Full steam ahead for Skipper
Biesse Group UK Ltd was excited about this year’s Woodmex, especially at the prospect of unveiling its “revolutionary” new machining centre – the Skipper.
The newcomer, shown for the first time at Xylexpo, has taken several years to develop and, Biesse says, has created “phenomenal” interest.
Biesse UK’s Steve Bulmer explained: “The concept is to give real time machining. There is absolutely no set-up time.”
This is because it has fixed tooling. Panels are instead placed on an air flotation table, with no jigs or suction pads, and are moved around by grippers in relation to the tooling.
Biesse says the Skipper is designed so two panels with the same features, such as kitchen gable ends, can be machined simultaneously. They are placed on top of each other, automatically aligned on two sides and machined using vertical and horizontal drills and a router.
Two Skippers, which retail at about £83,000 depending on specification, were sold at Woodmex, to add to the three ordered earlier at Xylexpo.
Biesse has also filled the mid-range gap in edgebanding solutions. Its Akron brand, receiving its premiere at Woodmex, fits above the Lato and Ergho ranges and below the volume production Biesse Stream and Omnia machines.
The single-sided throughfeed unit runs at 12-20m/min, while CNC technology allows 0.4-3mm edging or solid lipping to be changed without lifting the enclosure lid.
A further addition to Biesse’s stable is its Levia automatic calibration and sanding range, produced by Artech, aimed at smaller companies.
The wide-belt machines are available in 950mm, 1100mm and 1350mm widths, with two or three independent sanding units.
Amazon on the attack for sales
A new name for Woodmex was Amazon Machine Solutions, the Bristol-based sales operation launched earlier this year.
The company bills itself as “bringing the latest machine technology from leading manufacturers to the market”.
The core of its offer at Woodmex, on a stand shared with Stenner, comprised latest models from the Italian manufacturer Paoloni. These included a new variant in the company’s SP thicknesser range, Kalibra automatic wide-belt sanders, the P3200 range of tilting blade panel saws and BRE single-sided edgebanders.
The company was also showing a Paoloni RD 240S four-side throughfeed planer/moulder featuring electronic rise and fall of vertical spindles and selling at around £11,000.
“Paoloni has obviously been in the UK for a while, but we believe that there is a great opportunity for a new marketing push to get the name and products more widely known,” said Amazon general manager Colin Grandfield, who was previously with Stenner. “The initial response we’ve had has been phenomenal.”
Amazon is also representing certain products in the CML multi-rip range and from Stenner and Robinson, the Wadkin moulder brand.
“We have also arranged for our customers to be backed by the Wadkin UltraCare service operation,” said Mr Grandfield.
Amazon initially has a sales team of four, but Mr Grandfield expects that to grow.
Push button window production
The Penpro 8 automated window production line is billed by Belgian manufacturer Vertongen as simultaneously cutting a window maker’s downtime, boosting flexibility and increasing productivity.
The machine, which was the central feature of the stand of Gerry Lynch Woodworking Machinery and had been pre-sold to Custom Precision Joinery of Buckley, is designed for single-operator working.
“The Penpro has been developed against the background of a growing absence of traditional woodworking skills and is suitable for all types of business, from small to medium-sized producers upwards, who need flexibility and to provide customers with solutions,” said Gerry Lynch.
“The real advantage of this over many other automated window lines is its flexibility,” added Cees van den Heuvel of Vertongen. “It can undertake any type of window – casement, sliding sash, turn and tilt – and its pre-programming facility enables you to switch between styles in seconds. And you can learn the basics of using the machine in half a day.”
The Penpro series, which ranges from €100,000-300,000, effectively links a moulder to a tenoner into one automated production unit.
And Mr van den Heuvel added that it is designed to handle softwood and hardwood. “The tenoner, which also features a fully automatic backing system to avoid splintering, can go up to 4,000rpm, making it equally suitable for hardwood.”
Wood Awards display
Woodmex was the last tour stop for the shortlisted entries in the Wood Awards. Photos showing entries in the six award categories were displayed on vertical timber sections near the entrances to the show.
Surface friendly
Fast working and easy going “on any surface” were the slogans being used to promote the Ranger fork lift truck series, making its UK exhibition debut on the stand of Valmar Handling Systems Ltd.
The trucks, which come in Big Tyre 4-6 tonne versions and 1.5-3.2 tonne Compact models, feature hydrostatic drive and tilting cabs.
The Compact, which is targeted at merchants, features a multi-functional joystick, big tyres with coarse tread design and an optional four wheel drive facility.
Indusvent cleans up
Industrial ventilation engineer Indusvent exhibited its Super-Blower filter system, featuring a new control panel.
The system, used by companies including John Boddy Timber and International Timber, is designed for 24-hour continuous operation, due to its automatic, low maintenance cleaning system which cleans one filter bag at a time.
