P PAANNEELL,, WWOOOODD · Timber, Panels & Veneers: pp 30-33 James Latham opens the door to Red Grandis Turn to page 31 for the full story. Panel, Wood & Solid Surface October/November

PPAA NN EE LL ,, WW OO OO DD&& SS oo ll ii dd SS uu rr ff aa cc eeIssue No. 113/114 October/November 2017

Also inside this issue:All the latest News: pp 3-6, 18-19. 34-35 l CNC Machinery, Equipment & Software: pp 8-17

Woodwaste & Dust Control: pp 20-25 l Sanding & Finishing: pp 26-29Timber, Panels & Veneers: pp 30-33

James Latham opens thedoor to Red Grandis

Turn to page 31 for the full story

Panel, Wood & Solid Surface October/November 2017 Page 3

NEWS

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Combilift set for expansion

New router/trimmer from Makita

COMBILIFT, the manufacturer of4-way forklifts and other inno-vative handling solutions, is setto double its output in the nextfew years as its new factorynears completion.

€40 million has been invested inthe new 46,000 m2 factory on a 40hectare site, which will be thelargest single manufacturing plantunder one roof in Ireland. Com-bilift invented the world’s first icengine powered, all-wheel drive

multidirectional forklift in 1998and has experienced exceptionalgrowth ever since. It now exportsits wide range of products to over75 countries around the world.

The new global HQ and pro-duction facility will include a ded-icated Research and Developmentbuilding and adjoining adminis-trational offices and is based in thecompany’s home of Monaghan,Ireland, close to where Combiliftwas first established. Production

of some model ranges such as theStraddle Carrier has alreadymoved to the new site, which willbe fully operational in the springof 2018. The expansion will alsocreate around 200 new jobs,mainly for skilled technicians anddesign engineers.

Combilift’s products are a popu-lar choice in the timber and panelssector due to their ability to handleloads safely in confined spaces andfor their space saving storage andversatile indoor/outdoor opera-tion. “Whether you handle longawkward loads, pallets, containers,oversized products or a combina-tion of these, there is a Combilift tosuit your requirements. We arecontinually adding to our range, sokeep an eye on our website or visitus at trade fairs to keep up to dateon developments,” said MartinMcVicar, managing director,Combilift.Combiliftwww.combilift.com

THE MAKITA range includes mains routers and trimmers, but the new DRT50 is an 18 V cordless machinethat combines the key elements of both tools and it is thought that this Makita tool is unique in themarket place. The low energy, high performance Brushless motor runs between 10,000 rpm up to 30,000rpm with variable speed by control dial, and features a constant speed control.

Adding to the versatility of the new DRT50 are two available collet sizes (3/8” and 1/4”), whilst alternativebases offer a 0-40 mm plunge capacity with the trimmer base, and 0-35 mm with the plunge base. Three dif-ferent model options are available, with varying extras incorporated: including tilt base, offset base, straightguide and trimmer guide. A spindle lock and dust extraction nozzle is standard with all three versions.

Powered by the established Makita 18 V Li-ion battery mounted on the top of the machine for perfect bal-ance and control, the machine housing and base are aluminium, contributing to the machine’s light weight atjust 2.1 kg and providing greater durability and accuracy. It has a non-slip elastomer-covered body grip forincreased operator comfort.

The machine fits easily into the alternative bases and is retained by a simple and efficient base lock system.The aluminium trimmer base has an enlarged opening section for exceptional bit visibility and a replaceablenon-marring plastic base plate for smoothmovement. The tilt base provides tilting ca-pacity from 30 to 45°. The plunge base hastwo ergonomically contoured plunge controlhandles for comfort and accuracy and aneasy-to-operate lock lever. The offset base en-ables close trimming with the bit set in theoffset position to just 18.5 mm to the wall orcorner.

The new DRT50 18 V LXT BrushlessRouter/Trimmer is available as body only withtrimmer base and straight guide in a Makpaccase; or as a body only with trimmer base,straight guide and trimmer guide packagedin a carton box; or as the body only with trim-mer, plunge, tilt and offset bases, straight andtrimmer guides in a convenient and durableMakpac case.Makita UKTel 01908 211678www.makitauk.com

Page 4 Panel, Wood & Solid Surface October/November 2017

NEWS

VERO SOFTWARE has appointed Hector Henry as brand manager of its AlphacamCAD/CAM solution.

Having been promoted from his role of Lead Applications Engineer, his new post involvesworking closely with strategic product director Raf Lobato in the evaluation of customersand stake holders, as well as market conditions and innovations to provide vision, leader-ship and a strong presence in today’s competitive global markets.

He holds a BSc in mechanical engineering, and his involvement with Alphacam dates backto 1999, when he was hired as a field service engineer by the SCM Group in North America,installing and servicing machinery, as well as installing and training on Alphacam.

Then came a period at the Georgia Institute where he was responsible for creating dedi-cated Alphacam curricula and delivering the content to both industry students and Collegeof Architecture personnel.

Rejoining SCM, he honed his skills as a post-processor writer whilst developing bespokesolutions in VBA, along with C++ and C#.

Hector Henry joined Alphacam direct in 2016 as Lead Applications Engineer, and is de-lighted to engage in his new role as the software’s brand manager. Raf Lobato says: “Theseare exciting times for the CAD/CAM/CAE market, and Hector is the ideal person to ensureAlphacam is constantly ahead of the game for delivering solutions for increasingly complexCNC machine tools at an ever-increasing speed.”Alphacam l Tel 0118 922 6677 l www.alphacam.com

Vero appoints Hector Henry as Alphacam brand manager

Introducing the new generation Hoffmann MU-3 to the UKAFTER many years “in service”the ever-popular MU-2 is beingsuperseded by the new genera-tion MU-3 series.

The reason behind this en-hanced design has been the de-sire, from customers, for everincreasing and diverse applica-tions for the Hoffmann jointingsystem.

Hoffmann now offers manynew functions and refinements onthe MU-3. When redesigning themachine Hoffmann was careful toinclude the ability to attach all

existing accessories on the newMU-3. These accessories, many ofwhich are believed to be unique tothe UK market, have evolved overthe past 20 years.

Ergonomic, user-friendly and,according to the company, thepinnacle of design, the HoffmannMU-3 is available in four versions:l MU-3 Basic versionl MU-3 D Digital version withelectronic display of the routingdepth and router positionl MU-3 P Pneumatic version forincreased production rates

l MU-3 PD Pneumatic/digitalversion for maximum ease of use

Absolute highlights are:Increased routing depth ot 95

mm and workpiece height of140/170 mm.

Digital display of the router po-sition (adjustment of the centrefence) and the routing depth aswell as flip-stop positions.

Vernier adjustment of themotor position (fine adjustment ofthe joint/key tension).

Table extensions to suit cus-tomers’ individual requirements.

Fence-stop supports for tall ornarrow workpieces.

Adjustable support fences forcornices.

Centre-line location jig.Various versions of the new gen-

eration Hoffmann MU-3 will be dis-played and demonstrated onStand No. 40 at the North of Eng-land Woodworking Show, 17th-19th November, in Harrogate.Hoffmann Machine Co LtdTel 01524 841500Email [email protected]


NEWS

FELDER GROUP UK is hosting its annual Winter In House Exhibitionat its UK headquarters in Milton Keynes on 24th & 25th November2017, allowing all visitors an opportunity to see one of the widestranges of machines on the market as well as seeing the brand newTempora 60.06L edgebander from the FORMAT-4 range with the allnew advantEdge technology.

The Tempora 60.06L can be equipped with the patented “avantEdgeaggregate” which brings “invisible joints” to your workshop.

You can equip your Tempora with a single or dual motor corner round-ing unit and there are three free spaces for your choice of finishing unitsand you can work with a workpiece height of up to 60 mm.

The smartouch intuitive control unit comes with either a 10” or 16” touch

screen ensuring maximum operating convenience and productivity.Whilst visitors are at FELDER GROUP UK’s show room they will also have

the opportunity to have one on one time with the technical sales team,product managers and service technicians.

Live demonstrations will be performed on a variety of machines in-cluding: CNC machining centres, edgebanders, wide belt sanders plus abig range of standard machines, offering the chance to witness thesehigh quality, Austrian built machines in action.

In addition and in co-operation with Leitz Tooling, FELDER Group willhave live demonstrations of its Felder F900 spindle moulder utilising thelatest Leitz Thermotec Window System.

Detailed demonstrations will be performed and experts from bothLeitz and Felder will be on hand todiscuss your needs and any ques-tions you may have.

The FELDER GROUP is one ofthe leading suppliers of wood-working machines for private,business and industrial use, boast-ing one of the largest ranges in theindustry with over 150 machinesacross the Hammer, FELDER andFORMAT-4 brands.

The FELDER GROUP UK’s man-aging director, Matthew Apple-garth commented, “Ligna was animpressive show for the FELDERGROUP with a host of new ma-chines released, our in house showwill be the first opportunity to seeour new Tempora 60.06L as well asfind out more details on FELDER’scontinually growing and improv-ing range of machines.”FELDER GROUP UKTel 01908 635000www.felder-group.co.uk

FELDER GROUP UK Winter In House Exhibition


CNC MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT & SOFTWARE

AS A SMALL joinery manufac-turer, Martin Birt of M B Joineryfound the initial outlay to pur-chase quoting and productionsoftware hard to justify. Oneyear, after he took the plungeand purchased Joinerysoft’sJoinery Management Software(JMS), he has found that thebusiness is busier than ever, withtime savings and professionalquotes by JMS helping him winmore work and enabling him tospend more time in the work-shop and less in the office.

Martin Birt started in joinery 42years ago as an apprentice joinerin his uncle’s business. He has join-ery in his blood with two unclesand a grandfather in the trade. In2007, he set up his own joinerycompany, M B Joinery, based inGloucester, employs three peopleand specialises in quality timberjoinery, mostly for country cot-tages, grade 1 or 2 listed buildingsor anything bespoke. The workcovers roof lanterns to skirting andeverything in between, such asdoors, windows, sliding sash, con-servatories and staircases, tradi-tional or winder.

