Releases allow better control over output, labor costs and energy consumption.
Suppliers are expanding selections of woodworking machines with multifunction units. Responding to target industries’ need for greater cost efficiency, makers are offering designs capable of several cutting and shaping techniques. A number of models can handle not only solid and engineered wood but plastic and glass as well.
Recent releases also boast a higher degree of automation. Many are fitted with technologies that curb power consumption and manual interference, generating savings for industrial users.
For energy efficiency, variable-frequency drives adjust motor speed automatically according to the demand of the task. Such mechanisms raise prices by $140 to $290 but provide the added benefit of prolonging the motor’s service life.
To reduce the risk of errors and wastage, control panels in the latest equipment are easy to understand and manage. The operation does not require highly specialized knowledge or skills, allowing users to economize on professional salaries, training and other labor-related expenses.
Going a step further, Guangdong Firmy Machinery Co. Ltd has equipped its models with enclosures for containing woodwaste that cause respiratory, skin and eye problems. The device also serves as a convenient collector of sanding and sawdust, chips and shavings for recycling into engineered materials such as MDF, HDF and particleboards.
Besides product upgrades, suppliers are using aftersales services to attract more orders. Most offer a 1-year warranty on electronic components and other parts. For an additional fee, companies can send technicians on-site for installation, operator training and maintenance.
Pricewise, makers are keen on keeping quotes stable in the next six months. Some have even expressed intentions of cutting rates in line with efforts to expand their customer base.
Products & prices
Suppliers in China typically manufacture a range of woodworking machines instead of specializing in one type. Sanders, molders, saws, planers, tenoners and routers are among the major products, accounting for roughly 80 percent of output and exports.
Models are designed mainly for furniture, flooring, window and door makers. Most overseas-bound units go to Eastern Europe, North and South America, Asia and the EU.
At Guangdong Firmy, among the latest machines for export is the CAE481A1 CNC router, which is equipped with a Yaskawa servo system from Japan. Priced $66,900, the product can be used for routing, drilling and cutting of solid and engineered wood, and other nonmetal pieces.
The company also has the FMD8825 CNC double-end tenoner in its selection. Suitable for cutting and milling solid wood, MDF and chipboards, the 4,880×3,300×1,800mm machine goes for $45,500.
For four-sided molding and planing, the FMM616 model is available. The 4,380×1,730×1,750mm machine has a working width of 20 to 165mm, while the thickness is between 8 and 100mm. Tagged at $17,350, it can process solid wood and MDF pieces.
Qingdao TLead International Co. Ltd’s selection includes the TL-FBC7 edge bander, which is able to perform
pre-milling, trimming and eight other functions. The CE-certified unit can handle panels that are at least 120mm long and 60mm wide, and 10 to 60mm thick.
Similarly meeting CE requirements, the maker’s SRP1300 wide-belt sander has calibrating and polishing capability. It can process 40 to 1,300mm-thick panels.
Shandong Sound Metals & Machinery Inc. is offering a combination machine that can do the work of eight different woodworking systems, including a planer, thicknesser, spindle molder, mortise, and table and panel saws.
Another model, the SMI-3200TZ panel saw, is designed with tilting and scoring blades suitable for solid and engineered wood boards, ABS and PVC panels, and organic glass plates. For more on “New models enable more savings”.