home » Trading » Why is the edgebander not heating up? Edge banding machine and its proper care

Why is the edgebander not heating up? Edge banding machine and its proper care

With edgebanding equipment, the material can be glued to the edges of workpieces using a special superglue. In the absence of this apparatus, not a single woodworking enterprise will be able to function. Manufacturers from all over the world can recommend a different range of these machines. The system of this device is simple, so you can make a portable edge bander by yourself.

Nowadays, this special equipment acts base for the manufacture of products at furniture factories. Edgebanding is a process of gluing a finishing material to ensure an attractive appearance of the product. This method has become widespread in the manufacture of furniture, where the limited edges of plates or panel elements are subject to a beautiful finish. To date, there is a huge selection of patterns and colors, which forces designers to create new machines.

Paper, melamine, veneer, ABC, PVC, 0.4 - 3 mm thick and 2 - 6 cm wide can be used as the used material. The "blank - glue - material" system is considered the basis of the technology. Due to the compression and rearrangement, the cladding is firmly fixed on the edge.

Many machines are guided by the use of glue, which melts when heated, and solidifies rapidly when cooled. Such a technique requires a strict adjustment of the order of temperature and pressing the parts to be glued with a certain force. If you do not think about it, the system may lose stability, and the cladding may fall off.

Instrument design

In the frame of the equipment, a table made of textolite or similar material is placed, which does not make it possible to spoil the workpiece. The main module is installed on the table, behind which a milling unit can be located to eliminate overhangs. The advantage of such equipment can be characterized by its mobility, since the dimensions make it possible to transport the power machine to the location of the part. In addition, there are plug-in guides to function with solid strip cladding.

The feeding system includes:

roll;
guillotine;
videos.

For the base, a lining material is introduced into the magazine, from which the tape is attracted by rollers to the gluing area. In order to adjust the tape feed rate, the roller drive must have a controlled spin frequency. The guillotine cuts the tape in such a way that it is long enough to compensate for the entire edge and 25 mm for the allowance. The electric drive of the guillotine can be automatic or pneumatic. Using the workpiece position sensor, the moment of operation of the guillotine is determined.

Machine equipment

The machine is often supplied system for heating and applying glue. This is produced in two different alternatives - for the edging material to be supplied with and without adhesive. With option 1, superglue is already in the tape, however, it is heated with heated air using a hair dryer. In case 2, superglue is heated in a bath and applied to the plane of the tape using a roller. It should be noted that certain modifications have 2 rollers, from which the second one is needed to apply the adhesive to the edge of the part.

The next component is the glue bath, where the superglue for the edgebander is heated to a temperature of 200 degrees, does not stick, has a uniform density and circulates well.

Mostly used:

baths with teflon coating;
temperature sensors.

Certain modifications have a cartridge for applying the selected adhesive to the plane.

The pressure system has the form of a main roller. If the tape is in contact with the finishing material, there is a specific compressive force of these parts. If the manual edge banding machine has a mechanical feed, then the tape is pressed onto the edge by one or more rollers, which are placed in turn.

In equipment with manual feed of the part this function can be carried out by a person who feeds the part and at the same time presses it against the outgoing tape.

One or 2-3 rollers are used as a support. However, this method will require good skills. In addition to the measured order, the feed rate of the workpiece and the tape is constantly adjusted in order to prevent tearing or assembling of the tape. The most sophisticated equipment makes it possible to control the machine in automatic mode, using electronics.

The principle of operation of the device

For gluing, a tape is used, the width of which more height element by 2-5 mm. This is done for precise edge closure. As a rule, after gluing, the so-called overhangs remain, which are indicated from two edges. In order to remove them, a milling module is used, which cuts off the lining that extends beyond the boundaries of the part.

Usually the mechanism is endowed high-speed drive with 12 thousand turns per minute so as not to damage the plane. In addition, the module takes into account limited rollers for the correct installation of the workpiece. The unit is endowed with 2 milling cutters with drives, it is adjusted to the required height of the part. In order to delicately adjust the module and secure it, a movement system with a "screw - nut" transmission is activated.

After cutting with a knife, the tape is glued to the edge. In order to exclude it, a trimming module should be used, the system of which may be different. The simplest type involves a circular saw that has a vertical movement and is equipped with a drive with low power.

