10-10-2019

“Thin-Cutting & Repair Days” at WINTERSTEIGER

Industrial softwood lamella production and automation draws the crowds.

 

From October 1 to 3, the machinery and plant engineering company WINTERSTEIGER AG invited customers from the wood processing industry to Ried in Upper Austria for the “Thin-Cutting & Repair Days”. The event, held by the WOODTECH business field, brought 150 visitors to company HQ, mainly from western Europe, but also from Russia and Ukraine.

 

The event centered around a fully automatedsoftwood production line for multi-layer boards that were developed for elka-Holzwerke GmbH. At the center of the fully automated plant, there are three DSB Twinhead NG XM thin-cutting band saw machines connected in series with upstream and downstream processes. Over a length of 42 meters, 5-m-long spruce blocks are planed to thickness and cut into seven lamellas using three thin-cutting band saw machines. After that, using a planer specially developed by VAP, the lamellas are planed on the sides and separated, then any dust is removed and they are scanned and sorted for quality assessment.



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Max Bachmann, Head of the WOODTECH business field at WINTERSTEIGER, explains: “This plant, which even exceeded the dimensions of the assembly hall, is the product of our automation and thin-cutting expertise.” Together with VAP Gruber Automations GmbH, also part of the WINTERSTEIGER group, the wood thin-cutting experts at WINTERSTEIGER engineer and produce fully automated production plants for wood processing. Another aspect of this large plant: “With this project, we successfully entered into the soft wood processing sector, thereby adding another string to our bow as a specialist in the parquet sector,” says Bachmann.

 

Automated stacking of top layers.

WINTERSTEIGER also demonstrated an automated solution for stacking top layers that evenly spaces out stacking bars. The distance of the stacking bars, the number per layer and the precision of repeatability when positioning the bars all greatly influence the drying result and therefore the quality of the lamellas. The distance and the number of bars per layer can be adjusted according to the customers’ wishes. The stacking unit is available as a fully automated complete solution with automation or as a stand-alone solution.

Timber Repair & Cosmetics: TRC 1500 and TRC Manufactory.

 

From the TRC sector, WINTERSTEIGER presented the semi-automatic TRC-M Easy – an entry-level model for timber repair – to the attendees, as well as the new, fully automatic TRC 1500. The TRC 1500 offers an excellent price/performance ratio: Used for the repair of top layers, engineered flooring and solid wood floors, as well as for processing planed goods and much more, the system has an injection unit that works in tandem with an application unit. The TRC 1500 also makes the fully automated repair of top layers possible for the first time.

 

The new TRC Manufactory is fully automated and applies a unique finish to the surfaces of rustic floor planks and boards. The material is scanned and analyzed by the machine and then processed. Edges can be rounded without relying on a regular pattern, while cracks can be milled away and wood grain and knots can be ground out to create a contrasting effect in the overall finish, so every floor is unique.

Precise thin cutting with band and frame saws.

 

From the precision thin-cutting sector, WINTERSTEIGER presented two single-module thin-cutting band saws: namely, the DSB Singlehead NG XM (cutting width up to 350 mm) and the DSB Compact NG XM (cutting width up to 310 mm). For the most cost-effective thin-cutting, the DSG Notum thin-cutting frame saw was put through its paces. The program ended with a look at the WINTERSTEIGER carbide-tipped and Stellite® saw blades for all applications designed and manufactured by WINTERSTEIGER.

 

For individual cutting and repair demonstrations, the visitors also had the chance to test the machines and discuss specific requirements with the WINTERSTEIGER team. The guests were also taken on tours around the company, giving them a glimpse behind the scenes of the production department – from unprocessed metal sheets right through to the finished machine.

 

The program was rounded off with an evening event, which gave everyone an opportunity to continue interesting discussions about the product range and the solutions on display in a relaxed atmosphere.