New and improved crate and pallet technology
Crate and pallet assembly has remained virtually unchanged for decades. Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG, European market leader in industrial connection technology, is now at LIGNA to show how it aims to revolutionize the construction of wood packaging with the new BeA VTT connector.

The Behrens Group - better known under the brand name BeA - was founded over a century ago and now uses a global network of subsidiaries and affiliates to sell pneumatic and gas-powered nailers and staplers developed and produced in Germany, along with the relevant fasteners in the form of collated nails, staples and screws. The company is showcasing a large number of its products at LIGNA 2017. The focus in particular is on the new BeA VTT connector for crates and pallets made from 12- and 15-millimeter-thick board materials, with which BeA aims to launch a revolution in packaging technology.

BeA points out that its connector, which is protected as a utility model, cuts assembly times for crates by up to 60 percent and can also reduce costs for connectors by up to 15 percent. As a universal solution for connecting corners and long sides, the BeA VTT connector also simplifies storage and recycling, prevents damage to crates when they are opened in customs checks and, what’s more, increases workplace safety thanks to defined fastening points. At LIGNA 2017 in Hannover, packaging experts can see for themselves the benefits of the new BeA VTT connector, which BeA itself aptly sums up as "ingenious simplicity". The shape of the component, made of high-grade hot-dip galvanized steel, enables the creation of dimensionally stable corner and long side connections with just one connector and without the need for virtually any tools. No drilled, milled or grooved profiles are needed to achieve a perfect connection.
Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG (22926 Ahrensburg, Germany), Hall 13, Stand A16
Contact: Reiner Boronowski
Tel.: +49 4102 78262
E-Mail: presse@bea-group.com

New lease on life
Decades of mechanical engineering by Panhans are being successfully continued under the umbrella of HOKUBEMA Maschinenbau GmbH, as can be seen in the premiere of the new Panhans 245|300 spindle molder with tilting spindle at LIGNA 2017.

When Panhans - a long-established company based in Sigmaringen, Germany - got into financial difficulty in 2010, despite its impressive products, Reinhold Beck came to the rescue. The owner of Reinhold Beck Maschinenbau GmbH from Krauchenwies, Germany, soon founded HOKUBEMA Maschinenbau GmbH, and Panhans has since then been run as an own brand under that name. This move was aimed primarily at retaining the permanent employees in order to maintain and expand the existing know-how even further and safeguard the delivery and spare parts service. The success of this plan can also be seen at LIGNA 2017 in Hannover, where the company’s exhibits include the premiere of its Panhans 245|300 spindle molder with tilting spindle.

The key new feature of the Panhans 245|300 is its control panel with touchscreen and personalizable chip for identifying authorized operators. The touchscreen can be fixed at the front of the table at eye level on the removable frame support, thus completely freeing up the machine table. The Panhans 245|300 also includes tried-and-tested features such as the table in a thick-walled, highly ribbed and torsionally resistant cast design, the milling spindle that can be tilted to either side, the stand in a state-of-the-art, elegant steel design, and double-sided storage of the swiveling unit with two strong segment guides.
HOKUBEMA Maschinenbau GmbH (72488 Sigmaringen, Germany), Hall 12, Stand D04, co-exhibitor with Beck Maschinenbau
Contact: Reinhold Beck
Tel.: +49 7571 755-0
E-Mail: r.beck@hokubema-panhans.de

The next step in cabinetmaking!
HOLZ-HER is at LIGNA 2017 to showcase NEXTEC, a new technology set to revolutionize the way that cabinetmakers work. With no need for complicated CNC programming, customized furniture is just a few clicks of the mouse away.

Whatever the advances in ease of operation, quality remains paramount. However, anyone using machinery equipped with NEXTEC technology has nothing to worry about, with high-quality components such as covered, hardened and ground linear guideways on all axes delivering precision and operational reliability across many years of service life. With machine frames and supports that are exceptionally robust, NEXTEC machinery ensures excellent processing results. What’s more, ball bearing spindles for the y- and z-axes and ground helical gearings for the gantry drive in the x-direction make for highly precise processing over the whole length of the machine.

