PANEL MANUFACTURING
The aim of the project was to develop a machine capable of machining the four faces of glulam beams with sections up to 1,600 x 700mm, while maintaining high standards of precision and finishing quality. Unlike other machines that are bound to medium-size beams sanded mostly on three sides, Imeas has responded to this challenge by combining a top/bottom sander with extended stroke to a newly-designed side sanding machine to obtain a sanding system capable of processing sections ranging from 75 x 75mm up to 2,600 x 700mm, equipped with a pair of moving heads capable of working both in ‘fixed gap’ for the precise calibration of the beam, and in ‘floating’ mode — following the profile to ensure homogeneous removal. The collaboration with the North American customer was crucial to the project success. Through a constant exchange of information and feedback, Imeas was able to develop a tailor-made solution that met the customer’s needs. Today, with a view to evolving, cooperating and meeting needs, Imeas is developing a new optional feature to create a chamfer or radius on the edge of glulam beams, and we expect to complete it by the end of 2024. FULL CONTROL SYSTEM Both in the field of CLT and glulam beams, the real challenge today is to provide a system, not just a machine, that requires minimal human intervention and is able to communicate with existing factory systems, thus relieving operators from a series of repetitive operations and the possibility of making mistakes. A few years ago, the Full Control System (FCS) was born from these needs, featuring a combination of hardware and software that is constantly updated and is designed to adapt flexibly to customer needs.
2007-2016, only 67% of machines integrated the Imeas FCS solution, but in the following period, from 2017-2024, this percentage rose to 86%, a value that becomes 94% if we consider only the last five years, testifying to the great interest that the issue of control and integration is arousing in the CLT and glulam industry. CONCLUSION Imeas, which has been in the sanding market for almost 60 years, continues to develop high-tech solutions that continue to be a point of reference in the woodworking industry. With the introduction of dedicated glulam and CLT sanders, the company demonstrates its commitment to innovation and meeting customer needs. Furthermore, with the FCS, Imeas aims to provide a high level of process control and optimisation, making sanding processes more efficient and productive. P 1. It should be noted that due to the typical order cycle of sanders, these figures are 1-2 years after the start of projects by our customers.
heads to an advanced management system that combines the best mechanics and electronics with an intuitive and easy-to-use graphic interface, that allows a continuous exchange of data and information so that once the sander has been started, any other operation such as setting the thickness and feed speed, the number of sanding heads to be used for the specific panel, among others, is carried out in an automated way, reducing errors and considerably reducing production costs. The FCS system includes also advanced security features such as password-protected multi-user access and the ability to restrict functions used by each operator. Maintenance management is facilitated by automatic scheduling and online documentation, which includes system guides, spare parts lists, and operation and maintenance manuals.
Imeas’s EvoL-CLT series for glulam sanding
The FCS has evolved from a simple positioning system of the sanding
How well did the market receive this system? In the first phase, from
42 PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2024
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