woodmizer.co.uk 



Zapkut: “a really good piece of kit” 

RICHARD LITTMAN of ‘Signs4U’ 

in Plymouth had a problem on 

his mind. He had very limited 

space, but needed to cut a large 

quantity of sheet to fulfil a rush 

order, and his guillotine was 

proving restrictive as it wouldn’t 

cut along an 8ft sheet, nor cope 

with thicker or harder materials 

such as plywood or MDF. Then he 

saw the Zapkut at the Sign Show 

at the NEC and had a ‘eureka’ moment 

when he realised that this 

unique folding vertical panel 

saw was the answer he needed. 

As a result of the show, the 

company has had to gear up for 

production, so Richard persuaded 

them to sell him the show model. 

As one of Zapkut’s associates was 

passing nearby on a business visit 

to Cornwall, he delivered the unit 

direct to Richard’s workshop in the 

Mill Bay area of Plymouth. 

Having fitted his own circular 

saw, Richard put the unit into immediate 

use, so that when Keith 

Bunker, the Zapkut’s originator, 

called into see him a fortnight 

later, Richard had completed his 

Accurate angled ends 

THE Stegherr GLS NC mitre saw 

is an ideal bead processing unit 

for window and door manufacturing 

where boards are required 

to be cut accurately to 

length with mitred or angled 

ends. 

The standard GLS model is able 

to produce beads with fixed 

angles; the saw unit is positioned 

by pneumatics to the preset 

angles with the bead length determined 

by the NC pusher. The 

GLS model can be enhanced with 

the fitting of servo drives to both 

the saw cutting angle and cutting 

speed. When the servo drives are 

fitted the angle setting of the machine 

can be programmed to cut 

varying angles on either end of 

the beads, and the cutting speed 

can be controlled to allow perfect 

cutting in most materials including 

solid wood, MDF, aluminium 

and synthetic materials. 

The new GLS-2 machine has the 

ability to produce varying angles 

in both planes using one saw unit. 

An example of this is the production 

of a vertical glazing bead 

where one end is cut to 45° to 

mitre to the top bead and the 

other end is cut to 9° to scribe over 

the bottom bead. The GLS-2 is also 

able to cut compound angles and 

if required angles greater than 45° 

can be accommodated. 

John Penny Woodworking 

Machinery Ltd 

Tel 01235 531700 

Email john.penny@btconnect.com 

www.stegherr.net 

order. He was full of praise for the 

unit, pointing out that he had 

found it not only quick to set up, 

but ‘really simple to use’. Sharing 

the sign business with his car 

valeting service, Wash ‘n’ Wax, 

there was no space left in the 

workshop for a full wall saw, but 

the folding Zapkut fitted nicely 

into a corner of the workshop 

when not in use. As Richard 

pointed out, “it is quite a challenge 

to get that capability with near 

enough 100% accuracy”. 

Richard enthused that “the Zapkut 

takes all the sweat out of cutting 

even thick materials.” He had 

found that both the detachable 

midway fence for cutting smaller 

pieces, and the stops “all work really 

well”; he seemed especially 

pleased that the extra blade, 

which he bought additional to the 

unit, has saved him time because 

“it cuts everything”. As Richard 

pointed out, “it does all the thicknesses 

we need, which is great, 

and there are so many uses for it. 

It does exactly what we want — 

it’s a really good bit of kit, and it’s 

so affordable, especially in this financial 

climate, with the added 

bonus that we can easily take it 

out to site.” 

For those wanting a vertical 

panel saw for heavier duty use, 

Zapkut’s associate company, 

Sagetech Industries, Ltd offers a 

very comprehensive range on 

www.sagetech.co.uk 

Zapkut Ltd 

Tel 0118 970 1950 

Email info@zapkut.co.uk 

www.zapkut.co.uk 



Dixon Timber Products chooses Striebig 

— again! 

INSTALLING a second Striebig 

vertical panel saw has led to 

greater efficiency at Dixon Timber 

Products, a leading manufacturer 

of high quality, 

bespoke panel-based furniture 

for the institutional and health 

care markets. 

