Daltons Wadkin reports that sales of its Kimla CNC routers continue to grow, largely due to increasing demand from furniture and joinery manufacturers.
Alex Dalton of Daltons Wadkin, sole distributor for Kimla in the UK and Ireland, explains why the brand is proving so popular.
“Kimla is unique in the market. They have approached the design and operation of their products from a very different standpoint to the majority of other CNC manufacturers. This is immediately evident in the overall build quality, but can also be seen in the software and control system,” comments Alex.
For the first five years of business, Kimla was a software company innovating in new control systems to retro-fit onto older CNC machines. This included designing not only the software architecture but also building its own PLCs and inverters. In order to exploit the full potential of its control system, machine manufacturing soon followed.
Twenty-five years on and Kimla has over 200 employees across three locations working on a production line of around 70 machines with, on average, one CNC machine produced every day. This includes CNC routers, waterjets and fibre laser machines.
“I have visited the Kimla factory many times and each time I go they have expanded,” enthuses Alex. “Year on year they are seeing over a 25% growth rate, a key aspect driving this demand is the build quality and excellent value. Everything is done in house; precision frame welding, surface grinding, electronics including software, PLC and inverter manufacture and assembly. The result is an uncompromised, reliable CNC machine with all aspects designed to work seamlessly with each other.”
A substantial monolith frame (pictured) is first welded and then precision machined prior to adding the guides and drives. The result is an overall machine accuracy of 0.002mm. The rigidity of the frame minimises any vibration and results in excellent cutting quality even at very high operating speeds.
Each Kimla machine is supplied with everything needed to start machining, straight out of the box. The simple but powerful CAD/CAM software allows users to draw components, create libraries of parts and then nest for optimal efficiency.
“Of course many of our customers already have their own preferred design suites such at AlphaCAM, Cabinet Vision, AutoCAD etc. The Kimla software will also work seamlessly with third party design and CAM applications,” Alex explains.
Daltons Wadkin’s factory-trained staff provide full operator training either at its Nottingham site or at customers’ own premises. It also provides remote assistance and telephone support for the life of the machine. Coupled with a dedicated tooling department, Daltons Wadkin offer customers a comprehensive aftersales service to maximise their investment.
The heavy duty frame that forms the foundation of the Kimla BPF
The Kimla BPT model is the world’s first production cutter with linear motors for foams, fabrics and lighter materials