On a special command, this electric saw enters the working area of the edging machine and saws off an extra section of the cladding. This principle can only function in machines with manual feed. If the delivery is mechanized, the end module is the most difficult. The power saw with a drive is introduced according to the instructions for the machine on a carriage that has 2 short directions: the first for saw feed to eliminate the tape allowance, and the 2nd for smooth feed speed of the workpiece. The edge banding machine can be supplemented with a large number of multifunctional elements.

Edging devices with manual feed are involved not only in domestic circumstances or workshops. Even large furniture companies have this device for rapid repair and cladding of exclusive blanks, small batches of parts.

Due to the presence of processors, controllers, devices with manual feed of parts are considered very convenient and easy to manage. The main processes during the working period are the feed rate, automated temperature control, and, in addition, the length of the bonded material.

The manual feed unit operates with material up to 3 mm, consumes about 2 kW of electricity, captures an area of up to 2-3 square meters. meters, operated by a single user and maintains a part feed rate of 6 meters per minute. In order for the machine systems to be able to work, a system is connected under a pressure of 0.6 MPa of compressed air.

Usually the machine is tested first, while controlling the safety of the glue line and the degree of adhesion of the glue. To perform the test, it is possible to use a colorless PVC film, which makes it possible to observe the distribution of the adhesive composition after compression and polymerization. If the work shift changes, it is also recommended to carry out tests to prevent the appearance of a latent violation.

The entire cutting mechanism is well honed. This applies to knives and cutters. Remember to clean the glue pot regularly.

The edge banding unit may have a fence and marking of heated surfaces. The fixture frame must be grounded. The device must be connected to an aspiration system, as heated superglue can release toxic substances that are hazardous to health.

Such a device does not require any complicated settings. It is necessary to correct the heating temperature, correctly set the rotational speed of the rollers that apply superglue, and the feed rate. It is very important that during application the volume of adhesive is optimally met the right conditions. If it is not enough, the strength of the relationship between the material used and the workpiece may be lost. Excess glue will lead to an excess amount on the plane and the appearance of dirt.

Self-manufacturing of the machine

Due to the significant cost of edgebanding equipment, many choose homemade edgebanders, however, they have lame safety equipment, for this reason you should be very careful. First of all, rather than thinking about the design of the machine, one should focus on the thickness of the material used, with which the special equipment will function, think about what material it will function with, and what kind of devices must be without fail. For the base, a base should be organized, which contains a system for supplying a finishing material, pressing, heating and applying an adhesive composition.

The standard equipment of the machine includes:

Edge banding machines are used in almost all woodworking firms, but their design and system components can vary significantly. It depends mainly on the size of the work that is done with this device.

For the most modern and complex modifications of edge banding machines, take into account a tank that is designed to heat the glue and applying to the edge of this composition. The tank is equipped with handles and a roller that rolls the material to the edge, which in this machine is located on a special separate support. These devices are designed for gluing thicker plastics onto workpieces.

Overhangs of material that occur when facing with home-made machines are usually removed manually using specialized devices.

These include a variety of longitudinal guillotine devices that cut off the overhang and form chamfers on the edges of the product. All components of the system are fastened with comfortable handles for control.

Worth remembering that when working on such a block, facing material should be used in rolls, on which the adhesive composition has already been applied, otherwise you simply cannot fix anything at all. Since you will still need certain parts to manufacture an edge bander with your own hands, do not expect that the manufacture of the unit will cost you very cheaply.

Nowadays, in the Russian furniture industry, there are almost no people left who do not know what the unit for preliminary milling of the edges of parts (joiner) is and where it is located in the edge banding machine. However, what gives the consumer its use is still understood by a few. Perhaps that is why we hear over and over again the wishes to make an offer for a machine without a jointer. And among those who have already bought a machine with this device, there are those who simply turn off the preliminary cutters. Therefore, I consider it necessary to talk again about what a jointing is and what it gives.

What is a bridle?

The unit for pre-milling the edges of parts before they are veneered is often briefly referred to as the jointing unit or simply "joining". The origin of the word is German - Fügeaggregat. The task of this operation is to remove a layer of material from the edge of the part to form a straight and even surface on which the edging material is glued.

To prevent damage to already lined perpendicular edges (Fig. 1), it is equipped with two cutters rotating in opposite directions. Starts the milling cutter with counter rotation, "pressing" the material at the beginning of the workpiece. At the exit, a passing cutter works, preventing the separation of the edging material at the end of the part.