That said, the real innovation is the unique HOLZ-HER software that forms the basis for NEXTEC technology. The software makes it easy to select the desired cabinet type on the machine monitor, adjust dimensions if necessary, choose the required panel material and specify the number of units to be produced. This is all that is needed to generate the CNC programming for all the components. Once the required raw panel is positioned on the NEXTEC machining center and the start button is activated, the CNC does the rest - from formatting and drilling all vertical holes and grooves right through to milling Lamello P-System cut-outs at the edges or in x- and y-directions on the surface. Since machining can be completed in a single setup, the process saves time without compromising on quality. The fully machined workpieces are simply removed from the machine table and edged if necessary so that the furniture carcass can be assembled using Lamello P-System connectors.
HOLZ-HER GmbH (72622 Nürtingen, Germany), Hall 27, Stand D66
Contact: Dipl.Ing (BA) Philipp Schulte-Derne
Tel.: +49 7022 702 129
E-Mail: Philipp.schulte-derne@holzher.com

An Italian makeover!
LIGNA 2017 marks the first year that the Italy-based SCM Group is exhibiting its extensive product portfolio at one large stand. The impressive results demonstrate the combined strength of the Group as a whole.

Since 1952, Rimini in Italy’s beautiful Emilia-Romagna region has been the home of the SCM Group, renowned for its highly advanced, innovative and user-friendly wood processing technologies for workshop and industrial operations. For LIGNA 2017 in Hannover, the Group has decided to revamp its former trade show presentation concept, choosing for the first time to exhibit a wide range of products at one large stand in Hall 13 rather than at several individual stands.

The SCM Group is in Hannover this year to show just what it does best, with highlights including an innovative production cell designed to meet the requirements of individualized industrial production and implement Industry 4.0 concepts, as well as classic wood processing machines and many other new developments and products.

Two key frontrunners among the premières and highlights on show are the Morbidelli Author M100 and M200 machining centers. Already enjoying a highly successful market launch, their "all-in-one technology" delivers solutions that meet the requirements of companies of all sizes when it comes to processing wood and composite materials. The SCM Group’s impressive array of products also includes innovative solutions for sawing, grinding, edge banding and door/window production.
SCM Group S.p.A. (47921 Rimini, Italy), Hall 13, Stand A48
Contact: Franco Fregni
Tel.: +39 340 5000843
E-Mail: press@scmgroup.com

Always a perfect fit
It isn't just LIGNA that has a new exhibition space concept in 2017 - COBUS ConCept has also repositioned itself in Hall 15. With COBUS NCAD, CNC programs can be created fully automatically from CAD systems and then applied directly to any machine.

The first Porsche 911 hit the roads around 54 years ago and since then has been continuously enhanced and developed. Its legendary status results in part from precisely this approach, as each individual 911 is among the best sports cars of its generation. The COBUS NCAD CNC programming system from COBUS ConCept, based in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany, is itself now 25 years old, but it, too, is leading the way thanks to forward-looking adaptations to market demands. The latest version of COBUS NCAD being presented at LIGNA 2017 in Hannover puts an end to multiple programming of CNC machines and machine-dependent interfaces with software partners.

As with any other company, wood processing businesses need to protect corporate know-how and thus also data, such as CNC programming master data. COBUS NCAD stores this data and therefore the know-how of employees, thus ensuring uniform control of all machining centers and production lines. Among other things, this cuts the costs of introducing new CNC machines, as COBUS NCAD enables CNC master data to simply be transferred to the "new" machinery. COBUS NCAD also increases customer satisfaction, because repair requests based on old programs can be carried out immediately. What's more, training costs are eliminated if every employee can program every CNC machine. And last but not least, interface costs also fall, as all master data is transferred to production via COBUS NCAD.
COBUS ConCept GmbH (33378 Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany), Hall 15, Stand F37
Contact: Michaela Eickhölter
Tel.: +49 5242 4054-181
E-Mail: info@cobus-concept.de

At your side
Italian-based Baumann, one of the leading suppliers of sideloaders, is on the open-air site at LIGNA 2017 to present the latest enhancements to its sideloader range, such as the revolutionary outreach system with spindles.

