A dust-free Finnish!
Mirka, the experts in surface finishing technology from Finland, are launching a new powerful and user-friendly industrial dust extractor with an automatic filter cleaning system that significantly boosts performance.

The days when everyone just accepted that sanding work would leave a fine layer of dust over everything in sight are pretty much gone. In fact, dust-free surface finishing is increasingly becoming standard practice in construction and industry, not least due to health concerns for workers. Of course, eliminating all dust from the workplace ramps up the requirements for dust extraction systems - and that's where Mirka comes in. One of Scandinavia's biggest manufacturers of surface finishing technology, the company has developed its own solution and launched a new model: the 1242 M AFC industrial dust extractor, which comes with a 42-liter capacity.

Kitted out with a powerful 1200-Watt motor and a one-stage turbine, the 1242 M AFC delivers extraction performance of 270 millibars with an airflow of 4500 liters per minute. What’s more, this high-level performance is long-lasting thanks to the automatic filter cleaning (AFC) system, which cleans the efficient filter every 15 seconds. A HEPA filter is available as an accessory and is incredibly easy to install and replace through a convenient opening at the back of the unit. The extractor also features an autostart function designed to both limit noise emissions and extend the unit’s service life. On top of all that - quite literally - the 1242 M AFC has a flat upper surface where cases and work stations from the accessories range can be secured to keep them in easy reach at all times.

Mirka Ltd (66850 Jeppo, Finland), Hall 17, Stand D62
Contact: Heidi Heino
Tel.: +358 20 7602260
E-Mail

Size really does matter!

The new 2go 7 High Tool Box rounds off Wera's 2go tool carry system perfectly. On its own or in combination with other 2go products from Wera, this solution now makes it easy to store and carry tools both long and short.

Tool expert Wera has devoted quite some time to finding the best solution for getting its first-rate and sometimes highly specialized equipment to where it is needed. The company has long since ditched the traditional approach - cramming everything into a heavy metal box in the hope of always having every tool on hand, but never actually being able to find the one you need. Instead, it developed the Wera 2go tool carry system - a collection of containers perfectly tailored to its products. The advantage with this system is that tools can be divided up into "functional groups" so users can easily fix together the groups they need for a specific job before leaving the workshop and head out knowing they are carrying what they need and no more.

Wera noticed this tried-and-tested system wasn’t quite complete, however, which is why it created Wera 2go 7 - a special tall tool container that now also enables workers to carry long tools such as spirit levels safely and securely. This sturdy solution is exceptionally robust and can be carried by a strap on its own or "docked" onto a Wera 2go 2 or 5 Tool Container using the hook-and-loop fastening system.

Wera Werkzeuge GmbH (42349 Wuppertal, Germany), Hall 13, Stand B38
Contact: Martin Strauch
Tel.: +49 202 4045-311
E-Mail

Opposites attract!
In a project entitled "HoMe foam", researchers from three Fraunhofer institutes looked into how well wood foam and metal sponge could be combined. Their findings show that these contrasting materials come together in perfect harmony.

When it comes to developing new materials these days, sustainability is key and covers multiple aspects. Using raw materials from renewable sources and ensuring the resultant product can be recycled at the end of its service life are paramount in this context. One particular material that meets these demands perfectly are the 100% wood foams developed by the Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (WKI) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research. The natural binding properties of wood eliminate the need for synthetic adhesives, making wood foams ideal for a whole range of applications - be it as a core material for lightweight construction and sandwich panels, as packaging material, thermal insulation or for soundproofing purposes. But determined not to stop there, the institute’s researchers launched the "HoMe foam" project to extend the range of potential uses for their wood foams.

Led by Dr. Frauke Bunzel, the researchers at the WKI joined forces with fellow scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) to develop an innovative hybrid wood-metal foam that combines the properties of both wood foam and metal sponge. One of the major benefits to strengthening the wood foam with a metal skeleton is that the foam's typically low flexural strength improves substantially, with the hybrid HoMe foam ultimately boasting greater flexural strength than its two individual components. "That makes it an ideal core material for sandwich panels or as a self-supporting lightweight semi-finished material," explains Dr. Bunzel. The researchers believe the material would be perfectly suited to the automotive industry in the form of reinforcing acoustic mats in engine compartments or as floor plates - but they promise that's just one of the many potential uses to this cutting-edge solution.

Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research - Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (38108 Braunschweig, Germany), Hall 26, Stand B77
Contact: Simone Peist
Tel.: +49 531 2155-208
E-Mail

An all sing(e)ing, all-dancing chip off the old block!
The advanced T4e from Fröling, the Austrian specialist for innovative wood-fired heating systems, is a user-friendly wood-chip-fired boiler that's remarkably energy-efficient, durable and stable.

For 50 years, the name Fröling has stood for innovation and pioneering achievements in wood-fired heating systems way beyond the company's home country of Austria. A whole host of cutting-edge log-wood combustion boilers, wood-chip and shaving burners using Lambda technology, and prize-winning pellet boilers bear Fröling's unmistakable signature. The company's ongoing quest to design increasingly efficient solutions has earned it multiple internationally renowned badges of quality. As an end-to-end supplier, Fröling designs not just log-wood, wood-chip and pellet-fired boilers of all sizes (from compact to industrial systems), but also innovative storage systems from buffer tanks through to hygienic warm water suppliers and solar layered tanks. You might say the company's latest brainchild, the T4e, is a "chip off the old block", as it's the next step onward and upward from the tried-and-tested T4 wood-chip-fired boiler.

The new T4e is designed to meet every conceivable wish. Its intelligent, fully automatic boiler system can burn both wood chips and pellets extremely efficiently and with low emissions - and its silicon-carbide combustion chamber achieves a whopping 94-percent efficiency. What's more, the drives used in the T4e have been meticulously selected to ensure maximum energy-saving performance. Last but not least, its remarkably compact, modular design makes the Fröling T4e easy to install and set up in the tightest of spaces. The entire boiler is supplied pre-tested and preassembled, complete with electrical wiring. Energy-efficient, durable and stable - with such impeccable credentials, the T4e boiler earned the Austrian Ecolabel with flying colors.

Fröling Heizkessel- und Behälterbau Ges.m.b.H. (4710 Grieskirchen, Austria), Hall 25, Stand J50
Contact: Ricarda Berger
Tel.: +43 7248 606-2711
E-Mail

Pressing to the max!
The new TimberPress X high-speed CLT presses from MINDA boost capacity by up to 30 percent.

It all started in 2010 when MINDA Industrieanlagen GmbH developed the first TimberPress X with a three-dimensional compression and pressing system to press lamellas into high-quality cross-laminated timber (CLT) boards. Over the years, engineers at MINDA have systematically analyzed and optimized all the process steps, from starting the application of adhesive through to closing the press and applying pressure. The current highlight in this development process is the successful market launch of the latest HS series.

"HS" stands for "high speed", and the new hydraulic system and its coordinated control concept are a key driver behind this enhanced performance. They enable the use of even faster-curing PUR adhesives, resulting in shorter cycle times and up to 30 percent higher capacity. Proven technological benefits such as the simultaneous infeed of the glued panels and the outfeed of the pressed CLT boards, have been retained. MINDA says that the positioning of the new TimberPress X-HS series has been particularly successful, as it is being used in almost all the current projects of leading CLT manufacturers. Seven high-speed plants with a total of eleven pressing systems will have been implemented by 2019.

MINDA Industrieanlagen GmbH (32423 Minden, Germany), Hall 27, Stand F38
Contact: Andreas Rudolf
Tel.: +49 571 3997-211
E-Mail

For walls that make sense!
The modular WALL-Master 3600 from timber construction specialist Hundegger is opening up the world of industrial wall production to midsize companies.

Dominating over 90 percent of the market, Hans Hundegger AG is the world’s leading supplier of CNC joinery machines. Its universal, flexible machines are used in all sectors of the timber construction industry - from glulam, contract and carpentry joining, log and prefabricated house construction, to producing playground equipment. In addition to joinery machines, Hundegger’s portfolio also features cutting machines, planing machines, panel cutting machines and much more. In 2017, the company decided to pool all its expertise in the development of a modular system for manufacturing wooden elements for prefabricated houses.

By 2018, the prototype of the WALL-Master 3600 had already made its grand debut. Hundegger sees the latest addition to its family less as a standalone unit and more as a useful complement to its portfolio. That's why making sure the WALL-Master could be combined with other machines was right at the top of the agenda during development. "Many of our customers already have a bar joinery machine and a panel processing machine, which would make additional units on the WALL-Master superfluous. Of course, the system can be fitted with a milling unit, too," says Hundegger's marketing representative Ramona Rindle. For many medium-sized companies, this could offer the perfect route into industrial wall production, because the only thing Hundegger customers will need in the future, besides the WALL-Master, is a bvx file. Hundegger's "Cambium" software can then automatically extract the relevant information for each machining step.