Its new Evolution 6224 replaced 

an elderly Holz-Her saw. The decision 

to purchase a second Striebig 

was made because of the consistent 

accuracy and reliability delivered 

by the first Evolution, bought 

in 2005. Both saws are used to cut 

MFC, MDF, solid grade laminates 

and solid surfaces up to 20 mm 

thick, and up to 38 mm thick chipboard 

panels used for worktops, 

with diamond saw blades used to 

reduce sharpening costs. 

Dixon Timber Products’ managing 

director, John Dixon, said: “The 

Holz-Her was getting less and less 

accurate and we often had to size 

a component twice before we 

were satisfied with it. We were also 

restricted on what materials we 

could size on it. Being able to cut 

everything on either saw has 

given us far more flexibility.” 

He said there were advantages 

in having two of the same model 

side-by-side. “User familiarity is 

very important, so it is easy to 

switch operators between the 

The two Striebig Evolution vertical panel saws in action at Dixon Timber Products. 

saws to provide cover for sickness 

and holidays. 

“We have improved our sizing 

efficiency as the saws are ideal for 

handling lots of small jobs. Because 

all our output is made-tomeasure, 

the Evolution allows for 

a quick change-round when several 

jobs are going through on the 

same day, which is quite often.” 

He said he was happy to buy 

another Evolution “as the first has 

been totally reliable with a consistently 

high quality of cut”. 

An angle cutter supplied with 

the first Striebig is now used with 

both saws. This optional unit, easily 

attached to the left or right of 

This reception desk is a typical example of the fine work produced by Dixon Timber Products — with 

the help of Striebig saws. 

any vertical cutting point, is adjustable 

to 0.1°. It can be locked 

into place and is for use with 

panels up to 42 mm thick, producing 

angle cuts which are totally 

clean and accurate. 

The Evolution 6224 is the 

largest model in the series with a 

maximum cutting area of 5,300 

mm x 2,240 mm and a maximum 

cutting depth of 80 mm. 

It represents the cutting edge in 

vertical panel saw technology. 

Features considered expensive 

optional extras in other saws are 

included as standard, such as digital 

measuring system, accurate to 

0.1 mm, and an adjustable precision 

display that can be set to an 

accuracy of 1.0 mm, 0.5 mm or 0.1 

mm, according to the thickness of 

the panels being sized. 

Numerous automatic procedures 

carried out by the press of a 

button include locking and releasing 

the beam saw, setting the horizontal 

cutting height, plunging 

and swivelling the motor, locking 

the support rollers during sawing 

and fine saw blade adjustment. 

Dixon Timber Products was 

formed to supply the medical furniture 

market. It is now one of the 

main players in the highly competitive 

sector, manufacturing and 

installing a wide range of panelbased 

products at hospitals and 

primary care centres throughout 

the UK and abroad. Around 80 per 

cent of its output goes into the 

medical sector, with the remainder 

specified by schools, universities, 

hotels, retail outlets, factories, offices 

and prisons. 

Among recent contracts have 

been installations for hospitals as 

far apart as Brighton, Elgin, Plymouth 

and Stornaway, furniture 

for one of the hospices in London 

and fittings for a gold mining laboratory 

in Senegal. With nearly 80 

per cent of orders made up of repeat 

business, the Doncaster company’s 

turnover increased by 25 

per cent last year and its order 

book remains remarkably healthy. 

Both Striebig saws, together 

with Al-Ko mobile extraction units, 

were supplied by Striebig’s exclusive 

UK agent, TM Machinery 

Sales, of Leicester. 

TM Machinery Sales 

Tel 0116 271 7155 

Email sales@tmservices.co.uk 

www.tmpartnership.co.uk 



WACO BKS band re-saws 

The tiltable side fence for bevel ripping up to 45 degrees. 

WEINIG UK has installed several 

WACO BKS band re-saws in the 

UK which are achieving high 

standards of accuracy and 

flexibility. 

This is because WACO engineer 

them for stability, reliability and 

for a long life. 

High accuracy and productivity 

can be obtained through hydraulic 

band tensioning and by frequency 

controlled speeds at 5-40 m/min. 