Joinerysoft started talking toMartin several years ago andthough he knew he wanted it, as asmall company the cost was anissue. After he had a demo lastyear, Martin decided to buy,helped by being able to pay in in-stalments and a healthy orderbook for the next three months.He says, “I took a gamble as younever know what the future holds,however I have been even busiersince I purchased JMS.”

Martin says, “JMS saves 75% ofmy time when quoting. When Ispend 20 hours per week quotingthis has given me a huge amount oftime to get back into the workshopmore, where I am far happier mak-ing things than sat on a computerpricing!” Whereas in the past Martinmight have taken a day and a halfto work out prices for a job, he sayshe can now sit at a computer for 20minutes and email somethingstraight back to the customer.

The speed of quoting has wonwork, according to Martin. He says,“When customers come to me

with a rush job, I am able to get theprice back to them within a coupleof hours and they are able to givethe go-ahead immediately. Thatwouldn’t happen without JMS andit makes me look professional.”

Martin admits that some quotespreviously would get missedwhere he received an enquiry andwhen busy, would forget to quoteit. He says, “JMS makes it easy toset up a customer and create aquote, so within five minutes I canput the basic details about a jobinto the system, and come back tofinish it off later. Once it is in thesystem I’m not likely to forget andenquiries don’t get missed now.”

The power of JMS can bedemonstrated by how easy it is forMartin to order timber. He says, “Iam about to start four jobs andhave been able to print out awood summary from JMS with thevolume of timber I need, automat-ically calculated. It’s as simple asthat and makes life easier.” Thismeans that Martin’s oak supplier isalso able to pre-cut timber forlarge jobs to the correct size be-fore delivery. JMS supplier ordershave also enabled him to pre-order sliding sash spiral balancesbefore the job even starts. He says,“This has speeded up work, madeordering quicker and the accuratecutting lists mean there is no more‘shooting in’ to be done. With thegap sizes set up correctly in JMS,

everything drops in perfectly.” Pre-viously Martin would have to cal-culate timber orders and cuttinglists manually.

Not overly familiar with com-puters, Martin was initially con-cerned that there was too much tolearn, but he’s full of praise for theJoinerysoft training team whohelped him get started. He says, “Itis not hard to learn the basics of it,but the beauty of it is that I havegot access to support on the otherend of the phone.” About the sup-port team he says, “The level ofsupport is good. I never feel that Ican’t phone up. They never makeme feel like I’m a pain in the a...”

Martin confirms, “JMS has con-tributed to the business growing.Certainly, we are busier than 12-18months ago.” He also believes thatJMS has had a good influence onthe finances of the business, withprofit margins increasing. He adds,“JMS has given me a competitiveedge in presentation and speed ofresponse. It makes my life easierand time savings mean that I canspend more time in the workshop,which I prefer!”MB JoineryTel 01452 [email protected] LtdTel 01608 [email protected]

JMS saves 75% of time when quoting at M B Joinery



WEINIG HAS MADE a further addition to the Conturex CNC systemwith a new solution for furniture and frame construction.

The C 125 Vario Furniture is based upon proven patented clampingtable technology and combines maximum output with optimal flexibil-ity. The new development is designed as a double-part system with spe-cial individual clamping technology. In keeping with this design, the C125 Vario Furniture has parallel charging and unloading. This allows anoutput of two parts per minute in furniture applications. Two interpolat-ing 5-axis heads ensure optimal flexibility with complex curved parts.

The large parts buffer for up to 240 parts fulfills the prerequisites forlong-term unmanned production. Integration into the Weinig Solid WorkFlow (WF0 system ensures dynamic process sequences optimised in realtime. Behind this stands an integrated software solution from idea to fin-ished work piece. Besides the benefits of a standardised data set for all

production processes, and the entire peripherals, WF includes parts iden-tification via different processes, work piece data administration includ-ing an interface with angle units and monitoring via app and desktop.Owing to the comprehensive digital architecture, WF is ideally suited tovirtual commissioning.

One highlight of the C 125 Vario Furniture is the new Weinig CAM. Thisis a 3D CAD/CAM system, that can be integrated into every Conturexgoing forward. Simple and fast programming is just one of its many out-standing qualities. As a geometry-based system, Weinig CAM also offersa fully-fledged drawing program with smart commands. All standard CADformats, such as dxf, dwg, solid, stl, rhino and parasolid, are supported.Unlike conventional systems that do not allow 3D surface processing,

Weinig CAM includes 3D 5-axis in-terpolation. Other customer ben-efits include greater reliabilitythanks to detailed simulationdown to single-item batches, sim-ple operation via macro program-ming and modular design from 2Dto 3D interpolation.

Furthermore, Weinig CAM sig-nificantly increases flexibility. In-stallation takes place in the office.Product manager Michael Hem-merich said: “This is not only ageneral technical trend, it is alsocompletely consistent since theConturex is a fully-automated pro-duction machine.”

In the C 125 Vario Furniture,Weinig marks a new milestone inthe evolution of the Conturex sys-tem. However, the designers arealready thinking further ahead:The long-term objective of the lat-est stage of development is tooffer individual automation solu-tions for a wide variety of solutionsin the furniture sector.Michael Weinig (UK) LtdTel 01235 557600

Michael Weinig AGTel 0049 (0) 93 41 86-0Email [email protected]

Weinig presents new CNC solution forfurniture and frame construction

Weinig C 125 Vario Furniture:Parallel charging for

high-end furnitureproduction.

Single clamping technology: optimal precision even with short parts.

Weinig CAM: Creating the perfect work piece quickly and easily(screenshot).



IS IT more advantageous to in-vest in fully customised CNCrouters or will standardised off-the-shelf alternative machinesbe sufficient to meet productionrequirements? This is a questionthat companies in the wood-working industry generally andthe cabinet-making and furni-ture manufacturing sectors inparticular will inevitably ask.The decision is not an easy oneand a number of factors have tobe considered before determin-ing which of the two options isthe most appropriate in relationto individual requirements.

Leading global manufacturerand distributor of high-perfor-mance CNC routing, engravingand cutting machines, AXYZ Inter-national examines some of thesefactors and offers advice on howto avoid pitfalls that can occur dur-ing the purchasing process.

Every company endeavours todemonstrate due diligence whendeciding between a fully cus-tomised CNC machine and an off-the-shelf one. The evaluationprocess can be quite complex,given the fact that customisedCNC routers have evolved rapidlyover the past decade to offer con-siderably more functionality. Thefocus of potential buyers has to beon both the present and future re-quirements of their businesses inthe context of a router’s capabili-ties, the quality of the finished out-put (particularly in relation toedge finishing), production vol-umes, the effective use of timeand labour and the contributionthe machine will make to the fu-ture growth and prosperity of thebusiness.

Tried and tested traditionalmethods of woodworking, furni-ture manufacturing and more spe-cialised cabinet-making haveexisted for years. The drawback,however, has always been the com-mitment of time and labour, partic-ularly when it came to cutting andshaping complex arch pieces ordoorways. A drill press or hand drillwere then the only options avail-able to carry out this kind of com-plex work but these were rapidlyreplaced following the advent ofthe CNC router that dramatically al-tered these work processes by in-

creasing and speeding up produc-tion capabilities.

At that point, off-the-shelfrouters seemed a logical option,particularly for small or start-upcompanies that basically eitherruled out any notion of customisa-tion and perceived CNC routers asbeing too expensive in the contextof the bottom line of the businessor failed to appreciate the poten-tial that existed with customisedmachines in terms of businessgrowth and profitability in boththe short- and long-term. Suchthinking exists today within somesmall and/or start-up companies,primarily due to the lower initialinvestment requirement on off-the-shelf machines.

However, the continually ex-panding capabilities of CNC cus-tomised routers has now changedthis perception, with the availabil-ity of a plethora of additional andhighly advanced machine en-hancements that enable engage-ment with highly complex and/orindustrial-grade applications forwhich off-the-shelf routers wouldbe totally unsuited in view of theirlimited capabilities. This would ex-plain the growing interest in NBM(Nested Based Manufacturing) bysmall or start-up companies whichnow view fully customised CNC

routers as an opportunity for ex-pansion, business growth and in-creased profitability.

In stark contrast, off-the-shelfstandardised routers are vey lim-ited in their use. They are invari-ably sourced via the internet withno direct access to the manufac-turer when technical support ornecessary spare parts are requiredand offer little or no operatortraining. They also incorporateonly the basic of standard produc-tion tools (invariably just a singlerouting head as one example),cannot use different productiontools and controllers and have in-sufficient torque to undertakeheavier and more complex workas well as being unable to carryout vital machine upgrades.

Whilst there is an understand-able reason for small or start-upbusiness owners to initially opt foran off-the-shelf machine in spiteof the foregoing, the dramaticallyenhanced capabilities of fully cus-tomised CNC routers can now beharnessed without impacting un-duly on the bottom line of anybusiness regardless of size and fi-nancial status.

Some key considerations to bemade before arriving at a decisionto purchase either type of ma-chine are as follows:

l If a lower-cost machine isopted for, make sure it will deliverprecisely what is required for thework being undertaken and theneed for future business growth.

l Do not misjudge the type oftooling required to process widelydiffering materials, particularlysince some tools have been de-signed for highly specialised rout-ing, cutting and shapingapplications.

l Be aware of the parts and ac-cessories required to maximiseproduction in order not to incuradditional costs later.

l Check the level of supportthat would be available (it is moreefficient in terms of cost and main-tenance when the supplier of themachine is also the technical sup-port advisor).

l Define supplier responsibili-ties by making sure the supplieroffers comprehensive trainingprogrammes and can maintainspare parts availability.

l Make sure the machine pur-chased is capable of future up-grades in order to take advantageof new technological advancesand their capabilites.AXYZ InternationalTel 01952 291600Email [email protected]

Determining the value of investmentin customised CNC routers



CONVERTING prospects intosales with Cabinet Vision’spowerful photo-rendering, hashelped a bespoke joinery spe-cialist to expand into new prem-ises, almost triple the size of itsold workshop.