The design of the milling cutters takes into account the fact that the processed plates have lined faces. In order to avoid chipping, cutting forces must be directed inside the part. This is ensured by the location of the incisors at a slight angle to the vertical. Moreover, the slope of the upper and lower incisors has different direction- the pattern of the cutting elements resembles the letter V.

As a rule, diamond milling cutters are used to ensure maximum tool life. Although it should be remembered that when processing natural wood (carpentry, door panels, etc.), heads with cutters made of special steel should be used - diamond is not suitable in this case.

Jointing and / or high-quality cutting?

Many furniture makers believe that it performs only one function - correcting defects in cutting board materials. From this, some conclude that it is enough to improve the quality of cutting and the need for jointing will disappear. But this is far from true.

On the one hand, pre-milling is not able to eliminate all the problems associated with cutting, and it is necessary to improve the quality of sawing in any case. On the other hand, jointing allows you to solve a much wider range of tasks. But first things first.

The defects that occur during sawing include: chips on the faces, the so-called "step" from the scoring saw, non-perpendicularity of the sides of the workpiece, non-perpendicular edges with respect to the face, non-straight edges (due to the "banana cut" or internal stresses in the material).

Pre-milling copes with the "step" from the scoring saw, chips, with a slight inclination of the edge to the face. But other problems are more difficult. The absence of a right angle between adjacent edges cannot be corrected by jointing. A part with convex arcuate edges cannot be correctly based on the guide ruler, and therefore processed with high quality. With concave edges, correct basing is only possible if their length is less than the length of the ruler.

By the way, even with the highest quality cutting, the “step” from the scoring saw still remains. It may be minimal, barely distinguishable, but it will not be possible to completely eliminate it. This, in fact, is the essence of the use of a scoring saw - the width of its cut must necessarily be greater than the cut of the main saw. And this means that after facing the edges, the adhesive seam on the bottom layer (where the trim left a trace) will be more noticeable. And this difference can be eliminated only by jointing.

Problems arise not only after cutting

Chips and minor damage to plates can occur not only during cutting, but also during storage, moving parts between operations, stacking and loading into the machine. “Loose” slabs with a thin, fragile lining are especially easily damaged. Namely, 90% of Russian furniture factories work with such material. Only preliminary milling can guarantee that the line of junction of the plate and the edging material will be ideal.

Even during a slight pause between the operations of cutting and edge banding, dust settles on the workpieces, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of gluing the edge material. In addition, dust from the parts gets on the glue roller and contributes to the formation of soot. Pre-milling parts allows you to "smooth" the edges a couple of seconds before applying glue to them, which solves this problem.

With the help of edge banding equipment, the material can be glued to the edges of the workpieces using a special adhesive. Without this unit, not a single woodworking enterprise will be able to work. Manufacturers from all over the world can offer a different range of these machines. The design of this device is not complicated at all, so you can make a portable edge bander yourself.

Purpose of the edge banding machine

The first edge banding machine was invented a very long time ago, to be exact - in five years it will be half a century since the introduction of a continuous edge banding machine using hot melt adhesive. Currently this equipment is the basis of production at furniture factories. There are many manufacturers of these machines from Germany, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Japan, Turkey and China.

Edge banding is the process of gluing a banding material onto the edge to provide a beautiful appearance to the product. This method is widely used in the production of furniture, where the narrow edges of slabs or panel parts are to be beautifully finished. Today there is a huge choice of patterns and shades, which forces designers to develop new edgebanders.

As a material, you can use paper, veneer, melamine, ABC, PVC, the thickness of which is 0.4 - 3 millimeters, and the width is 2 - 6 centimeters. The basis of the technology is the system "blank - adhesive mixture - glued material". Thanks to a special compression and transformation, the cladding is securely fastened to the edge.

Many edge banders rely on hot melt adhesive, which melts when heated and solidifies quickly when cooled. This technology requires strict adjustment of the temperature regime and pressing of the glued components with the help of a set force. If you do not think about it, the system may lose stability, and the cladding may fall off.

Edge banding machine design

A table made of textolite or similar material is placed on the bed, which does not allow damage to the workpiece. Mounted on the table basic module, behind which a milling module can be placed to eliminate overhangs. The advantage of such equipment is its mobility, since the dimensions allow you to move the machine to the location of the part. There are also interchangeable guides, as in the photo of edge banders on our website, to work with hard strip facing.