The re-saw offers many special 

options in addition to a high basic 

specification: band cleaning, 

which automatically clears the 

band saw and wheel with lubricated 

pads; a specially designed 

tiltable side fence with bevel ripping 

up to 45 degrees; and a user 

friendly control panel with digital 

feed roller and side fence positioning, 

as well as adjustable feed 

and band speeds. 

As a further option, laser positioning 

to effectively split random 

width boards, is also offered. The 

laser beam measures each board, 

and the saw automatically positions 

itself after confirmation. 

WACO is in the Weinig Group of 

companies and Weinig UK provides 

the training, service, spares 

The WACO BKS band re-saw 

and engineering back-up. WACO is 

based in Sweden and is famous for 

its robust, high speed, heavy duty 

moulders, with installations in the 

UK and in markets worldwide. They 

have an enviable reputation for 

high productivity and reliability. 

Michael Weinig (UK) Ltd 

Tel 01235 557600 

Email sales@weinig.co.uk 

www.weinig.co.uk 

The WACO BKS 

flexible band re-saw 

gives the highest accuracy. 



Triplar: Phase 2 

by Dustraction 

PHASE 2 of the new wood waste extraction and management system 

by Dustraction at the also new location of Triplar, one of Britain’s 

premier names in store design and fit-out, is now complete. At a topping 

out ceremony at the newly refurbished premises at Finedon 

Road Industrial Estate in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, on 

May 21, managing director Mike Rodwell said: “There is great satisfaction 

in knowing that our flammable waste now becomes a reliable 

energy resource and a benefit to the company rather than a 

costly burden for landfill disposal.” 

The factory Triplar is moving to is smaller because the precision timber 

joinery work that is central to the image plans of blue-chip customers 

such as Nokia, Levi Strauss and Nike is now more specialised than in the 

past. Internal ducting and connections to around 16 specialist joinery 

machines plus a Zerbrik chipper is taking timber and board waste via the 

Dustrax SRV Series tubular sock filter installation, handling almost 20,000 

m 3 /hr. 

A Zerbrik PZ 63/1 chipper will also make a major contribution towards 

economic disposal by Triplar of waste materials including hardwoods, 

softwood, particleboard, MDF, cardboard, plastics and other materials 

regularly used in the creation of highly image-specific displays for companies 

whose dedication to point-perfect precision in the representation 

of their brands is absolute. 

A fully programmable logic controller and touch screen controls for 

quick reaction to problems highlighted by the troubleshooting monitor 

are part of the robust technology of the Zerbrik, which will reduce all solid 

off-cuts to cyclo filter-manageable material, eliminating any further need for waste disposal by 

mechanical means. 

The fully automatic WT15A incinerator is at the leading edge of waste incineration and factory 

heating technology, having been designed with fewer moving parts and more efficient 

combustion features to out-perform and out-last incinerators of more traditional type. Dust 

and off-cut waste is transported to a storage silo and then fed directly into the combustion 

zone via a temperature controlled screw feed system. As well as being state of the art in combustion 

technology terms, WT15A incinerators also effectively address issues of noise, safety 

and power consumption. 

The new ducting 

layout by Dustraction 

includes 

inspection doors 

on suction mains 

and on all machine 

connections 

with blastgate 

shut-off 

dampers on droppers 

to individual 

machines to allow 

Offcuts lined up for disposal at Dustraction’s new Zerbrik chipper. 

Ducting by Dustraction includes inspection doors on suction 

mains and on all machine connections with blastgate shut-off 

dampers on droppers to individual machines to allow the system 

to alternate. 

Mike Rodwell (right) receives a gift from the 

staff, via the DJ at the topping out party, to 

commemorate the completion of works at 

the new Triplar factory. 

the system to alternate. The extraction function encompasses two 

630 mm diameter spray booth stacks with jet cowls to exhaust fumes at 

high level from the paint finishing shop and the system overall is designed 

for noise and vibration-free operation to fall within Regulation 9 

of current HSE COSHH requirements. 

Managing director, Mike Rodwell, and his son, Tim, new business 

development manager at Triplar, jointly acknowledge their role in controlling 

waste emissions and are determined to avoid any contribution 

towards global warming. By re-investing profit resources back into their 

business, the partnership aims to help to build the next climateconscious 

generation of management while also ensuring that the standards 

of their globally powerful client base are met in full. 

