Today, British manufacturers face many challenges in furniture production and edgebanding. With product ranges growing and batch sizes becoming ever smaller, this mix of materials, thicknesses and profiles can only be mastered economically with innovative tooling solutions and dedicated technical support.
Leitz Tooling works very closely with some of the UK’s largest and smallest furniture manufacturers to improve efficiency and maximise performance. With 145 years of industry experience and a massive range of over 8,000 tools, Leitz Tooling has the solutions and knowledge to support the growth of the furniture industry.
Leitz has also developed some unique and innovative tooling solutions to tackle manufacturing challenges such as noise reduction and quick profile changes.
Solutions for managing varying thicknesses and profiles
The award-winning FlexTrim3 profile cutter from Leitz was engineered to reduce downtime from profile changes when edgebanding. The Leitz FlexTrim profile cutters allow simple profile changes via the machine control on Homag machines due to the multi-profile technology.
Manufactured from top-grade diamond, these unique cutters contain up to three profiles in one tool, resulting in reduced downtime from changing and setting tools. The tool is very flexible and is designed to use customer-specific profiles, allowing for bespoke manufacturing at a large scale.
Leitz Tooling also manufactures adjustable jointing cutters that allow for a significant reduction in downtime and adjustments when changing thicknesses between batches. Leitz adjustable jointing cutters reduce downtime from tool changes and also reduce the amount of tool stock that furniture manufacturers need to hold, which has reduced set-up costs for some companies by up to 60%. The easy adjustment system allows for faster changes to the cutting depth between batches. Additionally, the high-grade diamond tips enable smooth finishes ideal for glueing, and it significantly reduces tear-out thanks to the tooth geometry.
Solutions for high-quality finishes
Leitz has specialised tooling solutions for achieving excellent surface finish quality. The company offers a high shear range of edgebanding tools called EdgeExpert. Edge Expert tools cut at the optimal cutting angle for high-quality finishes and low running costs at around 54°, which, after heavy research, was proven to provide “better finishes than higher shear tooling around 70°”.
With innovative tooth geometries, EdgeExpert tooling provides impressive tear- and chip-free edges and smooth sides, even when processing laminated or denser materials. In fact, EdgeExpert tools typically achieve about 30% longer lifetime when cutting laminates compared to conventional solutions.
Leitz also manufactures diamond-tipped pre-milling cutters with alternate shear angle for tear-free jointing edges and cutting surfaces. Featuring well-designed lightweight tool bodies that reduce machine wear and support efficient chip collection, Leitz manufactures pre-milling solutions for all brands of machinery. Their improved finished quality leads to increased process efficiency, with lower costs per running metre than solutions like double jointing.
Solutions for noise reduction & dust extraction
The processing of panel material requires light and quiet tools at the same time to minimise the damage to man and machine as far as possible. The Diamaster WhisperCut series of edgebanding tools from Leitz is specially designed to reduce such strains. Due to its optimised body shape and low weight, noise pollution during jointing and rebating is significantly reduced by up to 5 dB(A), and the quality of the workplace is improved. The resharpenability of the system with replaceable cutting edges also guarantees high cost efficiency, resulting in low costs per running metre.
Leitz also supplies Dust Flow Control (DFC) hoods for edgebanding tools. Leitz DFC® Extraction hoods are individually designed and precisely adapted to the individual application. Therefore, all processing options, such as profile variants or different material thicknesses, are taken into account. The result is extensive cost savings through improved cutting, extended tool life, the reduction of cleaning at the machine and dust-free workpieces. Not only does the DFC technology create less machine wear, maintenance, set-up and energy costs, but it also can help produce -5 dB(A) less noise through the noise-reducing design of the Extraction hood. When combined with WhisperCut technology, this provides significant noise reduction in edgebanding.
Leitz “snip saws” for edgebanding also incorporate noise reduction technology into their saw blade design. Snip sawing generates a lot of noise at very high decibel levels, but is often overlooked by the HSE and production managers due to short running cycles. Incorporating Leitz sawing solutions can heavily reduce the damage to a worker’s hearing during these operations without sacrificing on quality and productivity.
Solutions for high volume production
Leitz works with many of the UK’s largest furniture and kitchen manufacturers and, therefore, has created some devoted solutions for mass producers. Products like the DP hogger are suitable for the wide variety of carrier and decorative materials used in panel production. The hogger has a recommended feed rate of 30 m min-1, making it suitable for high volume manufacturing.
Thanks to the new tooth shape, optimum machining results are achieved over the entire life cycle of the tool, which can reduce machining costs by up to 20%. The design enables efficient chip removal and the vibration-reducing tool body further to increase the tool life and thus the economic efficiency. The DT premium hogger can also be sharpened up to 15 times, making it extremely sustainable and cost-effective with a consistent cutting width.
Technical support, training & digital solutions
In 2023, Leitz launched the Xpert app, allowing tool information to be accessed anywhere at any time. The app also gives machinists specific application data and has built-in calculators for determining feed speeds and other key considerations when machining.
Leitz frequently hosts training seminars where companies of all sizes come to see how collectively we can maximise efficiency and optimise the production process. Leitz has developed many machining strategies for edgebanding and shares this knowledge with its customer base. With full technical support, Leitz is a sole supplier and offers tooling, sharpening, advice and even site visits to support furniture manufacturers.
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