The feeding system includes roll, guillotine and rollers. To begin with, a lining material is installed in the store, from which the tape is pulled by rollers into the gluing area. To adjust the belt feed speed, the roller drive must have an adjustable speed. The guillotine cuts the tape so that it is long enough to cover the entire edge and 25 millimeters for the allowance. The guillotine drive can be mechanical or pneumatic. Using a workpiece position sensor, the moment of operation of the guillotine is determined.

The machine is often equipped with a system for heating and applying glue. This is done in two different versions - so that the edging material is supplied with and without a layer of glue. In the first option, the adhesive is already contained on the tape, but it is heated with hot air using an industrial hair dryer. In the second case, the glue is heated in a special bath and applied to the surface of the tape using a drive roller. It is worth noting that some models have two rollers, of which the second is designed to apply adhesive to the edge of the workpiece.

The next element is the glue bath, where the glue for the edgebander is heated to a temperature of 150-200 degrees Celsius, does not stick, has a uniform consistency and circulates well. Teflon-coated baths and temperature sensors are predominantly used. Some models have a special cartridge for applying glue to the surface.

The clamping system has the form of a support roller. When the tape comes into contact with the facing material, there is a certain compressive force on these components. If the edgebander has a motorized feed, the tape is pressed against the edge of the part by one or more rollers that are arranged in series. In equipment with a manual part feed, this function can be performed by a person who feeds the part and at the same time presses it against the outgoing tape.

One or two or three rollers are used as a support. But this method requires good skills. In addition to the uniform mode, the feed speed of the workpiece and the tape is constantly adjusted to avoid tearing or bunching of the tape. More sophisticated equipment allows you to control the machine automatically, using electronics.

For gluing, a tape is used, the width of which is 2-5 millimeters greater than the height of the part. This is done to ensure that the edge is closed. As a rule, after gluing, so-called overhangs remain, which protrude from both sides. To remove them, a milling module is used, which cuts off all the facing that extends beyond the part.

Usually the tool is endowed with a high-speed drive with 10-12 thousand revolutions per minute to leave the surface unharmed. The module also provides limiting rollers for competent installation of the workpiece. The module is endowed with two cutters with individual drives, it is adjusted to the desired height of the part. To fine-tune the module and fix it, a movement mechanism with a special “screw-nut” gear is activated.

After cutting with a guillotine, the tape with an allowance is glued to the edge. To remove it, you must use a trimming module, the design of which can be very different. The simplest option is a circular saw, which is endowed with vertical movement and equipped with a low power drive.

On a special command, this saw enters the working area of the edging machine and saws off the excess part of the cladding. This principle can only work on machines with a manual feed of the part. If the feed is mechanized, the end module is more complex. The driven saw is mounted according to the instructions of the edge bander on a carriage that has two short strokes: the first to feed the saw to eliminate the tape allowance, and the second to evenly feed the workpiece and saw.

The edge bander can be supplemented with many functional details that affect its performance, automate some processes, and prepare and bring the edge to perfection. Modules can be sharpened to a certain size, type of facing material or type of workpiece. Reliable design provides high-quality pasting of straight and radius furniture blanks.

Working principle of edge banding machine

Edge banding devices with manual feed are used not only at home or in craft workshops. Even large furniture companies have this device for quick repair and veneering of exclusive or curved blanks, small batches of parts.

Due to the presence of processors, controllers and control systems, devices with manual part feed are very convenient and easy to prepare and manage. The main processes during operation are the feed rate, automatic control temperature, as well as the length of the glued material.

The manual feed edgebander works with material up to 3 millimeters, consumes about 2 kW of electricity, covers an area of up to 2-3 square meters, is operated by one person and maintains a part feed speed of 3-6 meters per minute. In order for all machine systems to function, a 0.6 MPa compressed air supply system is connected.

Usually, the edge banding machine is first tested, and the reliability of the glue line and the degree of adhesion of the glue are controlled. To carry out the test, a transparent PVC film can be used, which allows you to observe the distribution of the adhesive after compression and polymerization. When the work shift changes, it is also recommended to carry out tests to prevent the occurrence of a latent violation.

All cutting tools are well sharpened. This applies to guillotine knives and cutters. Do not forget to regularly clean the glue bath. The edge banding machine can be equipped with a fence and have markings for heated surfaces. The machine bed must be grounded. The device must be connected to an aspiration system, as the heated adhesive may release toxic substances that pose a health hazard.