Fri Projects has recently movedfrom 6,800 ft2 premises into an18,000 ft2 factory on the edge ofBirmingham. Working mainly forprincipal contractors since settingup the business in 2013, ownerMark Jeffries says the last coupleof years has seen them provide in-teriors for 56 BP garages, 25Chiquito restaurants and a num-ber of Frankie and Benny’s, alongwith the principal end-user, theaward-winning Nandos chain.

And with Cabinet Vision’sScreen-To-Machine module sending NC code from the design files to thetwo Felder Format-4 profit HO8 routers, most jobs are being completedfive times faster, which means they can take on more independent worknow, knowing that quick turn-around times can be met.

Having served an apprenticeship with one of the oldest shopfittingcompanies in the country — Edmond Shopfitters, which was formednearly 150 years ago in 1870, where he worked on projects at WindsorCastle, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Library — he wenton to become a shopfitter travelling all over the country.

Fri Projects was formed when he met Charlotte, who is now his wife. “Iwanted ot spend more time at home, get married and start a family. Wecouldn’t do that with the hours I was keeping out of town.” He set up asmall workshop, before eventually incorporating Fri Projects — on a Fri-day. Hence the name.

Working with a range of materials, including panel products, Coriansolid surfaces and solid timber, everything is designed in Cabinet Vision,and goes through the 3-axis flat bed matrix Felders, with NC code cre-ated in Screen-To-Machine. “Even something as simple as a straightfor-ward hole is done on the machine tool,” explains Mark Jeffries. “If we didit manually we’d need to measure it, mark it, and then cut it out. But withCabinet Vision it’s so much quicker, and we know that the precision willbe perfect every time.”

The company’s reputation was built on its two watch-words: speedand efficiency. “It’s vital that all our components are completely accurateso they fit together on site. We always know that’s the case, because we’refirm believers that technology is the way forward.” He invested in a Chi-

nese CNC router within the firstfew months of starting the com-pany, which he says served as agood introduction, but wanted toautomate even further.

“I spent six months researchingCNC machines and CAD/CAM soft-ware, and realised that the Feldersand Cabinet Vision were perfect totake the business to the next level,which is based on bespoke projects.”

Cabinet Vision has been instru-mental in successfully meetingtwo design and manufacturingchallenges. “Before we even win ajob, the software’s photo-render-ing functionality is proving invalu-able in converting the prospect toa sale. It means the customers canvisualise exactly what the finishedproduct will look like.”

And secondly, Cabinet Vision overcomes the challenge faced throughskilled bench joiners becoming few and far between. “I realised if I couldhave a machine cutting components perfectly, I didn’t need a highlyskilled joiner to assemble them because they all fit together like a jigsawpuzzle. It means we can take young lads on, and within around threeweeks we can have them putting units together, which I couldn’t havedone in my apprenticeship in those days without CNC and CAD/CAM.”

He cites an example of how Cabinet Vision’s design and manufacturingfunctionalities integrated seamlessly on a particular project. “We startedwith the customer’s sketch for a cabinet, which I then set up on CabinetVision, including the materials he wanted, a long with cable managementand doors. Then I created the drawing and an elevation. Once it wassigned off it went into production, with NC code generated in Screen-To-Machine. This saved around 60 per cent of time on design, pricing, pro-ducing the cutlist, and generating the NC code.”

And Cabinet Vision means they can take on particularly complex workthat the company says many woodworking companies would struggleto achieve: for example, the Nandos logo. “With Cabinet Vision we simplyimport a dxf file, and draw our complete design in 3D and add the tool-paths through Screen-To-Machine at the same time. Previously we’d havehad to draw it in 2D and add the toolpaths separately. But now we do itall seamlessly in one operation. Which is vital for the work we do for ourstaple end-user, Nandos.”

Manufacturing kitchen furniture for camper vans completes the com-pany’s portfoliio, and Mark Jeffries says Cabinet Vision’s parametric capa-bility is vital to ensure complete accuracy every time. “Plywood boardisn’t always an absolute uniform thickness, so we’ve created our designscompletely parametrically. We measure the boards, and then change thematerial thickness if it’s necessary, which automatically changes every-thing else, and how it’s cut. This means our camper van kitchens arealways perfect.”Fri Projects l www.friprojects.co.ukCabinet Vision l Tel 0118 922 6644 l www.cabinetvision.com

Cabinet Vision technology aids Fri Projects’ expansionMark and Charlotte Jeffries.



THE COMBINATION of Alphacam’s parametricfunction and its ability to drive five-axis routers isthe way forward for a company focusing on highend solid timber joinery.

Woodbase Joiners specialises in bespoke doors,windows and staircases, along with skirting boards,architraves, mouldings and brackets, mainly for do-mestic customers and builders. The company, whichoperates from a 7,500 ft2 factory and a 900 ft2 unit onthe same business park near the East Sussex coast, in-stalled Alphacam Standard in 2016, but upgraded tothe Ultimate package shortly afterwards.

Managing director Simon Bartlett explains: “We’dalways intended to upgrade once we’d got to gripswith the basic package. But we unexpectedly had thechance to employ a draughtsman/programmer whohas worked with Alphacam for 15 years, and when hejoined us he was frustrated that the Standard mod-ule couldn’t do what he wanted. So we acceleratedour investment with Ultimate.”

That someone was Stuart Betts, who Simon Bartlett says has now got their 5-axis Maka PE70 router, with 6 m x 1.4 m working area, “flying like it should be”, through Alphacam Ultimate.

“My main prompt to go with Ultimate immediately, was when we needed to produce alarge curved component,” Simon Bartlett says. “Although we did it on the router, without thebenefit of five-axis programming it was a longwinded process.”

Alphacam is now used on many projects, and while they have separate specialist softwarefor general staircase work, Alphacam is becoming increasingly useful for handrails and othercomplex aspects of staircases. “Although we do use conventional machines for some things,since installing Ultimate we are increasingly cutting more and more components on therouter, for the time saving, precision and repeatability that it offers.”

And he says it is reassuring, both for Woodbase and its customers, that the products com-ing off the CNC machine tool will always be exactly as they are drawn. “It eliminates the po-tential for human error, and means that if a customer wants more of a particular componentin the future, we can simply run the program again.”

He describes Alphacam as providing the line of least resistance. “People always do thingsthe easiest way they can, so if it is easier for us to draw a component in Alphacam and run iton the router, we will. Even if it is a one-off which we may have previously done on thespindle moulder, we will now do it with Alphacam.”

That point is echoed by Stuart Betts, who says five-axis machining and parametrically-cre-ated components are the way forward for Woodbase Joiners. One of the first tasks on arriv-ing at the company was to set about establishing a full parametric door library in Alphacam,as well as all their hardware items such as butts, multi-point door lock components andweatherseals. With Alphacam’s Parametric Sketcher, common CAD geometry is created au-tomatically, regenerating the file with any required variables, meaning there is no need to re-draw similar components. They are built using standard geometry commands, with differentsizes being created by simply modifying the values of one or more variables. “The paramet-ric function is an absolute godsend, as we don’t have to draw the component every time. Wesimply pull out a door that is similar to the one we want to create, put in the sizes and drag and drop all the ironmongery, then send it to the CNC router.”

And he is now creating door rails, door styles, box frame windows and joinery components in the parametric library. “Once we have created a para-metric program for any joinery item it is so quick and easy to produce new components. Everything is simply driven from a measurement.”

Appropriate parametric programs for new projects are pulled from thelibrary, or created from scratch on the rare occasion there is nothing witha close reference to what they need. “Even Z-axis curved work is no prob-lem — parametric programming speeds up the process and means wecan produce exactly what we want with no constraints.”

He says upgrading to Alphacam Ultimate is really pushing Woodbaseforward. “Standard was perfect for our 2D and 3D work, but we couldn’t doshaped or wreath handrails, for instance. Ultimate supports full 4- and 5-axis simultaneous machining for our high specification joinery. I use suctionpods on the machine as well pneumatic clamps and a laser positioning sys-tem, which Alphacam reads easily to speed up placement of workpieces.”

The final word goes to Simon Bartlett, who says they are taking onwork they would not have considered previously, because Alphacam nowmakes it cost effective. This includes gaining Fire Door Adjuster certifica-tion. “The increasing complexity of fire door components means it is notsimply a case of making apertures and cut-outs. It involves complicatedhardware as well, and to program and machine the components in anyother way than on a router makes it prohibitively expensive. And we arealso looking at panel processing for fit-out cladding thanks to Alphacam.”Woodbase l www.woodbasejoiners.co.ukAlphacam l Tel 0118 922 6677 l www.alphacam.com

Alphacam “provides the line of least resistance”for solid timber specialist, Woodbase Joiners

A NEW VERSION of WorkPLAN, the ERP and pro-duction management solution from Vero Soft-ware, is now available, dedicated to thewoodworking industry.

WorkPLAN is already widely acclaimed in theautomotive and aeronautics sectors, and this newversion has been specifically designed for thecarpentry, woodworking and fittings sector.

Vero has drawn on the vast experience gainedthrough its Cabinet Vision CAD/CAM and AlphacamCAM software solutions, which have been leaders inthis sector for over 20 years, to create a fully inte-grated CAD/CAM/ERP system for the woodworkingindustry’s specific requirements.

The development came after Cabinet Visionwanted to expand its range of services to over 10,000active clients in North America, and it was agreed tooffer a completely integrated solution by incorporat-ing the Sales Activity and Production Control Man-agement modules from the WorkPLAN software.