Dustraction 

Tel 0116 271 3212 

Email steve.matuska@dustraction.co.uk ● www.dustraction.co.uk 



Cutting power bills with DCS 

DUST Control Systems Ltd has commissioned one of its latest energy saving extraction 

plants to deal with dust at the Soper Group’s joinery workshops in Hull. 

A family-owned and operated concern, based in the centre of Kingston-upon-Hull, The 

Soper Group Ltd is quite a success story. Roger Soper established Soper Building Services in 

1973 as a general building company and within a few years it had expanded to include the 

manufacture of high quality bespoke joinery. Today, the Group comprises three distinct operations, 

with each of Roger’s three sons fully involved in key management roles: Mike Soper 

is production director for joinery manufacture and joinery pro ducts, Neil is responsible for 

construction and building maintenance contracting, and Richard heads up the building plastics 

stockholding which supplies soffits, fascias and rainwater systems. 

A commitment to high quality bespoke joinery manufacture, and a drive to always satisfy 

their customers’ needs with quality service, has earned Soper’s an enviable reputation 

throughout Yorkshire and beyond. A large proportion of projects undertaken by the company 

are for local authorities and regional building companies, involving all kinds of standard and 

bespoke joinery manufacture. The service also includes the design and manufacture of staircases 

and traditional box sash windows and facilities including in-house wood finishing. 

Growth is continuous, and the need to further expand has recently seen the business relocate 

to larger, modern premises with a total floor space of 24,000 ft 2 . The new joinery workshop 

boasts a list of 34 woodworking machines, all of which required effective dust extraction. 

Mike Soper explain: “Our previous dust plant was an excessive energy consumer and the 

concept of bringing our bills down by installing a more energy efficient plant certainly 

interested us. 

DCS was able 

to demonstrate 

Paul Paviour, Group Operations Manager, and Mike Soper with a 

traditional box sliding sash window. 

Extraction and heating 

COMMERCIAL fit-out and joinery 

fabrication specialist, Interserve, 

is already well on the way to recouping 

its investment in new 

waste extraction and heating 

equipment at its 44,000 ft 2 factory 

in Christchurch, Dorset, 

which it moved into early in 2008. 

The list of customers for which Interserve 

provides shopfitting and interior 

contracting services reads like 

a Who’s Who of the High Street, including 

John Lewis, Thomas Cook, 

Fortnum and Mason and Debenhams. 

In addition, the company 

works for luxury yacht manufacturer 

Sunseeker and the De Vere 

hotel group. Working in MDF, chipboard, 

hardwoods, laminates, veneers 

and solid surfaces, Interserve 

uses a comprehensive range of CNC 

production equipment, plus beamsaws, 

a ripsaw and an edge bander. 

A key part of the company’s 

green commitment upon moving 

was investment in a new combined 

waste extraction and heating 

system, which recycles the 

dust and waste produced in manufacture 

and transfers it via a biomass 

system to heat the factory. 

Interserve chose a system from 

Wood Waste Control (Engineering) 

Ltd, one of Europe’s leading waste 

extraction specialists. 

Wood Waste Control managing 

director, Reg Gareppo, said: “We 

specified a system whereby waste 

is ducted from individual machines 

to a WFS13/15J silo filter with 

20,000 cfm extraction capability 

and then transferred via a WRV100 

rotary valve and transfer duct into 

the silo of a WWA25 1 million BTU 

warm air heater, where it is burnt 

to heat the factory. 

“In addition, a Reinbold 22kW 

AZR 800S chipper is used to incorporate 

larger waste and a separate 

WFB13/2 filter is used to handle 

the sort of savings we could expect by installing modern extraction with 

its Dynamic Drive System; giving us the extraction volumes we need, 

while cutting energy use. It was an easy decision to make and we are now 

seeing a considerable drop in electricity bills.” 

Melvyn Bathgate, sales director of DCS Ltd, says: “Energy efficiency 

starts at the initial design stage, with the selection of filter, fans and ductwork 

to best suit each project. Additionally, at DCS we have successfully introduced 

variable speed control to our dust extraction systems. Combined 

with automatically operated dampers, power to the extraction system responds 

dynamically to meet demand, providing optimum efficiency.” 