Hans Hundegger AG (87749 Hawangen, Germany), Hall 13, Stand C08
Contact: Dietmar Widmann
Tel.: +49 8332 9233-99
E-Mail

Magazine screwdriver with cruise control
KMR is expanding its extensive range of corded and cordless autofeed screwdrivers for drywall installation with the new 3371 two-speed cordless strip magazine screwdriver.

Wooden substructures call for screws to be driven in at lower speeds than into metal ones. To accommodate this key difference, Karl M. Reich Verbindungstechnik (KMR) - a leading provider of autofeed screw systems and one of the many subsidiaries of Behrens Group - has equipped its new 3371 cordless strip magazine screwdriver with two-speed technology, which smooths and accelerates progress by eliminating the need for tool changes. Besides wooden and metal substructures, the 3371 can also be used to drive screws into boards made of wooden materials, gypsum or gypsum fibers.

KMR impressively claims six times as many screws can be put into place with the 3371 autofeed screwdriver than with a conventional drywall screw gun in a similar space of time. However, precision plays an important role, too, because remedying screws that aren't flush with the surface can prove very time-consuming and costly. The new 3371 two-speed screwdriver makes it possible to accurately adjust the penetration depth and screw length without tools and features a cap made of soft plastic that’s designed to prevent slipping and surface damage during positioning. What’s more, by detaching the removable screw magazine attachment, the 3371 can be used as a regular cordless screwdriver. The 3371 is supplied as a full set in a carrying case complete with two battery packs, a rapid charging device, a quick-release bit holder and a handy belt clip.

Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG (22926 Ahrensburg, Germany), Hall 13, Stand A14
Contact: Anja Péricat
Tel.: +49 4102 78-270
E-Mail

Clamps revamped
The new STC S MFT toggle clamp systainer from BESSEY is about to make everyday work much easier for tradesmen who deal with a variety of conditions while working in different locations.

The origins of BESSEY Tool GmbH & Co. KG date back 130 years. Founded in 1889 as a bright steel drawing plant, the company has continued expanding its range of products and services ever since. Today, with some 1,200 products, BESSEY is one of the world's largest clamping and cutting tool manufacturers, with a presence in over 100 countries. Bessey toggle clamps are flexible and up to five times faster to operate than conventional models, making them some of the company’s most popular products. Mobile tradesmen can now benefit from these advantages, too, as BESSEY is offering its self-adjusting toggle clamps in a set with matching adapters for multifunction tables and table clamps in a systainer with a special wooden insert.

Integrated into the lid of the new STC S MFT toggle clamp systainer, the wooden insert features a pattern of 20 mm holes. Thanks to these holes, the stackable storage and transport case can also be used as a small mobile work table. Comprising four STC HH50 horizontal toggle clamps, two STC IHH25 push/pull clamps, six STC SET T20 accessory sets for multifunction tables and two GTR12 all-steel table clamps - the contents of the systainer provide tradesmen with three practical options for fixing a workpiece. The table clamps can be inserted directly into the holes of the lid insert, whereas the two toggle clamp models are each used in conjunction with the accessory set. All clamping devices in the STC S MFT toggle clamp systainer can also be used on standard multifunction tables that have holes with a 20 mm diameter and a table top thickness between 19 mm and 25 mm.

BESSEY Tool GmbH & Co. KG (74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany), Hall 13, Stand B38
Contact: Nadine Schaffrath
Tel.: +49 7142 4 01-279
E-Mail

Using robots, but staying human!
The technical innovations BIESSE is showcasing at the upcoming LIGNA 2019 in Hannover all focus on one important factor - people!

The announcement Italian company BIESSE made at a press preview event for this year's LIGNA in Hannover shows the supplier of innovative woodworking machinery has some big ideas up its sleeve. As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, BIESSE is unveiling its latest innovations in the field of robotization and technological digitization at the world's leading trade fair for wood processing tools, machines and systems. For instance, the company’s 6,000 m2 stand is showcasing three automated process solutions that illustrate the journey from raw material to finished product. On top of that, BIESSE will also present several integrated production lines and various robotized cells capable of providing incomparable levels of customization, modularity and flexibility, which are fundamental to contemporary production.