Within a period of just a few months, the sales andtechnical teams developed the interfaces that wererequired to allow technical data synchronisation andthe creation of quotations in WorkPLAN from infor-mation generated in the Quotations menu (Designand Price Calculations in Cabinet Vision).

Design information originating from CabinetVision is automatically fed into WorkPLAN. the list ofpanels to be cut is clearly identified, along with — foreach of them — the list of produced parts and the CNC programs generated by Cabinet Vision’s Screen-To-Machine module or Alphacam. Panelsupply management is simplified by using purchase orders or the stock, with prior reservation if necessary. Labels generated by Cabinet Vision mon-itor production at each stage of the cutting process by reading the panels’ barcode.

WorkPLAN business manager Christophe Mas says: “The seamless integration of the two software applications will allow users to improve pro-ductivity by optimising project jobtracking, supply management andstock control, along with produc-tion monitoring.”

New functions have been de-veloped from this dedicatedwoodworking-focused version ofWorkPLAN, including PackingManagement.

“This will be available in the2018 R1 release, and all users willbe able ot benefit, whatever theirsector of activity.”

The woodworking version ofWorkPLAN was previewed at theAWFS trade fair in Las Vegas in thesummer, which led to the signa-ture of a large number of projectson Vero’s stand there, and over 30concrete projects have now beenfinalised.Workplanwww.workplan.fr

Cabinet Visionwww.cabinetvision.com

Alphacamwww.alphacam.com



Whatever your Wood Welder or clamping requirements,we can help!

Tel 01461 40017 l Email [email protected]

WorkPLAN Solutions: a new version dedicatedto woodworkers


NEWS

COMBILIFT has unveiled a newall-wheel drive, electric, multi-di-rectional counterbalance forklifttruck, with a lift capacity of 4,000kg. The Combi-CBE 4t forklift waslaunched by Martin McVicar atthe recent GIS show at thePiacenza Expo centre in Italy.

The innovative Combi-CBE 4t isbased on the original and verysuccessful Combi-CB which Com-bilift launched in 2008, and untilnow the electric models in therange have been available with amaximum lift capacity of 3,000 kg.

The all-wheel drive Combi-CBE4t, coupled with large rubbertyres, allows the truck to work ef-fortlessly indoors and out and onall types of terrains. Its versatilityenables it to offload from HGVs,bring product direclty to rackingor free stacking areas, as well as tofeed production lines. Combinedwith load sensing steering and nofumes, this makes it ideal for in-door warehouse operations.

Driver convenience and com-

fort was a priority during the de-sign phase. Side shift comes asstandard and an integrated hy-draulic fork positioner is an optionto facilitate the handling of vari-ous sized loads, without operators

having to leave the cab to manu-ally adjust the forks. Quick serviceand maintenance procedures witheasy access to the tried and testedcomponents avoid any inconven-ience for the end user.

Speaking at the launch, MartinMcVicar revealed that the newmodel was developed in responseto a specific customer request forheavier lift capacities on electricforklift trucks. “As a customer fo-cused company, Combilift strivesto provide our dealers and cus-tomers with machines that notonly do the job but also save themmoney.

“This forklift is particularly in-teresting for the Italian marketwhere 93% of forklifts are electric.The initial enquiry came to us in2015 and this week we are de-lighted to launch the Combi-CBE4t in Italy. The launch of this forkliftalso underlines the continued ex-pansion of or product range.”

After the exhbition, Combilift’sItalian dealer, Euro Assistance, willdeliver the Combi-CBE to the cus-tomer, Mirrione Legnami, a lead-ing timber supplier in Sicily and anew customer for Combilift.Combiliftwww.combilift.com

LEADING UK supplier of timberand construction materials,Arnold Laver, has expanded itspresence in North London afteropening a state of the art depotin Borehamwood, as part of a£1.5 m investment that has ini-tially created 12 jobs in the localarea.

Arnold Laver has completely re-furbished an existing 30,000 ft2

warehouse that sits within a threeacre site, just off Chester Road onHertsmere Industrial Park. Thedepot now offers a modern stor-age and distribution facility, of-fices and meeting rooms. There isalso a large showroom area thatshowcases a wide range of thecompany’s products includingsoftwoods, hardwoods, panels,doors, decorative materials, lami-nates, melamine faced chipboardsand high gloss panels.

The company operates 12 otherstrategically located depots

throughout England that supplyand deliver thousands of productsto customers across the UK via afleet of more than 150 vehicles.This latest expansion means thecompany’s timber division nowemploys more than 700 people,and there are plans to recruit fur-ther as the Borehamwood sitecontinues to grow.

Martin Pearse, regional directorfor Arnold Laver, explains: “We aredelighted to expand into Boreham-wood which gives us a strongfoothold in North London and offerseasy access to the A1, M1 and M25,as well as complementing our exist-ing depots to the East and West ofLondon, in Rainham and Reading.

“There is nothing else in thearea on this scale, with such a vastproduct range. This depot willhold approximately £1 millionworth of stock and has beenspecifically designed around thecustomers it is serving, incorporat-

ing all the best features from our12 other sites. This has enabled usto create a highly efficient ware-house facility with guided railpicking and seven metre highracking, a large collection areathat is easily accessible for all typesof commercial vehicles and an im-pressive showroom where cus-tomers can view products.”

Martin adds: “When this is com-

bined with our highly knowledge-able team, there is no doubt thisnew depot will become the first-choice supplier for North Londoncontractors, developers, trades-people, as well as private homeowners, who want the widest pos-sible range of timber and timberbased products.”Arnold Laverwww.laver.co.uk

Combilift unveils new electric multi-directionalcounterbalance 4,000 kg capacity forklift truck

Arnold Laver unveils a new state of the artNorth London depot

The launch of the new Combi-CBE 4t in Italy. Martin McVicar,managing director, Combilift and Stefano Chimentin of EuroAssistance, Combilift’s Italian dealer.


NEWS

One year to go …

WITH OVER 80% of exhibitionspace already sold, a whole hostof new exhibitors signed up anda fresh new look to boot, Ele-ments and the W Exhibition (for-merly known as W18) are backfor 2018 and stronger than ever.

Following last year’s recordbreaking show, which saw morethan 8,800 people attend the UK’sonly woodworking and machineryevent, the W Exhibition and dedi-cated components show, Ele-ments, will once again open itsdoors at the NEC from 30 Septem-ber to 3 October 2018.

With only 12 months to go,event organisers, Montgomery, iscontinuing to strengthen partner-ships and develop the W Exhibi-tion and Elements further byexploring new avenues in a bid torepresent the whole industry andemulate the success of 2016.

Lisa Campagnola, event direc-tor of the W Exhibition and Ele-ments, says, “We have listened towhat the industry wants and in re-turn, stand numbers have in-creased for 2018. Elements hasseen the biggest number of newexhibitors sign up following itsdebut last year, with the likes ofAlpi, Quick Sharp, Pro Box Systemsand Awuko Abrasives confirmingtheir attendance. The W Exhibitionhas also seen an influx of newcompanies take stands, reasoningthe dedicated components showrunning alongside it and wideningvisitor pool, as major factors for ex-hibiting next year.”

The focus will also remain onthe importance of apprenticeships

and education within the furnituremanufacturing industry, with theW Challenge making a return for2018.

Lisa explains, “We introducedthree interactive features to theshow last year: the InnovationZone, Best Practice Zone and theW Challenge. Each feature offeredvisitors a unique insight into dif-ferent areas of the industry. Thelive competition, the W Challenge,saw four college students fromacross the UK compete to becrowned the winner, whichhelped to raise awareness of theimportance of young talent in theindustry and the growing skillsgap this sector is facing. We areonce again working with DidacTraining College to run a similarcompetition and continuing towork with the BWF and our officialcharity partner, Help for Heroes,for the 2018 event.”

Lisa adds, “By working with theindustry to create the W Exhibitionand Elements, we have the abilityto create a show that holds realvalue. As a combined force, bothshows offer visitors an opportu-nity to see a wide range of prod-ucts, whilst offering a platform towitness first-hand the innovationsand advances the industry has tooffer. We want to create a lastinglegacy and by working closelywith industry professionals andour visitors, we are confident theW Exhibition and Elements willcontinue to be a driving force inthe furniture industry.”W Exhibitionwww.wexhibition.co.uk

Page 20

WOODWASTE & DUST CONTROL

New waste-to-heat solution at Mobiform from Wood Waste Control

Wood waste heater delivers everything promised

CONTRACT furniture manufacturer Mobiform has invested in a new biomass boiler and chip-per from Wood Waste Control to cut costs and dispose of waste materials in a ‘greener’ way.

Wood Waste Control has installed the waste-to-heat system, integrated into the company’s ex-isting waste extraction system, to enable Mobiform to benefit from the Government’s RenewableHeat Incentive (RHI) which provides financial support for renewable heat technologies.

The Government will now make quarterly payments to Mobiform based on the equivalentamount of energy saved by the waste-to-heat technology for the next 20 years.

Mobiform operates from a 22,000 ft2 manufacturing facility in North Chailey, near Uckfield, EastSussex, and uses CNC edgebanders, saws and vinyl press to manufacture specialist wardrobes andvanity units for housebuilders, building contractors and developers across the UK.

Mobiform managing director Darren Higgins said, “We design and manufacture all our vanityunits, wardrobes and dressing room furniture in-house and this is delivered on our own vehiclesand, if required, installed by our in house installation team. Business is currently very good.”

The company has invested in a biomass boiler to burn waste MDF and MFC offcuts, in order toreduce landfill, provide space heating in the factory, and benefit from the RHI payment scheme.

Mobiform turned to Wood Waste Control (Engineering) Ltd for the solution to its needs. “WoodWaste Control designed, manufactured and installed our main waste extraction system and wehave a good relationship with them. We value their advice and their level of service is excellent,” saidDarren Higgins.