Such a device does not require any configuration. It is necessary to adjust the heating temperature of the adhesive and the tape, correctly set the rotational speed of the rollers that apply the adhesive, as well as the feed rate. It is very important that when applied to the edge or tape, the amount of adhesive is optimally suited to all conditions. If it is not enough, the strength of the bond between the material and the workpiece may be lost. Excess glue will cause excess amount to be squeezed out onto the surface and dirt will appear.

What does the work cycle look like? The workpiece moves along the edge banding machine. The carriage with the saw begins to move at the feed rate in the same direction. For a short time, the saw becomes stationary and cuts off the excess part of the tape. To prevent the machine from damaging the part during operation, there is a restrictive roller. To clean sawing waste, a branch of the suction system is connected to the trimming module.

Classification of edge banding machines

Edging machines are divided into the following types: machines for curved edges and for straight edges. In the design of straight edge banding machines, as a rule, automatic material feeding is used, in edge banding machines for curved edges, manual material feeding is used. Manual edge banders are not intended for large factories. There are combined machines that can operate in different modes and provide for both manual and automatic feed of the workpiece.

Edge banding machines are single and double sided. The first of them have a high cost and pay off only in the conditions of large and medium-sized industries. These machines can only cover rectangular edges, but they have many features that are not available on positional machines.

These are mainly operations that are associated with the elimination of defects and giving products a finished look. Double-sided edgebanding machines are identical in their functionality to the previous type, however, they are able to edgeband simultaneously on both sides due to more complex mechanics.

Recently, portable machines have appeared that have a special bath for heating the glue to an acceptable temperature. It is endowed with several handles and a roller for rolling the lining to the edge. With this use, the cladding is installed on a specially prepared support. Portable devices can be used for gluing plastic with a small thickness on rectangular parts. They can also be fixed on the table or work as stationary devices.

Manufacturing of an edge banding machine

Due to the high price of an edgebander, many people prefer homemade edgebanding devices, but they are lame in safety, so you should be very careful. Before thinking about the creation of a machine, it is necessary to pay attention to the thickness of the material with which the equipment will work, to think about what material it will work with, and what devices should be mandatory. First you need to prepare the base, which includes a system for supplying the facing material, pressing, heating and applying glue.

The standard equipment of the facing machine includes:

knot of automatic cutting of an edge;
rotation regulator with feed rate indicator;
thermostat with support for the standby function and protection against premature operation;
node for feeding the edge into the area of gluing;
switch for working with straight parts;
hair dryer bracket;
textolite wear-resistant guides.

Edge banding machines are used in almost all woodworking enterprises, however, their design and structural elements can vary significantly. It depends mainly on the amount of work that is performed using this unit. Therefore, it is customary to use mobile devices in small workshops, which are intended for applying edging material with an adhesive composition that has already been applied to it.

Most small businesses and households prefer to use edgebanders for edgebanding, which include only a device for unwinding and fixing the edge material, a heat gun and an incandescent roller. This device is made in the form desktop machine with the presence of a device for moving the workpiece along it. You mount the machine on the workpiece, or to be more precise, on its edge, after which you gradually advance the homemade edgebander as the work progresses.

For more advanced and complex models of edge banding machines, a tank is provided that is designed to heat the glue and apply this composition to the edge. The tank is equipped with handles and a roller that rolls the material to the edge, which in this machine is located on a special separate support. These devices are intended for gluing plastic of increased thickness to rectangular blanks.

Overhangs of edging material, which are formed during cladding with home-made edge banding machines, are usually removed manually using special devices. These include various longitudinal guillotine devices that cut off the overhang and form chamfers on the edges of the product. All structural elements are fastened with comfortable handles for control.

After that, we can confidently say that the do-it-yourself edge banding machine is ready. It is worth remembering that when working on such a device, it is necessary to use facing material in rolls on which the adhesive composition has already been applied, otherwise you simply cannot attach anything. Since you will still need some parts to make an edge bander with your own hands, do not expect that the production of the device will cost you completely free.

