Doncaster-based Custom Made Kitchens was looking for a machine to apply edging tape with no visible glue line. The firm’s goal was to produce high quality kitchen doors as well as cabinets. With 25 years of supplying his trade customers throughout the UK, it was clear to MD Keith Hackshall that PUR adhesive was the way to go.
“The simplicity of the glue system was a big part of the decision to choose the Ott edgebander,” he recalls, “when compared to other systems on the market, the application of adhesive is a far simpler system and the only one we have seen which is fully electronically controlled.
“We specialise in the manufacture and supply of kitchens and bedrooms to kitchen retailers. I want to provide my customers with an absolutely top quality finish. That is the reason we chose the Ott machine. The new Ott Strongedge is the fourth edgebander in our production line and the first one to apply PUR adhesive.”
When the company started looking for a new machine, Derby-based FEN UK was high on the list of potential machine suppliers. One of the existing machines at Custom Made Kitchens’ factory is also an Ott edgebander, which has been utilised in production for about seven years and has been giving a very good, reliable service.
The company has very recently installed the new edgebander supplied by specialist edgebander supplier FEN. Service and support is very important to Keith. He says: “The level of service provided by FEN has been very good and also is fairly priced. FEN can offer quick online support, which can be very useful when we have to meet our tight production deadlines.”
The machine features a patented fully-electronic glue application –Combimelt. This system, as well as the rest of the machine, has been designed for application of PUR adhesive and enables a virtually maintenance-free use in production. The resulting overall finish is considered as absolutely top of the class.
There are many benefits when using the Combimelt system. For example, there is no need to purchase special – and more expensive – edging tapes to achieve a zero glue-line finish. Then there is the Trans-Start infeed system, which even at a feed speed of 20m/min ensures all panels are guided squarely into the machine, resulting in correctly-sized finished products.
Thanks to the patented LCM cleaning systems installed, all panels leaving the new machine are completely finished. All cleaning fluids are available from FEN and supplied the next day.
After ordering the new Ott edgebanding machine, the company was keen to get on and start using the new piece of kit.
“The installation was very straight-forward. The machine arrived, was put in place and the commissioning completed very swiftly. Within a few hours we were ready to produce high quality kitchen doors!” says Keith.
When compared to other machine installations, Keith was pleasantly surprised how quickly it all came together.
“With the new Strongedge machine we are now producing high quality doors in high gloss, matt, or woodgrain finish
All our doors are made to bespoke sizes and are applied with a waterproof bond, which is heat resistant up to 150°C. Our colour range exceeds 150 different finishes. We are looking forward to a record year in 2017!” he concludes.
01332 516557
www.fenuk.com