Wood Waste Control specified and installed the waste-to-heat system with a ducting transfer runto link the existing extraction system to the new externally-located 20 m3 silo which feeds the 195kW biomass boiler. In addition, a 800 mm wide chipper with 22 kW motor has been installed toshred offcuts, with the output transferred via a high-velocity feed to the cyclone for burning.

Reg Gareppo, managing director of Wood Waste Control, said: “It makes absolute common sensefor woodworking companies to burn their waste, in order to reduce landfill and benefit financiallyfrom the Government’s RHI scheme, and we have extensive experience of installing systems like this.”

Darren Higgins commented, “The installation went very smoothly. The engineers worked effi-ciently and were informative and the installation was done within our time frame.

“Overall we are very pleased and expect the new equipment to pay for itself within seven years.”Wood Waste Control (Engineering) Ltd l Tel 01628 525290Email [email protected] l www.woodwastecontrol.co.uk

THE OWNER of a Leicestershire joinery company is delighted with his purchaseof a new wood waste heater from Wood Waste Technology, as it delivers every-thing promised regarding its provision of free heating.

Steve Bower Joinery & Manufacturing Ltd specialises in producing traditionaldoors, windows, bi-fold doors and stairs. Its 7,000 ft2 joinery workshop in Lough-borough was freezing in winter as the workshop’s existing diesel heater was un-pleasant, inefficient and expensive to use. Someone recommended to managindirector, Steve Bower that the business should think about investing in a wood wasteheater to warm the workshop for its five employees. A quick search on the internetled to Wood Waste Technology, and a realisation that a wood waste heater could bethe ideal solution. Following more information and a site survey, Wood Waste Tech-nology’s specialist engineers installed a WT15 wood waste heater into the joineryworkshop in February this year.

Managing director, Steve Bower, says: “Once the heater was installed the differ-ence was obvious, as the workshop went from freezing cold to beautifully warm. Weare delighted with our purchase, it does everything we were told it would and morethan fulfils our business requirements. It has been a great investment.”

Kurt Cockroft, managing director at Wood Waste Technology, says: “Businesseswith a significant amount of wood waste can get payback on their investment in awood waste heater in as little as 12 months because of the savings that can be madeby reducing heating and skip hire bills.”

Wood Waste Technology offers a full range of wood waste heaters, from smallhand fired units to larger fully automatic systems, and offers site survey and design,as well as manufacture, installation and ongoing maintenance. The company alsoservices all types of wood waste heaters and supplies genuine spares up to 60%cheaper than other suppliers.

In addition, Wood Waste Technology is the UK’s official distributor for Gross Ap-paretebau GmbH, a German manufacturer of dependable, precision engineeredshredders and briquetters. The company is also a distributor for Putzmaus boiler tubecleaning systems — a powerful but gentle routine maintenance solution that is quickand easy to use, and helps to increase boiler efficiency and lower operating costs.Wood Waste Technology l Tel 01785 250400www.woodwastetechnology.comwww.grossuk.co.uk l www.putzmaus.co.uk



DUST CONTROL SYSTEMS Ltd (DCS) has commissioned a new dust extrac-tion filter unit and energy-saving Ecogate® system for John Turner Con-struction Group’s joinery division at its manufacturing facility in Preston,Lancashire.

Established over a century ago, the company has been responsible for con-struction of some of the most prominent buildings in the North West of England,including the iconic Preston Guild Hall, in 1972, as well as works at many of theregion’s well-known ecclesiastical buildings and educational establishments.Today, with a turnover in excess of £75 million, and divisions covering Con-struction, Maintenance, Joinery Manufacturing and Electrical Services, the groupoperates across the North West from premises in Preston, Liverpool and Man-chester. The Joinery Division is BWF accredited, employs a highly skilled work-force of traditionally trained craftsmen, and specialises in the manufacture ofbespoke joinery products including architectural joinery and window frames,wall panelling and mouldings, stairs and balustrades, and boardroom furniture.

The previous dust filter unit, also installed by Dust Control Systems, had per-formed commendably for the past 25 years, but the time had come to invest ina modern, efficient and cost-effective replacement. Following discussions withPeter Newton, John Turner’s divisional joinery manager, DCS sales director,Melvyn Bathgate, put forward a proposal to replace the old filter with anNFSZ3000 modular filter unit. Powered by a low-noise, 37 kW direct drive mainfan, and benefitting from high-performance ‘Superbag’ polyester filter bags, the

space-saving modularfilter unit is capable ofproviding an air vol-ume capacity of 20,400m3/hr. The unit is in-stalled at ground level,with filtered dust and woodwaste discharged pressure-free, by means of a rotary valve, be-fore being transferred by a closed-loop waste transfer system into an enclosed collectiontrailer — the waste is then recycled by a local farmer.

The joinery facility at John Turner Construction occupies around 11,000 ft2 and is equippedwith all the usual high-powered production machinery to be found in any typical joineryworkshop. However, as is the case at most joinery shops, it is unusual for all the machines tobe running at the same time. To maximise extraction efficiency, DCS has supplied and in-stalled an energy-saving Ecogate® extraction optimisation system, controlled by an Ecogate®PowerMASTER unit with integrated variable speed drive inverter unit. Variable speed drivetechnology maximises energy savings by providing continual adjustment of the extractionfan speed; matching the ever changing demand as the various machines come on or off line.

Installing Ecogate® on an existing extraction system can often avoid the need for up-grading or installing additional fans when new production machinery is installed, and newsystems can be designed up to 40% smaller than with conventional technology. At JohnTurner’s, DCS was required to connect the new filter unit to the existing ductwork arrange-ment and automatic Ecogate® dampers were retro-fitted into the existing ductwork runsserving machines on the shop floor. “With the inclusion of Ecogate® technology, the averageextraction volume at John Turner Construction will be reduced by over 20%,” explains MelvynBathgate, “and our design engineers conservatively predict annual energy savings of over50%.”

The bespoke nature of the work undertaken at John Turner’s also necessitates the use ofa number of smaller hand tools and, to provide appropriate extraction for these individual

tools, DCS designed and installed a secondary extraction system with aseries of twin take-off points — 63 mm diameter flexible hoses, with apush-fit fixing, are used to connect hand tools to the extraction points, asand when required. A total of five twin extraction points are provided,and up to three of these points can be used at any one time; providing ex-traction for up to six different machine tools.

To complete the project, DCS has also installed a return air manifold,with manually operated dampers, allowing clean warm air to be returnedto the factory during colder winter months or discharged to atmospherewhen not required. The system has also been brought up to ATEX-recommended standards by the inclusion of a CARZ back-pressure flapvalve; in the unlikely event of a dust explosion, the valve is designed toprevent the effects of a pressure wave and flames travelling from thefilter, back along ductwork, and into the factory.Dust Control Systems Ltd l Tel 0800 040 7116Email [email protected] l www.DCSlimited.co.uk

DCS retrofit for John Turner Construction

Ecogate® automatic dampers retrofitted into existing ductwork,and ATEX-approved back-pressure flap valve.

Twin extraction points, with push-fit connec-tions, provide flexible extraction for smallermachine tools.

DCS installed a 20,400m3/hr capacity NFSZ3000 modularfilter unit for John Turner Construction Group.



THE TALBOTT brand has been established since the mid 70s manufac-turing a broad range of heating systems designed to utilise wood waste.

The original manual fed, air heating units, the Talbott T range, is stillthe most popular today. The units are available in four sizes designed toheat anything from 1,500 ft2 up to 10,000 ft2. depending on the insulationproperties of the building. The units are easy to operate and they dis-tribute hot air for space heating throughout a factory: ducting can be in-corporated to target specific areas. They are exempt appliances underthe Clean Air Act for use within smoke control areas.

Talbott’s has installed thousands of these over the years, with customerscoming back repeatedly for further units or to upgrade in line with in-creases in production. All these units are kept in stock so Talbott’s can offera quick turnaround for supply and installation. An automatic version ofthe T range is available to heat larger spaces and utilises wood, MDF andchipboard dust, along with shredded wood off cuts. This is a simple, costeffective solution to factory wood waste disposal and heating.

Talbott’s’ latest success is the deployment of its MWE Modern WoodEnergy range which, as standard, incorporates automatic de-ash, heatexchange cleaning, oxygen trim ‘lambda control’, all to ensure efficient,clean and complete combustion. There are four sizes available in therange rated at 199, 300, 600 and 999 kW with larger sizes expected to beavailable soon. All of these units are boiler based and eligible for the Gov-ernment’s renewable heat incentive scheme where they have RHI emissions certification.They are designed to use wood based fuels such as MDF, chipboard, hardwood and soft-woods.

Talbott’s now has a number of accredited installations where the support of the RHI has en-abled such investments to ensure the most efficient and clean combustion of on site gener-ated wood waste, along with massive reductions in fossil fuel usage. This having a positiveimpact on the environment due to reducing companies’ carbon footprint.

The renewable heat incentive scheme represents financial support provided by the Gov-ernment where the end user gets paid for every kW of eligible heat used in the premises.This may be for factory space heating, heating for offices or a process. Therefore companiesinvolved in wood based manufacturing industries such as kitchen, furniture makers or tim-ber processors can not only benefit from a reduction in wood waste disposal and energycosts but also from a cash back incentive paid by the Government. A quick pay back from theinitial capital investment is achieved and once accredited to the scheme, end users can earnyear on year, up to 20 years in total.

Talbott’s is one of the only manufacturers to have RHI emissions certification for a wide rangeof wood based fuels such as MDF, chipboard, MFC, OSB, softwood, hardwood, particle board,plywood, wood chips and wood pellets. The boilers have been fully tested in order to achievethis certification ensuring they meet the most stringent emissions and quality criteria.