Dust Control Systems installed an externally located, high-efficiency 

modular filter system designed to handle an airflow capacity of 17,200 

m 3 /hr, although the total airflow of all machines was more than 40,000 

m 3 /hr. Selected machines are fitted with pneumatically operated 

dampers, which automatically vary the system’s volume as they open and 

close. Collected waste is discharged ‘pressure-free;, via a rotary valve, into 

a storage bunker sited beneath the filter. 

Dust Control Systems Ltd ● Tel 0800 040 7116 

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

fire-rated materials that cannot be 

burned for factory heating.” 

Interserve operations manager, 

Jon Urch, worked closely with Wood 

Waste Control to match the installation 

to the phased introduction of 

production machinery as production 

was switched from the company’s 

previous site. He said: “The 

new heating system was a key part 

of our environmentally-conscious 

The compact, high-efficiency DCS modular filter 

extracts from a total of 34 woodworking 

machines. 

approach to the new building. We 

felt recycling via a biomass system 

was a superb way to reduce waste 

while cutting heating bills. We expect 

to recoup our entire investment 

in the system within three years.” 

Wood Waste Control 

(Engineering) Ltd 

Tel 01628 525290 

Email info@w-w-c.co.uk 

www.w-w-c.co.uk 



Air Plants makes it comfortable for Komfort 

WHEN Komfort Workspace decided to replace its old wood 

waste extraction system on the door manufacturing plant in 

Crawley, West Sussex, the company selected Air Plants Dust 

Extraction Ltd. 

Komfort Workspace, part of the Sheffield Insulation Group, is 

one of Europe’s foremost designers and manu facturers of workplace 

products, and as such, has an established reputation for 

the provision of excellent customer service and technical support. 

At Crawley, the state of the art woodworking machinery is 

employed in cutting, processing and finishing large quantities of 

timber based panels which, in turn, generates high levels of 

wood waste. 

Nigel Elmes, production engineer at Komfort, invited Air Plants 

to come up with a system that would cater for the existing machinery, 

plus provide in-built capacity for future expansion. The 

main criterion was to keep the existing extraction system running 

during the installation, whilst keeping disruption of production 

to an absolute minimum. 

After careful consideration of Komfort’s requirements, Air Plants 

came up with a scheme that involved the initial relocation of the 

existing externally sited filter and fan over a weekend, followed by 

the installation of an APDEL Cyclo filter and two No. 90 centrifugal 

fans in its original location, while the old system continued to run. 

The internal ductwork was installed without dismantling existing 

ductwork, or disruption of production. Once installed, the 

changeover from the old system to the new was carried out over a 

weekend, with production up and running first thing Monday 

morning. Air Plants then dismantled and removed the redundant 

system from site, again without disrupting production. 

The installed system has a total airflow capacity of 85,000 

m 3 /hr, which is almost three times the capacity of the original 

system’s 29,500 m 3 /hr. The two new fans extract a total of 34,000 

m 3 /hr each, with 17,000 m 3 /hr available capacity in the Cyclo filter, 

for future machine extraction. The control panel supplied with 

the system incorporates the starters for a future third fan, so 

Komfort can keep future expansion costs to a minimum. 

Featuring Air Plants’ ‘Advanced Filter Technology’, the Cyclo - 

Air Plants Dust Extraction Ltd provided an extraction 

scheme that both caters for existing 

machinery and provides for future expansion. 

filter solution is a dust extraction industry leader. 

Offering control of large volume waste with continual 

output, the Cyclofilter has ‘Auto Pulse Jet Cleaning’ 

on demand and provides maximum operational 

efficiency with 95% separation prior to filtration. 

The Cyclofilter’s small footprint design allows flexible 

site positioning for both existing and new build 

applications and offers the solution for the control 

of all dust types, both natural and man made. 

Nick Hare, Komfort’s production director, has this 

to say: “The new system has had a major impact 

upon the manufacturing plant, both in terms of improved 

quality of finish on our CNC machines and 

also the overall appearance of the factory. No longer 

do we have to contend with excess shavings and 

dust on the factory floor, as it is dealt with efficiently 

and effectively at source. 

