Pictured: Check out accessible options for automation at JJ Smith’s event on 15-16th September
From smarter machinery and automation to coatings, tooling and cleaner production, here are six developments catching our attention across manufacturing.
1. Five-axis cutting gets more accessible
Stromab’s new MV520 combines a compact footprint with a 520mm blade, 360° rotation and ±90° tilt. JJ Smith is positioning it as a more accessible route into sophisticated automated cutting.
2. The glue line is disappearing
At Estetiko, Holz-Her’s Lumina 1596 4.0 Premium combines LTRONIC laser edging with its Glu Jet adhesive system. Components can leave the machine without subsequent glue cleaning, polishing or corner correction.
PICTURED: Holz-Her’s Lumina 1596 4.0 Premium
3. Coatings that stay usable for longer
Redwood highlights extended pot life within Hesse Lignal’s finishing technology, with certain clear lacquers usable for up to three days after mixing – potentially reducing waste, interruptions and repeated mixing.
4. Three-axis CNC learns new tricks
Wealden Tool Company’s In-Frame Door System machines an in-frame door and cock-beaded frame from a single MDF sheet using three-axis CNC – demonstrating how intelligent tooling can extend existing machine capability.
PICTURED: Emily Thompson’s Gilded Scars armchair
5. Materials embracing imperfection
Emily Thompson’s Gilded Scars armchair uses rescued timber while deliberately retaining woodworm damage. Filled with gold leaf, what might traditionally be considered a defect becomes the defining decorative feature.
6. Timber systems get smarter
The Joinery Network’s Lignum Window & Door System combines shared certification, technical resources and expertise, pointing towards a more collaborative route to making UK-manufactured timber windows and doors competitive at scale.