Talbott’s has built up a large customer base accredited to the RHI and to name but a few:Biker Group, DFS, AW Champion, Allport Packaging, Hills Panel Products, Welcome Furniture,Vincent Timber, Sven Christiansen, Select Timber, Midland Building Products and most re-cently BD Living, part of the prestigious Barratt Developments PLC.

Since 1958, building over 400,000 houses, Barratt has become one of the best known andlargest house builders in the UK and has achieved five star house builder status for the lasteight years. Barratt Development PLC includes Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes, BarrattLondon and Wilson Bowden Developments. Combined, these business build and sell thou-sands of new homes in towns and rural areas, helping meet Britain’s growing housing needsand providing homes for all incomes, including shared ownership. Approximately 65 peo-ple are employed at the 25,000 ft2 BD Living Coalville factory. Previously BD Living was dis-posing of 270 tonnes of wood waste each year and the factory was heated by a gas system. BD Living wanted to reduce the cost both financially and

environmentally for disposing of the wood waste and decided to investinto a Talbott MWE biomass boiler and Untha Wood shredder. They alsotook the opportunity to upgrade the wood waste extraction system, sup-plied by Air Plants Dust Extraction Ltd, Leicester.

They opted for a Talbott MWE300 solution, Untha LR700 shredder withpipe work distribution supplied by Air Plants Heating. Talbotts and AirPlants worked closely to manage the full turnkey project in order to en-sure minimum disruption to production and smooth operation.

Talbotts has dedicated RHI, service, spare parts and technical depart-ments to ensure customers’ needs are responded to efficiently. The com-pany has a broad product range available consisting of fully automatedcomprehensive biomass boiler solutions, automatic and simple manualfed air space heating solutions and Untha wood shredders, for whichTalbott’s is the UK distributor.Talbott’s Biomass Energy Systems Ltd l Tel 01785 813772Email [email protected] l www.talbotts.co.uk

British manufacturers of modern wood energysystems have a broad product range available

A Talbott MWE300 biomass energy boiler in-stalled at BD Living, the bedroom division ofBarratt Developments PLC.

Talbott T Range series of manual fed units.

Untha LR700 wood shredder.



DUST Control Systems Ltd (DCS)has installed a complete extrac-tion system for fit-out specialist,Cardinal Group, at the com-pany’s newly refurbished manu-facturing base in Laisterdyke,Bradford.

Cardinal has family business ori-gins dating back over a century,and is now a thriving companywith a workforce steadily ap-proaching 200 in number. With itscore business in the retail sector,Cardinal has earned a prestigiousclient list of top high street names,but re-locating its manufacturingfacility and headquarters, alongwith investments in new plant andmachinery, is providing opportu-nities to develop into new markets.

Dust Control Systems haslooked after the company’s dustextraction requirements for over20 years, and sales director MelvynBathgate, commenting on thecontract to supply and install ex-traction plant at the new premises,said: “In our business it’s not oftenwe have such a blank canvas towork with — Cardinal now hasaround 120,000 ft2 of manufactur-ing space and, being involvedfrom the start, we were able tooffer some guidance on workshoplayout and machine positioning to

ensure maximum efficiency fromthe extraction system design.”

The overall layout of the manu-facturing areas is extremely neat,providing a natural workflow andgenerous space for queuing jobsand movement of product betweendifferent machining operations.

As is the case for most fit-outcompanies, Cardinal manufactures a

tremendous variety of products, util-ising a multiplicity of machines; fromclassic spindle moulders and bandsaws, through to modern high-techCNC machining centres. This diverseproduction requirement means thatmany machines are often used forshort periods of time, and at irregu-lar intervals. In a traditional work-shop environment, the extraction

system operates at full power,throughout the manufacturing day,even if some machines are idle, but,at Cardinal, DCS has installed anenergy-saving Ecogate® extractionsystem. With Ecogate®, optimumextraction is automatically provided,for every individual productionmachine, but only when machinesare being used.

DCS eminence saves Cardinal energy

Energy-saving Ecogate® greenBOX 12 controllers automatically open and close motorised gatesas individual machines come on or off line.

DCS engineers installed FastClip ductwork throughout at Cardinal.



DCS has installed FastClip duct-work throughout the factory andthe ducting to each machine in-corporates a motorised Ecogate®damper which is activated whenthe machine comes online. Thedampers open to allow extraction,and then close automatically whenmachines are powered down —the Ecogate® system continuouslyadjusts extraction fan speed, in realtime, to match machine usage.“The potential for power saving isobvious,” says Melvyn Bathgate.“Installing an Ecogate® system canachieve an average power savingof over 60% when compared to asystem with fans running all day atfixed speed.” Cardinal’s system iscontrolled by two Ecogate® green-BOX 12 units, with each greenBOXcapable of autonomously control-ling extraction for up to 12 differ-ent machines — DCS engineersconservatively estimate that en-ergy bills will be 50% lower thanthey would have been with a fixedspeed system.

Providing filtration for all theproduction machines is an ATEX-certified, Schuko ECOVAR VALIDUSmodular chain filter, with an air vol-ume capacity of 47,000 m3/hr pro-vided by a flow-optimised cascadesystem of three 22 kW fans. Dust-laden air extracted from the factoryis drawn through anti-static, poly-ester needle-felt tubular filter bags

— dust is continuously removedfrom the filter media by pulsed jetsof compressed air, and a pneu-matic-mechanical shaking systemprovides secondary cleaning.

The waste dust falls into thelower hopper section of the unitwhere the chain conveyor main-tains a consistent flow of waste tobe discharged, pressure-free, by

means of a rotary valve. A wastetransfer fan finally delivers the ma-terial to an enclosed container.

The installation also includestwo ATEX-approved CARZ back-pressure flap valves; one in each ofthe two main ducts. In the unlikelyevent of a dust explosion, thevalves prevent the effects of a pres-sure wave and flames travelling

from the filter, back along duct-work, and into the factory. DCS hasalso provided additional fire safetymonitoring and protection at Car-dinal with the installation of aBS&B spark suppression system.Dust Control Systems LtdTel 0800 040 7116Email [email protected]

Production staff at Cardinal are understandably delighted with the new spacious, dust-free workspace.

DCS installed a 47,000 m3/hr capacitySchuko ECOVAR VALIDUS

filter unit at Cardinal.


SANDING & FINISHING

WHEN A COMPANY, formed in2009, reaches the level of suc-cess it has in achieved in justeight years due to a reputationearned through quality and cus-tomer service, it speaks volumeswhen they turn to Biesse GroupUK to purchase a Viet sander toprovide a finish, which compli-ments its hard-earned standingin the market place.

Working for many high-end

retail outlets, accountants, legalfirms and blue chip industrialgiants, Gable Joinery is proud toprovide large and medium sizedjoinery projects within this presti-gious sector.

“The sander definitely openedup new markets for us, especiallyfor fire doors,” enthused managingdirector, Alan Smith. “We boughtthe sander to increase our ownproductivity having previously fin-

ished by hand and immediately in-creased our efficiency by 30%. Themachine is that good, we can nowsand paper faces, creating a finishwhich now saves spraying time.

“The main reason we chose Vietwas the build quality as well as thequality of finishing. We always lookat the long term, so longevity ofthe machine is of paramount im-

portance in ensuring long-term re-liability and finishing excellence.”

Co-director, Heather Smith,commented, “We didn’t even con-sider that the machine could sandpaper, it’s absolutely exceeded ourexpectations.”

“In fact it’s done more than wewanted it to do,” continued Alan.“The very nature of our workmeans we make some weird andwonderful things (such as 95 mmthick fire doors) and the sandernow plays an important part in ourcalibrating and finishing processes.

“It will have paid for itself in justtwo years on cost savings alone.We have reduced our sprayingcycle as well as increased the ma-terial efficiency with less rejectsfrom the spray shop due to the fin-ishing quality of the sander.”

Heather concludes, “The sanderhas had a massive impact on pro-ductivity. We make more in a dayand achieve excellent and consis-tent quality.”

Gable Joinery is also the proudowner of a Biesse Rover K pod andrail CNC machining centre as wellas an Akron 1400 edgebander, allwith Biesse’s five year Total Carewarranty and service package.Biesse Group UKTel 01327 300366www.biesse.com/uk/

Gable Joinery selects a Viet sander fromBiesse Group UK

Alan and Heather Smith with the Viet S213


SANDING & FINISHING

THE NEW Direct Electric Orbital Sander (DEOS) with its revolutionary design is being launched by Mirka. The Mirka® DEOS gets closer to thesurface, easily accessing hard to reach areas and delivers a flawless smooth finish quicker than other sanders, according to the company.

The DEOS is available in two sizes, DEOS 383 CV 70 x 198 and DEOS 353 CV 81 x 133, making it suitable for use across multiple applications, includingstripping old paint and lacquer.

The DEOS is believed to be the only electric sander on the market that has been optimised for net abrasives by incorporating more than 45 holesin the pad. When the tool is combined withMirka’s net and paper abrasives, it offers anexcellent scratch pattern and a dust-freework environment.

Its innovative features incorporate apowerful brushless motor which provides ahigh power to weight ratio when in use. Thedesign team has been able to reduce theweight, size and height of the sander, pro-viding customers with a compact, light-weight and easy to use tool.

In addition, it has an integrated vibrationsensor with Bluetooth technology that canbe connected to a mobile device with thenew myMirka app to give guidance onvibration levels.

Pete Sartain, national sales manager —Industrial of Mirka UK, says, “We regularly sitdown with our customers to understand thetypes of tools they require and we have de-veloped the DEOS to meet their constantlyevolving needs. Its versatility means that it issuitable for multiple applications and makeshard to reach areas easy to handle.”Mirka (UK) LtdTel 01908 866100 l www.mirka.com

New DEOS from Mirka set to shape the future

Sanding with SCM

THE DMC Eurosystem has beenupgraded compared to the pre-vious Eurosand L model, withthe choice of fitting high rangesanding and thicknessing tech-nologies on machines which re-quire less demanding invest-

ments. The new solution is fittedwith a crossways unit that canbe positioned at the infeed, topre-sand the unfinished piece,or at the outfeed for precisionfinishing.

