Summary
• Reduced setting times are key.
• CNC controls are becoming increasingly popular.
• Energy saving is gaining importance.
• Moulders are being selected on the basis of ease of use.

Selling moulders from small, low-speed to larger 150-200m machines is, in today’s climate, “very difficult with many customers cautious to see if the market will recover”.

So says Stephen McGloin, from Advanced Machinery Services. He believes the recipe for success is simple. “What you need is a well-proven product and a very knowledgeable ‘expert’ to digest the customer’s requirements and understand what specification is required,” he told TTJ.

Technology and reduced setting times are absolutely key in the sale of equipment with suppliers offering various options. “Without a doubt, there is a small percentage of the market that warrants full CNC applications but also there will be a larger percentage that require volume, which is where the high- speed moulders come in,” said Mr McGloin.

SCM‘s product manager, Colin Simmons, agrees about the impact of technological advance. “CNC controls are becoming increasingly popular on SCM’s range of planer moulders, ensuring fast set-up times of all spindles, fences, width and height dimensions, positional fences and tool diameters,” he explained.

Energy efficiency

And customers are becoming increasingly focused on energy efficiency. “The demand has, to a great extent, been driven by the Carbon Trust which has offered soft loans to improve energy efficiency,” said Weinig’s UK sales manager Malcolm Cuthbertson. “But if you are simply replacing a 10-year-old machine with a new one, you’re unlikely to get any help. Where it can be beneficial is where you replace a classical moulding set-up that might comprise three machines with something like a Weinig Powermat. The savings will be significant and will unlock the door to Carbon Trust funding.”

Meanwhile SCM has developed Eco Power Pack (EPP) for CNC machines. “Energy saving is constantly gaining importance even in industry,” said Mr Simmons. “This is especially true for medium and large-sized enterprises using large-scale equipment. The EPP is a facility for everyone who wants to work with very high performance machines that are able to guarantee energy savings.”

At Leadermac, it’s now standard throughout the range that the machines are supplied with Star Delta Start, otherwise known as “soft start”. “This means the machines are more energy efficient because we’re not drawing as much current at the point of start-up,” said Leadermac’s Kevin Wright. “The customers effectively don’t need such a large electrical supply.”

Mr Wright says nearly all the machines the company is bringing in have motorised electronic positioning. “On the bigger machines, this is a standard feature and built into the price of the machine,” he said. “The operator simply types in the size of the piece of wood he wants to finish at; it’s very simple and quick to change from one size to another accurately.”

Simplicity and ease of use

Simplicity and ease of use are key factors in the moulding machines market. “Ease of setting and fast set-up are extremely important,” said SCM’s Colin Simmons. The company has developed many new features on its planer moulder range, with PC and Control 10 controls among them. “With the requirement to machine very short runs of materials (timber, MDF and so on),” said Mr Simmons, “fast set-up is essential with the advantage of not having to stock large amounts of expensive finished goods on the shelf, and also giving customers a very fast service when mouldings are required immediately.”

Malcolm Cuthbertson agrees. “Ease of use is increasingly important as people are always saying they don’t want to employ more labour,” he said. “They want modern setting systems and this is where the Powermat range is becoming increasingly successful. Customers don’t want more machines or people, they want a machine that’s easy to operate and does the job.”

Weinig’s new Cube machine is about as flexible as they come and packed full of technology, which probably explains why it was so popular at the recent Ligna show. The machine has a maximum working width of 260mm, feed speed of 6-12m/min and offers four-side planing in one pass and all the user has to do is specify width and thickness on the touchscreen control panel. The Moulder Preview facility illustrates how the workpiece will be processed using laser beams and, if necessary, the operator can then make adjustments. A “flow optimised” hood cuts power needed for extraction by 60% and Powerlock tooling gives for “precise blade exchange in a few steps”.

Reducing error risk

According to Weinig, the new machine doesn’t require “time-consuming adjustment” and cuts the likelihood of set-up error by the operator thanks to its patented “part recognition” technology. Dimension changes are claimed to be six times faster on the Cube than with conventional motorized spindle adjustment and “internal part recognition” means operators can even adjust the machine with the motor running. Using Weinig’s Powerlock knife change system further reduces downtime.

Not to be outdone, long-established German woodworking machinery manufacturer and distributor Kuper is using its expertise and experience to keep its moulder range in pole position when it comes to design and development.

Kuper is represented in the UK and Ireland by Daltons Wadkin, which has accumulated successful installations from starter model 5-head SWT23XS types to high performance 6-head ‘XL’ and ‘XLS’ machines incorporating cardan shaft drive, chromium beds, touchscreen controls and 2000mm straightening tables.

“These machines are of high build quality and technically advanced,” said Daltons Wadkin sales director Andy Walsh. “They have the benefit of the very best German technology when it comes to electrical and control systems and for performance and price they are a match for anything else on the market.”

New developments for 2011 include the provision of Siemens energy-saving motors with electronic braking on all models and new and more versatile control stations. Machines can be equipped with up to nine work spindles, feed rates of 150m/min, 9,000rpm cutter speeds, outboard bearings, electronic head movements and automatic straight and profile jointers.

Finish quality

Meanwhile, the SCM Group has developed a series of features that reduces set-up times, simplifies the use of its machines and increases finish quality. This includes HSK 85 technology to change tools in a few seconds; Mobile 10 electronic control, with Memory System technology, which allows customers to save the work programs and make set-up simple and fast, guiding the operator in all the operations; and the new SCM SET-UP/2 system for faster, easier set-up, which has independent motors on all tool spindles, long axial adjustment (80mm on vertical spindles) and a new ergonomic design.

“Increasing numbers of SCM customers are looking at more heavyweight machines such as the Superset and Topset ranges, in the belief that a better finishing quality will be obtained on the finished products and more features will be available to meet individual requirements,” said Colin Simmons.

Malcolm Cuthbertson agrees. “There is a demand for these machines, but it tends to be for high-speed applications,” he said. “But in terms of run-of-the-mill mouldings, you simply don’t need them because no-one sells giant pieces of timber any more.

“The moulding machines market is all coming down to reducing set-up times to an absolute minimum and getting run times down.”