Sideloaders have been developed and built by Baumann S.r.l. at its production site in Cavaion since 1969. The integration of high-quality components from renowned suppliers from all over the world and the high proportion of premium-grade parts produced in-house ensure that customers around the globe put their trust in sideloaders from Baumann S.r.l. Thanks to a tightly knit sales and service network extending across all continents, Baumann is able to implement transportation solutions to meet local customer needs and provide a professional customer service.

With almost half a century of experience in customer-oriented design of sideloaders, Baumann currently produces diesel, electric and gas sideloaders with a load-carrying capacity from three to fifty metric tons. Developed for customized use in transporting lengthy and bulky goods, Baumann sideloaders are designed to handle high volumes with highly efficient use of space and excellent cost efficiency. However, as Baumann sideloaders are not just cost-efficient but also extremely compact, they can be adapted perfectly to existing storage conditions. The electric sideloaders are particularly kind to their environment, as their low noise levels, reduced maintenance costs, zero emissions and significantly increased runtimes combine the key benefits of electric drives. Yet the fact that Baumann remains continuously committed to innovation despite its rich history is demonstrated not just by this cutting-edge drive concept but also by a revolutionary outreach system with spindles that the international Fork Lift Truck Association last year honored with the Innovation Award.
Baumann S.r.l. (37010 Cavaion, Italy), open-air site, west of Pavilion 35, Stand L66
Contact: Rainer Becker
Mobile: +49 174 219 69 89
Tel.: +39 0456205311
E-Mail: r.becker@baumann-online.it

Pushing the boundaries in water-based coatings
Remmers, an SME manufacturer of wood paints, varnishes and industrial coatings, is at LIGNA 2017 to showcase its research credentials. As well as new developments in its water-based coating range, it is also presenting the expansion of its portfolio of internal coatings.

Varnish and coating specialist Remmers is positioning itself at LIGNA 2017 as a committed research company that offers customers made-to-measure services. All the product innovations being presented in Hannover are based on the wide variety of research activities at the company’s sites in Löningen and Hiddenhausen, with Remmers having systematically invested in expanding the research infrastructure at both sites. The company can offer its customers optimized, one-to-one support by numerous expert application engineers, in no small measure because coating technologies can be tested under real conditions at the two Remmers competence centers.

The trade fair presentation by Remmers GmbH focuses in particular on the needs of industry and skilled trades. The company is exhibiting a variety of different design systems for surface finishing and is presenting both solvent- and water-based products for professional users. These include various one-component water-based coatings for use in the home such as the high-performance Aqua TL-412 stair varnish - an abrasion-resistant multilayer coating designed to protect wooden stairs and similar surfaces from mechanical and chemical stresses. Enhancing the tried-and-tested product portfolio, the new range of internal coatings is also designed to help trade professionals in their day-to-day work. Remmers aims to use the new range to develop its expertise in fillers and colored coatings and is thus also offering a fully automated color concept for solvent-based coatings. With this new complementary range, Remmers is targeting users who don't yet feel able to switch to water-based coatings, because they see advantages in using solvents, particularly with functional products such as anti-fingerprint and anti-scratch coatings.
Remmers GmbH (49624 Löningen, Germany), Hall 17, Stand C31
Contact: Christian Behrens
Tel.: +49 5432 83 858
Mobile: +49 151 62 80 37 05
E-Mail: cbehrens@remmers.de

Always forward, never back!
"Think Forward" is the slogan of the Italian Biesse Group at LIGNA 2017. On an impressive 5,000 square meters of exhibition space, trade fair visitors can find out at first hand how the digital factory is influencing production and what new technologies Biesse is offering in this area.

One thing that makes international trade fairs fascinating is the enormous range of exhibitors they often attract. This is best demonstrated at LIGNA 2017 in Hannover, where everyone finds their niche and the attention they desire - from the up-and-coming three-person startup to the large global corporation. Once again this year, the big players include the Biesse Group from Pesaro in Italy, which is exhibiting with the slogan "Think Forward". "Think Forward describes Biesse's ability to innovate using integrated, complex but also user-friendly solutions to ensure production is better, higher and cheaper. Looking forward in order to better understand how you need to act today is motivational," says Raphaël Prati, Corporate Marketing & Communications Director at the Biesse Group. "Think Forward is also the concept of our stand at LIGNA, a 5,000-square meter showcase of technological innovation for discovering how the digital factory can change our development and production processes."