“Air Plants has provided a professional and practical 

service during the installation and Lance 

Morley was particularly committed to helping us 

through what could have been a major upheaval. 

The project was fairly painless and we never felt disrupted 

in achieving production targets while the 

plant was being assembled.” 

Air Plants Dust Extraction Ltd 

Tel 0116 283 3581 

Email enquiries@airplants.co.uk 

www.airplants.co.uk 



HSE enforces breathing 

air quality standards 

WORKING in dusty atmospheres, particularly those containing fine dust, is known to 

cause asthma and other lung diseases. It can also compromise product quality and increase 

maintenance costs. Effective dust extraction, with particular attention to hood 

design, is therefore not only sensible, but may well be economically beneficial. 

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE), mandated to reduce work related respiratory disease, 

has issued a new informative handbook and booklets that supersede all previous HSE guidance 

on this subject and has trained and equipped its inspectors to enforce this aspect of 

COSHH with renewed vigour. Regular examination and testing of local exhaust ventilation 

(LEV — dust/fume extraction) for airborne particulate is both mandatory and expedient. Dust 

extraction specialists Dantherm Filtration represented the Solids Handling & Processing Association 

(SHAPA) on the HSE working group to develop this guidance. 

The handbook “Controlling airborne contaminants at work” is for suppliers of LEV systems 

and inspection organisations. It considers design, specification and installation maintenance 

and testing. 

SIPS plant sips energy 

“Cleaning the air” offers concise guidance to employers, stating their 

obligations and offering equipment selection advice. “Time to clear the 

NOW fully operational and 

proven in service, Dantherm Filtration’s 

dust extraction and 

waste management system at 

Palgrave Brown’s SIPS processing 

plant in Market Drayton was 

designed and installed to exacting 

standards. 

The structural insulated panels 

(SIPS) processing machines include 

four saws and a spindle 

moulder, with wood and 

polyurethane waste extracted to a 

single externally situated modular 

Dantherm NFS filter. 

Waste is discharged via a Dantherm 

ATEX certified rotary valve 

to an enclosed container by 

means of a closed loop waste 

transport system powered by an 

efficient Combifab radial transport 

fan. The main extraction fan, 

which was set for an initial duty of 

7,900 m 3 /hr, with a maximum duty 

of 10,000 m 3 /hr, is directly driven 

with efficient speed control provided 

by a Danfoss inverter drive, 

ensuring minimal energy use over 

the required airflow volume range. 

The installation was completed 

using Nordfab QF clipped ducting 

throughout. The modular nature 

of the filter unit, together with versatile 

QF ducting and indeed the 

variable speed drive, allow for future 

changes or expansion to suit 

production needs. 

All key elements of Dantherm 

dust extraction and waste management 

installations are designed 

and manufactured 

in-house in the company’s modern 

European production centres 

with ISO9001:2000 quality assurance. 

Cohesive design ensures 

compatibility of components and 

performance, with the added benefit 

of offering a single source for 

service and spare parts. In addition, 

Dantherm offers a thorough 

examination and testing service 

for local exhaust ventilation (LEV) 

to protect the workforce and ensure 

compliance with COSHH and 

thus DSEAR regulations. 

Dantherm Filtration Ltd 

Tel 0113 273 9400 

Email 

info.uk@danthermfiltration.com 

www.danthermfiltration.co.uk 

air”, a pocket guide for all affected employees, includes a daily checklist. 

All the guidance is available from www.hsebooks.com/books/ 

Compliance is obligatory, but it is not all “stick”: there are “carrots” 

aplenty. Dust extraction safeguards workforce health, promoting job satisfaction 

and productivity. Indeed, product quality may depend upon it. 

Dantherm Filtration offers thorough examination and testing with full reporting 

for all makes of LEV as part of its comprehensive after sales and 

spare parts service. 

A well maintained system will reduce energy bills, last longer and reduce 

depreciation costs, as well as protect employees’ health. 

Dantherm Filtration Ltd 

Tel 0113 273 9400 ● Email info.uk@danthermfiltration.com 

www.danthermfiltration.co.uk

June/July 2009 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

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