“Several years ago we attempted to break into the UK,” says Marco Farina, sales manager for Alberti Engineering. “Despite having vast manufacturing experience and a reputation for being a market leader in Italy, we lacked significant knowledge of the UK market. We needed to find a distributor that not only had the knowledge and understanding of the market but who also shared our passion for machinery. We have now found that.”
The Alberti range of CNC machines will be introduced by Coventry-based Ney this October. “We've both been part of the woodworking industry for a long time, and that has created a mutual respect for each other,” says Marco. “Alberti has the enthusiasm to design and build more advanced machinery and Ney has the right distribution and knowledge to make the partnership work.”
Although the complete Alberti range is not yet in the country, information on the Vector and Syncro is available at Ney's Open House in October. But the T-Flight/Cn – which is making its first UK appearance at Ney’s in-house exhibition on 9th-12th October – is predicted to be the biggest seller.
Labelled as the most compact machine ever to come from the Alberti design team, the new T-Flight enables small- to medium-sized manufacturers to get in on the batch one concept. Although compact in size, the T-Flight is not limited to working with smaller panels. Boasting a machining facility for panels of 3000mm long, 900mm wide and 50mm deep, it provides a flexible solution for manufacturing single parts continuously, regardless of dimension, or regrouping all components needed for a project using Edialber software.
“T-Flight/Cn is a simple, fast and accurate machine,” Marco continues. “It has been designed and configured to meet the production needs of small and medium furniture manufacturers which typically have limited financial resources but who want to use technologically advanced machines which are extremely flexible.
“T-Flight/Cn also meets the needs of those who have limited space. It is extremely compact in size, without limiting the ability to work even extremely long pieces. In this regard, the sliding support surfaces of T-Flight/Cn compared to competing machines are much longer, so as to ensure better, safer and more simple action of loading and unloading of the pieces by the operator.”
He confirms that this remarkable little gem can be used as a stand-alone machine, with panels fed and unloaded on the same side, or "cycle through type", where worked panels are transferred to the rear of the machine table. Manual pick up of the panel is possible for such as hardware fitting, assembly or packaging of the cabinet.
“Particularly appreciated by our users is the reading system of the zero point of the panel that is obtained with the use of a laser sensor,” says Marco. “It makes it possible to compensate for any dimensional errors detected on the length of each panel during processing.
“The T-Flight/Cn has an upper vertical head in a T-configuration. Alberti has opted for “kinematic control of the z axis” and the 8 +9 independent spindles are selected exceptionally quickly through a unique, patented expansion system. “This exclusive system of selection and movement of the spindles has always distinguished us from the competition,” says Marco. “A series of aggregates is available for the T-Flight/Cn, including heads for horizontal holes; groups with independent motors with a flange for a saw blade, which facilitates grooving in the X co-ordinate of the panel; and a vertical milling unit with power up to 5.5 Kw.”
The T-Flight/Cn is offered with the new CNC Tpa, Compact-Seven PC control, based on a Windows 7 operating system. Programming and management of the machine is via Alberti’s TPA-ED32 software - “a powerful editor with user-friendly features based on icons and graphics that are simple to use and interpret.” The programming system enables individual programs or work lists to be selected and, if required, the programs can be recalled by reading a label containing a bar code.
Through Ney, manufacturers wanting a simple-to-program drilling and insertion machine will now be able to access Alberti Engineering technology in the form of the Vector CN - a 40-spindle machine which is renowned for its clear graphics. Like the T-Flight/CN, the proven Vector CN has been designed with just-in-time operations in mind. It makes light work of the production of small batches or one-offs by offering zero setup time. For lower drilling and insertion, Ney Ltd is also able to offer the Syncro CN - a system designed for drilling doors and drawer fronts. Like the Vector CN, the Syncro CN has been designed with batches and one-offs in mind.
Tel 024 7630 8100
www.ney.co.uk
