Machinery for all

Italian-headquartered SCM says it is able to meet all market needs, from smallsized carpentry shops to large industrial companies and from solid wood to panel processing. It also says that it has a competitive edge derived from a continuous commitment to innovation, in order to keep up with the major changes underway in production technologies.

The company’s ability to make changes, supporting its customers and strengthening their business, is reflected in the success stories that these companies can tell today, says SCM. Thanks to its technology, it says it has succeeded in meeting the new demands of “mass customisation”: a market that is requiring solutions, aesthetical performance and custom-made prices, by giving the advantages of large-scale production.

Binket Group is one of the largest specialised factories in the internal door sector in the whole of Central Asia. The company is located in the Sergelijsk region of Tashkent, in Uzbekistan. In an area of eight hectares, the production capacity covers 20,000m2. The objective of this ambitious project was to apply Italian technologies, unique in their genre, to the production of high quality internal doors, with an internationally appreciated and refined design. Comfort and welcome are the mission of this company, which provides a custom design service for interiors of homes and offices and uses only reliable raw materials, as well as components and decorative materials, from the most trustworthy global suppliers.

The meeting with SCM, and the solid and profitable partnership which followed, allowed the ideas to be turned into facts. The result was the creation of a concrete project for an innovative turnkey factory where the automation is at the highest levels: from supplying materials to the area, to the packaging of panels in heat-shrinkage film and corrugated cardboard. The storage of the finished products in the warehouses ready for delivery, ensures optimal organisation of the production. As an added value there is a 9,000m2 warehouse which resolves any issues with regard to logistics. The use of advanced technologies, and the improved production organisation, significantly increase productivity, says SCM. The initial target of 700 doors per day was exceeded, thanks to the new plant designed by SCM, which also contributed to reducing production costs and improving the quality of the service, including aftersales maintenance. But the technological progress also allowed the possibility of performing custom machining operations to the product, such as decorations on the glass and special finishes. SCM, through its engineering staff, supplied over 80 different technologies, with the machines which, working together, could guarantee the entire production process.

The flow had to be organised for the production of doors and jambs. For doors, the process starts with panel sizing and pressing, continues with edge-banding, and is then followed by the special processes, with an appropriate machining centre. The jambs start with panel sizing, followed by cutting the unfinished MDF strips with a superset spindle moulder, followed by the coating, drilling and routing.

The production cycle continues with the assembly and packing of the finished product, which then goes to the warehouse. Considering the considerable quantity of equipment supplied, SCM says its true ability has been to design the whole production cycle necessary to start the factory upstream, with a huge logistical undertaking involving a large number of suppliers, both inside SCM and third parties.

Another interesting case history in panel processing concerns Interior Selections, a leading furniture factory operating in the UAE for over 23 years. The company was looking for a sanding/finishing solution when it approached SCM. The challenge was to maximize the beauty of the finished products. Given that, even if the best paints are applied to a surface which is not well prepared, one can never get the results expected, the aim was to find a solution which could achieve top-level finishing and productivity, whilst retaining the flexibility to work with different materials and products.

The decision was made to sand the material to perfection, reducing the time, keeping the flexibility to work with the same-wide belt sander on different projects, and most importantly to provide the best surface on which to apply the paint. The best surface meant not only the most beautiful result, but also a reduction in paint usage (better environmental footprint as well as cost saving) to get the same beautiful result.

Upon meeting with Diego Piersanti, Commercial Director, SCM Middle East, the initial proposal suggested was the calibrating sanding machine dmc system t3 1350. The sturdiness of the machine – and the wide number of technical solutions available – made this sander the best choice for both industrial companies and demanding contractors who use the machine in an intensive manner.

A trip to Rimini, Italy, soon followed and it was here that Nirain Lobo, CEO of Interior Selections, was able to view, first-hand at SCM headquarters, the wide range and variety of solutions on offer. In particular, a demo of the 5-axis CNC machining centre Accord 25 fx, dedicated to door processing, helped to throw the spotlight on the benefits it could bring Interior Selections. At the time, the company already had a 4-axis CNC, but Nirain Lobo almost immediately understood the quantum jump that would be made with SCM’s 5-axis CNC.

Currently, both the sander and CNC machining centre are in operation at Interior Selections, and have given the company the flexibility to maximise business opportunities whilst increasing productivity and overall quality.

SCM says that its solid machines allow its customers to deliver such projects.

Another example comes from Foxstow Joinery, based in the heart of Oxfordshire in England. The company now specialises in the manufacture of almost every possible type of external, internal and cabinet door, along with associated cabinetry. The owner, Oliver Bryan, explains: “With our team of skilled craftsmen and the company’s wider expertise in bespoke joinery manufacture, we are able to offer our clients extended support on new-build or renovation projects”.

The company is undergoing a period of rapid growth, especially in the fitted kitchen and bedroom market. Despite the obvious capabilities of the workforce at Foxstow, it was becoming an impossible task to keep pace with the increasing demand for bespoke doors using existing machinery and employing traditional techniques. Foxstow had previously invested in several classical SCM machines, such as the class ten 220 tenoner.

When the need for a state-of-the-art CNC machining centre became the obvious next step, the decision to contact Jamie Walters, SCM’s Area Sales Manager, was one of the easier decisions Oliver Bryan has had to make for the business. Taking all Foxstow’s requirements into account, Jamie’s proposal was for the installation of a Morbidelli m200f, one of SCM’s new “All-in-one technology” range of CNC machining centres.

The compact footprint of the m200 f, coupled with SCM's "Pro-Space" solution, facilitates installation in the tightest of spaces and is able to process a sheet width up to 1900mm, with a maximum working width of 1620mm, 3110mm lengthways, and clearance height of 250mm.

The morbidelli m200 f is integrated with the highly intuitive Xilog Maestro 3D CAD/ CAM software suite and is loaded with a range of unique technologies: SCM's Rotoaxial ‘RO.AX’ spindle technology, for example, with maintenance intervals of 1,000 operating hours and drilling speeds up to 8,000rpm, gives stability and accuracy during fast drilling operations; the "JQX" 5-axis unit allows tools to be oriented in virtually any direction, and allows machining up to 10° below the horizontal plane; and the continuous aluminium alloy table provides uniform distribution of vacuum to the workpiece, with vacuum outlets spaced 12cm apart in both directions, positioning and unloading operates efficiently and safely.

Introducing the CNC machining centre has revolutionised sheet production and improved efficiency, quality and safety. And, as well as the significant benefits of machining sheet materials, the POD element of the morbidelli m200 f now allows Foxstow to machine other bespoke pieces such as pelmets, cornices, and curved-head doors and frames.

Mr. Bryan commented: “Our capacity for manufacturing Shaker Doors has doubled and, as a result, we are taking orders for bespoke doors from all over the UK and Europe.”