The humble bandsaw has for many years been one of the most important machines used by both small and large solid wood furniture manufacturers, and in many cases some workshops will be using two, three or more machines, each one needing a dedicated, highly-skilled operator.
The bandsawing operation requires multiple templates for manual marking-out of the timber to be cut. In addition the working process requires the operator to be extremely vigilant in keeping his hands away from the cutting blade. Now thanks to the MZ Project range of copy and CNC bandsawing centres the whole operation is quicker, more accurate and a lot safer.
The key to the success of the MZ machines is the automatic angling of the sawblade which on the copy machine is ±45°, while on the CNC models it is ±90°.
On the copy machines there is the patented four template tracing device which is independently controlled by the machine and the twisting of the blade. It allows for the same shape and size of timber (or board ) to be cut as the template fitted.
The arrangement of unusual shaped or mirror imaged pieces gives the facility to optimise both the production and material. The three models of machine in the copy range, Quater, Hopper and Universal are all equipped with a simple-to-use 5.7in colour touch screen control unit. From here the operator can create and memorise cutting programs including carriage feed speeds, number of required cuts, cuts produced etc.
The program memory is quick to access and the time to change from one program to another is just a couple of minutes, including the change of templates.
The Quater model has a manual operation that allows the operator to position the timber if a defect has to be cut around. The Hopper has fully automatic moving of the ‘clean’ timber or board meaning all the operator has to do is load the machine and press the cycle button.
The Universal offers the best of both worlds as it can be operated in manual or automatic mode. All machines have the choice of either a 1300 or 2000mm cutting length with a cutting height of up to 100mm. Options include an overhead laser for material positioning and an out-feed return conveyor system for the cut parts.
The CNC models require no templates at all, instead all that is required is for DXF component drawings to be imported and the resident IMAGO software does the rest. It takes care of all the shapes and dimensions for the new workpiece program, optimises material usage and cutting time along with the possibility to simulate the cutting cycle to ensure the program is error-free.
All three machines in the CNC range, Basic, Universal and Hopper have the added advantage of the automatic angling of the saw ±90°, meaning even the most complex-shaped components can be cut. Cutting capacities are the same as the copy range, but longer cutting lengths can be specified on request. In addition the Hopper can be specified with an NC drilling unit.
For the volume cutting of chair/sofa frame parts from sheet material MZ also manufactures the top-of-the-range Pluris, which in addition to the bandsaw blade has a CNC-controlled router and drilling head.
MZ Projects exclusive UK agent, JJ Smith, believes this range of machines finally gives UK furniture manufacturers a viable option to manual bandsawing, by not only de-skilling the operation but also making it more productive and safer as the operator is no longer making the cuts!
To view machines in operation, go to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/jjsmithwoodmachinery
0151 548 9000
www.jjsmith.co.uk