The resulting machine is ex-

tremely flexible, completely mod-ular and it can house the units re-quired by the user. All themodularity, all the technology andall the possibilities of top of therange machines are made avail-able to a wider public, bringing ex-tremely efficient technology toless mature markets.

The Finesand orbital pad is theinnovative solution for the preci-sion finishing of cross grainedproducts and composite materials.The machining unit uses a sandingpad with a very large contact area,that operates on the panel with anorderly movement, resulting fromthe combination of two rotationsthat eliminate crosswaysscratches, rendering the abrasionhomogenous across the wholesanding area. Moreover the com-bination of the action of the Fine-sand unit with the action of theunits on the DMC System, in par-ticular with the Planetario unit, en-sures what are claimed to be thebest finishing results on an indus-trial scale.

Another new development canbe found in the DMC SD 70 auto-

matic wide belt sander, the newcompact machine designed for in-dustrial uses, with 2,620 mm longbelts, a useful working width of1,350 mm and larger rollers. It canbe fitted with 2/3 machining unitsand allows for excellent levels ofdiversified finishes.

The new DMC MB 90 is a ma-chine that features technologiesusually found on machines higherup in the range. It is fitted withunits that brush and chamfercopied MDF or wood doors, thatcan operate either when machin-ing unfinished pieces or after thebasecoat has been applied. TheDMC MB 90 uses flexible abrasivetools, that are more or less aggres-sive based on the machiningspeed and the grit. The brushesare longitudinal and are very easyto remove for replacement ormaintenance. Two different toolscan be fitted on the same brushand by simply changing the rota-tion direction, different machiningoperations can be achieved.SCM Group UK LtdTel 0115 977 0044www.scmgroup.me.uk


SANDING & FINISHING

WHATEVER your sanding needs, Kündig has a sander to meet themfrom its range of widebelt sanders and edge sanders, including itsbespoke division, Kundig Technic.

Technic machines created so far include top/bottom sanding systemswith two to six units; extra large machines for the panel industry, withspecial machines for plywood and sanders with cutterheads; and ma-chines for working with very thin material in the laminate industry. If youhave a requirement that you feel cannot be met by a standard machine,have a word with Kündig: the solution may be closer than you think.

Here are just some of the companies who have purchased Kün digsanders in recent years and been featured in previous issues:l Michael Northcroft is a British furniture designer and maker with an in-ternational reputation for excellence. Founded by managing director,Michael Northcroft, in 1982, the company purchased a Kündig Brilliant-2 1600 REd sander in 2016 from Kündig Ltd’s authorised agent, A12Machinery of Essex.

Michael says: ““The Kündig is an expensive beast, but you do get a highquality job out of it. We make very high quality furniture. Our client baseincludes many international stars, performers, sports people around theworld so we need high quality sanding. The furniture is tailored to theirhomes and the quality has to be really good.

“We use a lot of exotic veneers and woods in our furniture. The Kündigminimises ripples and defects in high class lacquers.

“We also sand our solid wood components on it. A multitude of solidwood components go into our furniture. The Kündig is highly accurate:you get the dimension out that you set the machine to. There is no burn-ing, you get a very clear finish andit is wonderfully trouble free.

“It is a really good machine, I amreally pleased with it.“l Roland Tagg and Bob Under-wood of TAGG Furniture, estab-lished in 1979, purchased aPremium-2 1350 RE for sandingboth solid wood and veneeredboards, as well as a Uniq-S edgesander for the sanding of edges toMDF panels.

TAGG furniture already had awide belt sander which hadserved the company faithfully formany years, but it was reachingthe end of its useful life. And oncethe decision had been made to re-place the wide-belt sander, it wasnatural for Roland to buy the edgesander at the same time.

Kündig Ltd was approached be-

cause “After a lot of research and talking to friends and fellow furnituremakers Kündig sanders came out top and they were very highly rated.That is a good advertisement!” Roland told PW&SS.

He continues, “It is a very compact machine and we are very tight forspace, so not having a lot of extra bits stuck on the side was very useful.

The old machine had a 1,100 mmcapacity; this one has a 1,350 mmcapacity with a smaller footprint.

“The quality of the finish is re-ally, really good. Before we didn’tput veneered panels through theold machine in case it sandedthrough the veneer.

“It gets used a lot as we aremanufacturing different items allthe time. We have lots of differentpeople using the machine on var-ious projects and because of thesimplicity of use any of our work-force can go up to it and use itafter just 10 minutes of trainingwithout worrying about messingit up, and will get a good result.”l deVOL purchased a Kündig Pre-mium-3 1100 RRP sander, deliveredand commissioned in September2015. Managing director, RobinMcLellan, told PW&SS: “In the

search for a new sander, we worked through Markfield Woodworking Ma-chinery (MWM), with whom we have a long standing relationship. We havebought a lot of machinery from them in the past, and they introduced usto Kündig Ltd and to Carl O’Meara.”

Carl went with Robin and Gavin Cooper of MWM to Wreak Valley Crafts-man to see a Premium-2 1100 RE with vacuum belt in action, carrying outvarious demonstrations using different grit configurations on a selectionof kitchen doors and components Robin had brought for testing purposes.

Robin says, “We tried a variety of machines, and the Kündig sander wasthe one we had the best experience with finishing wise. We were awareof their reputation, and wanted to get the best machine on the market.The advantages of the Kündig were all very subtle things, and that isoften the case with fine finishing. These subtleties become quite criticalin creating a finish that is spot on compared to one that is 99% there. Wejust wanted to make sure we got the belt and braces right.”

When asked if he would recommend the Kündig sander, Robin replied,“Yes, it is lovely.” Kündig Ltd l Tel 0845 833 0565Email [email protected] l www.kundig.co.uk

Kündig: a sander for every season

TAGG Furniture purchased a Premium-2 1350 RE for sanding bothsolid wood and veneered boards, as well as a Uniq-S edge sanderfor the sanding of edges to MDF panels.

Michael Northcroft purchased a Kündig Brilliant-2 1600 REdsander.

deVOL of Leicestershire invested in a Kündig Premium-3 1100 RRPsander, delivered and commissioned in September 2015.

RECYCLED shipping con-tainers in York are beingconverted into a commu-nity space to offer afford-able spaces to start-upbusinesses. Providing anarea where locals have anopportunity to enjoy thecity, Spark:York hasturned to Norbord to helpcreate a hub for socialbusinesses.

Using 540 sheets of 18mm SterlingOSB3 to cladthe inside of the shippingcontainers and 342 sheetsof CaberShieldPlus to coverthe floors, Spark:York aimsto create an aesthetically

pleasing, practical space that will be beneficial to the local area. Thedurability, versatility and clean, grey finish of CaberShieldPlus is consid-ered a perfect fit for the community project that promises to create a hiveof activity.

Joe Gardham, director of Spark:York, commented: “The criteria for ten-ants is that they must be local to York, an independent business, and havea social purpose. We are putting an emphasis on the final point becauseour aim is to change the social mindsets of the next generation of entre-preneurs. We will reinvest all profits to subsidise activities for those whoare unable to access them.”

Norbord is one of the leading manufacturers of engineered wood-based panel products, that are FSC®-certified and used extensively in theconstruction, DIY and furniture sectors. Norbord’s brands, SterlingOSB,CaberBoard, CaberWood MDF and ContiBoard are well known and arecommonly specified by architects, national housebuilders and specifiers.NorbordTel 01786 812921 l www.norbord.co.uk


TIMBER, PANELS & VENEERS

Contact:

THE AESTHETIC appeal of Norbord’s SterlingOSB has been highlighted across manytrendy fashion stores, restaurants and bars; popular with designers on price, visualappeal and durability.

One social enterprise recognised the complementary environmental benefits of Sterling-OSB when they were gifted the board from a project at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.Hill Holt Wood was able to recycle the board and use it to build a “bothy” at Skegness CoastalEco Centre for them to use as an off-grid natural learning space. The project incorporates theuse of British timber, including SterlingOSB along with sheep’s wool insulation.

The use of SterlingOSB, an FSC-certified, sustainable building product made from timbergrown in the UK, fits with the ethos of the charity which is an integral part of the local com-munity and aims for economic, social and environmental sustainability. Set in 34 acres ofwoodland in Lincolnshire, the organisation utilises harvested rainwater, has earth-compost-ing toilets and an off-grid power system.

Hollie Drake of Hill Holt Wood explained, “The event incorporates large OSB displays andfencing for advertising purposes. The event organisers aim to donate and give away thesematerials as much as possible, otherwise the waste goes to landfill. We were contacted by theevent planning department and asked if we were interested in some OSB sheets. Recycling,sustainability and reusing materials reflects our ethos and therefore we were very excitedabout this prospect. To reduce landfill and help recycle materials, we travelled to London topick up the SterlingOSB and brought it back to our Lincolnshire location. We have stored andutilised these resources for our projects and the Skegness Coastal Bothy is a brilliantexample of this.

“Hill Holt Wood aims to use British timber in all construction projects and holds FSC andGrown in Britain chain of custody certification. Although the majority of our projects use tim-ber felled and processed from our local woodlands, SterlingOSB reflects our ethos as a sus-tainable building product that is FSC certified and made from timber grown in the UK.”Norbord l Tel 01786 812921 l www.norbord.co.uk

SterlingOSB at Hill Holt Wood

Norbord is at the heart of business with Spark:York



THE UK’S biggest independent timber andpanel products distributor, James Latham,is now offering Red Grandis™ directly fromstock through all eight of its nationwidetimber depots.

Ethically sourced and plantation grown inUruguay by forestry and logging giant Uru-for, Red Grandis is 100% FSC® certified andfully compliant with EUTR legislation.

