The challenges of using Fermacell are well documented. The fire-resistant fibre gypsum board, which is often used as an alternative for plasterboard, blockwork and wet screed, offers home builders some seriously good credentials, but its extremely fragile DNA can lead to a more labour-intensive approach to manufacturing in a bid to avoid excessive material waste and the accumulation of workplace dust.
For Heywood Timber Engineering, these challenges were behind a compressive two-year search for the right cutting solution to tackle these problems head-on. The outcome was a Striebig Compact vertical panel saw and AL-KO dust extraction unit from TM Machinery.
“We manufacture roof trusses, floor products and timber frames for our sister company, Heywood Homes and other third parties,” begins Domonic Farley, Operations, QHSE, Transport and Logistics Manager at Heywood Timber Engineering. “To do this, we cut a lot of 8x4 Fermacell board. At 52kg per board, they are extremely difficult to cut, and due to their brittle nature, they can easily be broken when handled or machined incorrectly. The compressed fibre structure also means they unleash an unworldly amount of fine dust when cut, which is difficult to extract.
“Our old vertical panel saw was struggling with this, and to try and compensate we ended up outsourcing our Fermacell strip work. We needed to combat these issues. A lot of saw manufacturers said their models could cut a wide range of materials, but Fermacell really is a whole different ball game. It was only once we’d seen the Striebig Compact 4164 vertical panel saw perform some cuts with a six-tooth blade and the AL-KO PU 160 P dust extraction unit running alongside it, that we knew we’d found what we’d spent two years looking for. It offered a clean, precise cut and made light work of fine dust.”
Following a very simple installation process, which saw the manufacturer merely needing to add additional three-phase electric points into its 40,000 sqft factory, the saw and dust extraction duo were installed within a day. “It was as simple as it comes, and the AL-KO was plug and play. The whole process was done very quickly with very little disruption. We got TM’s experts to give our team some training so they could get a real understating of how the saw worked and how best to use it when cutting Fermacell and other materials. This helped us hit the ground running.”
Time and labour savings in the timber frame department were immediate. “Before the Striebig, we’d have five people cutting, snapping and scoring Fermacell boards by hand. It wasn’t a productive method. An average job would take the team five days to cut. Now, with the introduction of the Striebig and AL-KO, the same job can be done in half a day by a single operator. Productivity has skyrocketed!”
Domonic continues, “Not only does this allow us to utilise our labour force more effectively and use them in other areas of the business, we can be less reliant on skilled labour to complete the job. In our business, everyone has a role to play, but if you get the right people in the right roles, you can save money and increase productivity. That you can be sure of.
“We’ve also seen a huge reduction in waste due to the way the saw cuts through the material, and that fine dust that would always cause so many problems in the factory has now been eradicated.” This is due in part to AL-KO’s extended filters, which increase surface area and reduce pressure on the filters - essential for working efficiently with fine dust. They are also made from an SMP-Tex surface coated filter material, which has been designed to prevent fine dust penetrating the filters. In addition to this, its large integral air surge tank also ensures maximum filter cleaning with low demand on your compressed air supply.
“The automatic cleaning is also a great feature. It really helps us stay on top of maintenance,” says Domonic.
The Striebig and AL-KO partnership also offers the growing company flexibility going forward. “The house building sector is constantly looking at ways to make their homes more energy-efficient. This means we are always evolving and finding new ways to achieve even better results. That’s why we need the right machinery on our factory floor to keep up with new materials and techniques. The Striebig ticks this box and allows us to improve our manufacturing capabilities and work with a wider range of materials quickly and accurately. This in turn has allowed us to stop outsourcing pre-cut strips and saves us time and money during the production process.”
Domonic concludes, “This investment has resulted in us being able to not only complete existing jobs 80% quicker and create a cleaner environment for our workers. It’s also allowed us to streamline production and restructure our workforce to increase productivity. We couldn’t be happier and would definitely recommend TM Machinery to others.”