With over forty solutions that can be seen in action - some completely new - it's difficult to pick out one single innovation. There is certain to be a highlight for almost every visitor to LIGNA 2017 from the manufacturing sector. The vast range of exhibits is aimed at production companies of all sizes, ranging from global players with high production volumes and companies that have to produce thousands of individually different products to meet specific customer needs, to small businesses that often demonstrate features typical of skilled trades and can harness Biesse’s Industry 4.0-ready solutions to transform themselves into genuine smart factories.
Biesse S.p.A. (61122 Pesaro, Italy), Hall 11, Stand A16 etc.
Contact: Raphaël Prati
Tel.: +39 0721 439100
E-Mail: biesse.marketing@biesse.com

Connecting the world
Lamello is at LIGNA 2017 to present the Cabineo, a one-piece connector installed in a drilled or routed area to connect structures using only surface machining. This enables machining on all CNC machines, including basic 3-axis machines and nesting machines.

Compared to the standard cam and dowel fitting, the new Cabineo from connection specialist Lamello boasts more efficient machining, faster installation and a high clamping force without the additional use of wooden dowels. The connector has been designed to ensure maximum functionality with minimal use of resources.

The Cabineo offers significant benefits in production, transportation and installation. For example, it can be installed in workpieces during the production process. The workpieces can then be easily stacked for transportation without any protruding parts that could cause damage. Packing and additional logistics outlay for a separate bag with fittings are also eliminated. Cabineo users benefit in the final assembly stage, too, as no loose fittings need to be installed. Everything is designed to radically cut assembly time and eliminate installation errors completely.

The new connector is inserted into the routed area in the horizontal workpiece, which can take place in production prior to transportation or at the final destination following transportation. The preinstalled screw in the connector then just needs to be screwed into the 5-mm drill hole in the corresponding workpiece, using a standard ball-end Allen key. The international audience in Hannover can also see Lamello's optional cover caps in various colors, which can be clipped onto the Cabineo within seconds.
Lamello GmbH Verbindungstechnik (79639 Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany), Hall 13, Stand B22
Contact: Monica Gugger
Tel.: +49 1803 77 65 00
E-Mail: info@lamello.de

For a perfect finish
The WAGNER GROUP is at LIGNA 2017 in Hannover to present a complete range of new products and solutions for coating and bonding applications in industrial wood processing.

The WAGNER GROUP, based in Markdorf, Germany, is a market-leading manufacturer of systems and components for surface finishing with wet coatings, powder coatings and paints for industrial companies, skilled trades and DIY enthusiasts - a real USP in the industry. At LIGNA 2017 in Hannover, the world's leading trade fair for the wood industry, WAGNER is focusing on professional users in particular. It is showcasing its latest products and solutions for coating and bonding applications in industrial wood processing, including the new WAGNER 2K Smart mixing and dosing unit and the manual WAGNER TOPFINISH GM 1010G CAT-X airspray gun from the liquid coating sector.

A special highlight of WAGNER’s presentation is its MDF powder coating technology, which now extends coating to standard MDF boards. Electrostatic powder coating offers impressive advantages over traditional processes such as liquid coating, lamination and foil coating. These include seamless all-round coating, immediate finishing, sustainability and cost and energy savings.

And that’s not all. WAGNER’'s range of trade fair innovations is rounded out with the impressive WAGNER CoatMaster - a measuring system for identifying and adjusting coating thicknesses - and new bonding solutions.
J. Wagner GmbH (88677 Markdorf, Germany), Hall 17, Stand B47
Contact: Dipl. Betriebswirt (FH) Martin Weidisch
Tel.: +49 7544 505 16 26
E-Mail: martin.weidisch@wagner-group.com

For photos and video clips, visit: Product Innovations