What links all these solutions is a new business strategy that seeks to place people at the center of any machine development. Thanks to years of investment in services and technology designed to help develop digital factories, and guided by the Automaction concept - the principle that perfectly describes the tangible impact of BIESSE solutions on automated and interconnected production - BIESSE is increasingly acknowledging and reinforcing the bond between man and robot. It's able to do this, not just by showcasing numerous robot-controlled solutions at its stand, but also by demonstrating how people can benefit from using them. "We believe in the future and in the work of those who have played a crucial role in BIESSE's international growth over the past 50 years. This is why we want to dedicate our 50th anniversary to the future and to those who made BIESSE the Group it is today," says Raphaël Prati, Corporate Marketing Communications Director at BIESSE.

BIESSE S.p.A. (61122 Pesaro, Italy), Hall 11, Stand A46
Contact: Raphaël Prati
Tel.: +39 0721 439131
E-Mail

A world in FluX
HUBTEX is presenting its latest vehicle developments at LIGNA 2019, showcasing unique solutions for handling wood materials, including the new FluX 70 multidirectional counterbalance forklift.

German materials handling and logistics specialist HUBTEX was among the first companies to announce they would be exhibiting at the upcoming LIGNA 2019. Its presentation in Hannover includes its latest vehicle developments for the handling and order picking of bulky wood materials. It will also be premiering its new FluX 70 - a heavy-duty electric multidirectional counterbalance forklift that can safely transport long and heavy loads weighing up to 7 metric tons, even over uneven surfaces and in narrow aisles. This forklift is ideal for use both inside and outside and combines the benefits of an electric multidirectional forklift with those of a heavy-duty forklift with a combustion engine. But that's not all, as HUBTEX will also be using LIGNA to unveil the new generation of its core product. The company has redesigned its electric multidirectional sideloader and added a number of features to meet the challenges of the Industry 4.0 era.

HUBTEX has totally overhauled the vehicle series and modified its modular system accordingly. For example, the 48 V and 80 V drive models with load-carrying capacities of three to five metric tons have now been combined in one modular system. The redesigned forklift offers optimum maneuverability, a highly ergonomic cabin and enhanced all-round visibility. Switching to purely electric steering also ensures maximum energy efficiency. Even in its basic configuration, the forklift is primed for step-by-step automation. Pre-planned cable routes, positions for sensors and other features are designed to ensure users can make the most of all the opportunities that the era of Industry 4.0 brings. For instance, numerous assistance systems can be retrofitted to the vehicles.

HUBTEX Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG (36041 Fulda, Germany), open-air site, west of Pavilion 33, Stand N65
Contact: Michael Röbig
Tel.: +49 661 8382-2190
E-Mail

Quicker, sharper, more efficient!
The new performance package is one of the first products from VOLLMER’s V@dison digital initiative, which aims to integrate the mechanical engineering company's grinding and eroding machinery into an IoT environment to help tool manufacturers implement their Industry 4.0 projects.

The sharpening specialist VOLLMER has recently further optimized the machining processes of PCD (polycrystalline diamond) tools for its QXD 250 erosion machine. The company's newly unveiled performance package is designed to reduce machining time, thus significantly increasing machine efficiency. This optimization is based on seamless interaction between generator technology, process parameters, gap evaluation and drive technology in the QXD 250. The performance package is part of VOLLMER's new V@dison initiative, which is aimed at advancing the company's digital strategy.

"PCD tools play a key role in machining metal and composite materials thanks to their resistance," explains Dr. Stefan Brand, CEO of the VOLLMER Group. "We have an extensive range of products for manufacturers of PCD tools, including the QXD 250 disc erosion machine, which we worked on intensively to optimize. We are now offering a new performance package consisting of software and hardware, which can be used to significantly improve machine performance in terms of efficiency." The QXD 250 is designed to accurately sharpen various PCD tools in just one clamping operation. VPulse EDM generator technology ensures excellent surface quality with the highest material removal rate. In addition to the comprehensive software available for PCD tools with inserts, ExLevel Pro software allows users to carry out hybrid sharpening (eroding and grinding) on cylindrical slugs with sintered or soldered PCD to produce drills, mills and reamers.

VOLLMER WERKE Maschinenfabrik GmbH (88400 Biberach, Germany), Hall 27, Stand B60
Contact: Ingo Wolf
Tel.: +49 7351 571-277
E-Mail

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