WIA_ISSUE2_2023

ENGINEERED WOOD
TurboHawk
mini-finger
cutterhead:
Flexible and
quality CLT
production
The new generation of the Leitz TurboHawk mini-finger cutterhead for flat
joints is suitable for use at speeds up to 6,000 rpm (Image: Leitz)
Faster, higher, stronger: The new generation of the TurboHawk
mini-finger jointing head from Leitz aims to achieve this motto,
helping solid wood processors of cross-laminated timber (CLT)
manufacturers to increase their productivity in the production
process while ensuring sustainable production with its
marathon-coated cutting edges.
Increasingly powerful machine
systems need the right tool for
the job. When producing finger
joints on a CLT panel, for example,
users can increase the feed rate by
increasing the number of teeth on
the cutterheads, thus maximising
the potential of said finger jointing
machines. Furthermore, to ensure
an ideal end product, the profiling
should be flexible, the cutting of good
quality, and the fitting accurate.
To meet these requirements,
manufacturer of wood processing
tools Leitz has optimised the
new generation of its TurboHawk
mini-finger cutterheads. Increasing
the speed suitability to 6,000
revolutions per minute (rpm)
was the primary objective when
upgrading the TurboHawk,
according to Leitz. With 14 teeth,
users can also use the system in
high-performance systems and thus
increase their productivity in the
overall production. In spite of this
increase in performance, the cutting
quality does not suffer at all; with
its accurate profile precision, the
TurboHawk can mill precisely fitting
workpiece joints and also avoid
troublesome finger breakages.
To achieve this, Leitz engineers
have developed the ideal balance
between toughness and hardness
of the cutting materials used by
mixing high-performance highspeed
steel and coated steel.
The TurboHawk also allows for
the processing of different wood
thicknesses or species. Here, for
example, CLT manufacturers can still
be flexible due to the safe and simple
changing of the knives. Each knife
can be replaced individually and the
marathon-coated cutting edges have
a larger resharpening zone compared
to the knives of conventional tools.
This increases the tool life of the
machines by four-fold compared
to machines with Leitz’s standard HS
mini-finger cutters. WIA
40 WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 2 – 2023