Offering exceptional durability and stabil-ity, this high-performing, versatile hardwoodtimber — which comes from the Eucalyptusfamily — is also easy to machine and stain,plus, because it is plantation grown, it offerscontinuity of supply.

James Latham’s technical timber sales de-velopment manager, Justin Hayward, ex-plained, “We are really excited to be able tooffer this product and I am confident that itwill quickly become a popular choice withour customers. Red Grandis is ethicallysourced; environmentally friendly and readilyavailable and this, coupled with outstanding

levels of performance in stabilityand durability, ensures that it ticksall of the boxes not only for us, butfor our customers.”

Typical uses for Red Grandis in-clude all types of joinery such aswindows, doors, conservatories,mouldings and cladding. It is par-ticularly well suited to large proj-ects such as door frames as it issupplied in long engineeredlengths so it is less likely to bowand warp, this in turn reduces theneed to overlap and finger jointframes.

Mr Hayward added, “JamesLatham has a long history and ex-pertise in bringing new and inno-vative products to market and RedGrandis fits perfectly within our ex-tensive timber portfolio whichboasts one of the largest and mostvaried ranges of joinery qualityhardwoods and softwoods avail-able in the UK.”

Red Grandis is available in thefollowing thicknesses as sawn timber: 25 mm, 32 mm, 38 mm and 50 mm and in widths of150 mm and wider as well as long lengths (mainly

3.7 m to 4.9 m). It is also offered asWoodEx®, Latham’s own premiumquality, engineered hardwood andsoftwood timber product in all coresizes for joinery applications as clearfaced and finger jointed for longlengths.James LathamTel 0116 257 3415Email [email protected]

Red Grandis™ lands at Lathams



RENOLIT Cramlington Ltd nowoffers 19 RENOLIT ALKORENSuedette Matt colours with theaddition of four new distinctlydifferent greys to their marketleading stock range of 3D ther-moformable films: Clay GreySuedette Matt (above), OnyxGrey Suedette Matt (below),Pearl Grey Suedette Matt (oppo-

site, top) and White Grey Sue-dette Matt (opposite, bottom).

As matt surface finishes con-tinue to increase in popularity anddemand remains a strong markettrend, greys also continue to dom-inate. Within the grey colour zonethe four new colours include bothlight and dark shades to comple-ment the existing range of com-

mercially attractive colours com-bined with a desirable high per-forming superior matt surfacefinish.

All 19 Suedette Matt colourshave matching Egger MFC boards.

RENOLIT ALKOREN Clay GreySuedette Matt (47021) creates asophisticated muted tone whichworks well with White Craft Oak 1

or add some sparkle and contrastwith High Gloss Anthracite Metal-lic. MFC Co-ordination: EGGERU201 ST9 Pebble Grey.

RENOLIT ALKOREN Onyx GreySuedette Matt (47022) is a versa-tile colour which creates a sultryatmosphere with its darker char-acter. Add rich tones with DriedDate Suedette Matt, add urban

More matt colours as trend continues:



chic with Chicago Concrete 1 oradd a modern design element anddepth with Fleetwood Lava. MFCCo-ordination: Egger U960 ST9Onyx Grey.

RENOLIT ALKOREN Pearl GreySuedette Matt (47025) is a modernlight grey. For a trendy fresh lookcombine with Peak Yellow Super-matt or mix with Silver Liberty Elm

19 to add an imaginative stylestatement. MFC Co-ordination:EGGER U763 ST9 Pearl Grey.

RENOLIT ALKOREN White GreySuedette Matt (47024) is a lightonly just grey. To create a fresh andbright interior mix with Fern, andcombine with the latest EIR (em-boss in register) designs such asENDgrain Delight or ENDgrain

White. MFC Co-ordination: EGGERU775 ST9 White Grey.

Suedette Matt is a super finetexture with a low gloss aesthetic.The surface benefits from highscratch and mar resistance as wellas offering excellent stain resist-ance against all major foodstuffs(independently tested). FinishedPerformance Testing of the

Suedette Matt products has beencompleted by FIRA and satisfy therequirements for the assessmentof domestic kitchen worktops,doors and other panel elements asspecified in BS6222 part 3 1999.RenolitTel 01670 [email protected]/design

Renolit extends offer with four muted greys


NEWS

ESTABLISHED in 1990 by twinbrothers Brian and KieranMcCracken, BA Components iscurrently one of the UK’s lead-ing manufacturers of kitchenand bedroom doors and furni-ture components. Headquar-tered in Northern Ireland thebusiness has three well-investedmanufacturing sites; one inCookstown Northern Ireland,one in Doncaster South York-shire, and BA Clic Componentsin Rotherham, established in2016 to manufacture their tool-less assembly ClicBox kitchenand furniture cabinets.

BA has grown strongly in recentyears by investing in people andprocesses, resulting in strong lead-ership, high quality products, abroad product range and strongcustomer service, winning manyindustry and business awardsalong the way. The company hasalso featured prominently in theBelfast Telegraph top 100 NI Com-panies for the last three years.

With some of the most ad-vanced manufacturing facilities inthe UK and Ireland, BA has sub-stantially expanded into new mar-ket areas both in the UK andacross the globe, and currently ex-ports to more than 20 countries.

BA is pleased to announce thissignificant new investment from

H2 Equity Partners, which will sup-port BA’s strategy of continued in-vestment in the manufacturingsites and bringing new productranges to market and being ableto serve all parts of the market.The aim is to become the UK’sclear number one specialist doorand furniture component manu-facturer, and is a one-stop-shopfor mid-to-high-end doors andtool-free cabinets.

H2 is a leading independent in-vestment firm founded in 1991making investments in mediumsized companies with significantgrowth potential. The H2 team hasbuilt an exceptional track record ofacquiring, strengthening andgrowing fundamentally attractivebusiness across all sectors, whichthen benefit from the extensive in-ternational operating experienceof the H2 team.

H2 is an excellent partner for BAand BA Clic who bring knowledgeand experience to the market sec-tor which can further benefit BA’sgrowth and expansion plans.

Brian McCracken, managing di-rector of BA, said, “We chose topartner with H2 based on theirgood knowledge of our sector andexcellent track record built up over26 years of working with family-owned businesses. Both Kieranand I will remain actively involvedin the business and we look for-ward to working with H2 to buildon the core drivers of BA’s successwhich are a broad range of highquality products and excellentcustomer service.”

Simon Gilbert and Cathal Turley

of H2 will be joining the board ofBA. Simon Gilbert, partner at H2,said, “This is an excellent opportu-nity for H2, investing in a marketleading business alongside thefounders. We have been very im-pressed with the quality of thebusiness and their focus on thecustomer, and look forward tocontinuing BA’s success.”

Day to day operations at BA willbe business as usual. Brian andKieran will remain as significantshareholders and will work closelywith H2 to consolidate BA’s marketposition and deliver the ambitiousgrowth plan.

Brian and Kieran would like tothank Invest NI for their help andsupport to grow the business overthe years as well as Sheffield CityRegion Combined Authority forsupport in the establishment ofBA Clic at Rotherham, and to theaccountancy and legal teams atHannawayCA and Mills Selig inBelfast for the manner in whichthey have effectively and effi-ciently guided BA through thisprocess.BA Componentswww.byba.co.uk

BA Components announce newinvestment from H2 Equity Partners

Left to right: Simon Gilbert, H2 Equity Partners; Brian & Kieran McCracken, BA Components;and Cathal Turley, H2 Equity Partners.

Left to right: Simon Gilbert, H2 Equity Partners; Edward Morti-more, H2 Equity Partners; Brian & Kieran McCracken, BA Com-ponents; Cathal Turley, H2 Equity Partners; JP Corrigan, BAComponents: and David Caulfield, BA Components.


NEWS

VPK LTD has built up an excel-lent reputation for the quality ofits work since the company wasestablished 10 years ago. It be-lieves in giving each contractthe personal attention that itdeserves and using the highestquality machinery to achievethe best finish possible.

VPK has a production facility inWaltham Abbey, North Londonwhich combines the latestFORMAT-4 CNC technology withtop of the range CAD Softwareused alongside with a number ofindustrial machinery from theFELDER GROUP.

Workshop manager NickBohdanyuk said: “The robust ma-chinery we bought from FELDERare the perfect machines for theamount of high end, bespokeprojects we do as a company. Theaccuracy of each machine allowsus to give the care, attention anddetail in the craftsmanship thateach project deserves.”

In 2013 VPK purchased its firstFELDER machine, an FD 921 dowelboring machine and since thenhas purchased a further 10 ma-chines from the Hammer, FELDERand FORMAT-4 ranges, trading up

for improved machinery as thebusiness continues to grow. Cur-rently in the workshop VPK has aperfect 710 edgebander, a kappa400x motion sliding table panelsaw, profit H10 and H22 CNC ma-chining centres all from FORMAT-4 as well as the F3 spindle moulderfrom the Hammer range. Nick con-tinued, “we purchased the H22 sothat we could make panel and

door sets and because of the CNCtraining we received from FELDER,which couldn’t be better, we cannow produce them and so muchmore! By the end of our four days’training course we knew the ma-chines inside out, it has helped usproduce everything a lot faster.”

With extensive knowledge inthe internal fit-out sector and vastinvestment in machinery and soft-

ware the company prides itself inbeing able to manufacture eitherhigh production runs or more in-tricate one off bespoke items.

See how a range of machinesfrom Felder can benefit your work-shop by using the contact detailsbelow.FELDER GROUPTel 01908 635000www.felder-group.co.uk

VPK workshop features FELDER technology

Documents

P PAANNEELL,, WWOOOODD · Timber, Panels & Veneers: pp 30-33 James Latham opens the door to Red Grandis Turn to page 31 for the full story. Panel, Wood & Solid Surface October/November