Care of the edgebander

The edge banding machine, like any other equipment, needs the strictest safety precautions and careful maintenance, the neglect of which is guaranteed to reduce the life of air reducers, cuffs of cylinders and pneumatic valves. The rules for care are as follows:

Always keep an eye on cables and safety devices in case of damage that protect you and your machine. The fact is that a damaged cable can disrupt the operation of electrical units, and this will require urgent repairs.
Try to exclude the imbalance of the supply voltage in phases. When using the machine, there is a risk of voltage fluctuations, therefore, to eliminate this problem, it is necessary to install stabilizers and filters.
Keep away from dust, water or oil. Many people prefer to clean the edge bander with compressed air, but we recommend not to do this, as foreign bodies can penetrate into protected places under high pressure. Instead, use brushes instead.
After work, clean the workplace and the machine. It is necessary to regularly lubricate the components and parts. Try to use a quality lubricant that has been proven in action.
Do not lower the pressure beam from above with strong pressure. Do this carefully so that the workpiece fits exactly on the worktable. If you neglect this rule, the upper pinch rollers and soft detents will quickly wear out, the motor will be overloaded, and the transport chain will stretch.
Monitor the condition of all pneumatic cylinders and gearboxes, as they can disrupt the nodes that are responsible for processing parts.
Accurately set the heating temperature and correctly choose the adhesive composition. If you use poor-quality glue, the glue station will become dirty, which will lead to the replacement of consumables.
When replacing spare parts, always give preference to originals.
Before starting work, carefully study the technology of the edge banding machine in order to properly operate the device.
If you notice violations in the operation of the machine, but cannot figure it out on your own, it is better to consult with professionals.
Don't neglect your edgebander maintenance time.

Thus, edge cladding technology is becoming more advanced every year. professional level with the advent of improved facing materials and improvement production process. Today it is difficult to imagine any furniture production without a good edge banding machine, which is very simple in design, but quite expensive equipment. It is for these reasons that many people take up their manufacture on their own.

The Vega company offers high-quality equipment for the production of furniture from scratch. In our catalog, you can choose a complete set of equipment to perform any operation in production efficiently and quickly, including edge processing. Our edge banders are reliable lines and machining centers that can work reliably and for a long time for you.

The modern consumer will not be surprised by cheap furniture, and the choice today is diverse, so buyers are looking not only for affordable furniture, but also for high-quality furniture. Furniture industries of various sizes have to switch to new technologies and purchase high-tech equipment, otherwise production will become unprofitable.

Features of furniture production

In Russia, furniture production mainly uses two types of materials - various options Chipboard and MDF. These are ready-made slabs that are produced at factories and represent a variety of color solutions, since they can be lined with veneer, self-adhesive film, and polymer plastics.

When buying such boards, furniture manufacturers are faced with the task of cutting them and facing the edges, i.e. edges. Edge banding equipment is an expensive machine with a complex "stuffing", the choice of which simply cannot be mistaken, so it is worth considering them more carefully and more closely.

What is an edge banding machine

On the edge banding machine, you can close the sides of the workpieces with special edging material. It can be different in thickness, width and other parameters (up to 3 mm in thickness and up to 25 mm in the thickness of the layer itself). Veneer, slats, impregnated paper, and acrylic are most often used as edging material. IN Lately rolled aluminum for edge processing also appeared.

It is from the choice of edging material that it is worth starting. By choosing it, you can more accurately select the machine and not be mistaken. If there is only one material, you will not need to equip the equipment with special units, and if there are several, then you should take care in advance about choosing additional equipment.

There are two types of edge banding machines: single-sided and double-sided. They can work with straight edges. Curved edges are processed on complex machining centers equipped with special units.

At the beginning of their journey, many furniture productions do not acquire the most powerful edge processing machine, and when expanding, they have to buy another one, and another, and a third. A situation arises when a separate workshop for edge facing appears in production, in which many workers work.

Thus, the purchase of a powerful productive machine at the beginning of the production activity will save both on the wages of new employees, and on the workshop space, and on the cost of excess equipment. After all, the main thing in production is high-performance, high-quality and reliable equipment that can guarantee growth and expansion without expenses.

Machine tools, as a rule, are equipped with various components necessary to perform a variety of operations while the workpiece makes one pass through the machine. Auxiliary units and parts are not the main ones, and in principle you can not buy them so as not to spend money and save money, however, it is likely that you will not only have to send lined parts for revision, but also create jobs for their processing.

Edge banding machine

The machine has basic and additional components that are necessary for work. The main ones include:

formatting unit (joiner);
edging material supply unit;
glue station;
clamping unit;
trimming unit;
milling units for removing overhangs;
cycles
polishing unit;
grooving unit;
spray system.

The formatting unit on the facing machine is a saw segment and a crusher assembled on a spindle. The saw sets the size and the crusher sets the allowance. This node is associated with a joint. It is necessary to obtain the exact size and geometry of all furniture parts. The result is a regular rectangle.

Jointing is an operation during which defects on a part are removed. These can be chips, irregularities after a scoring saw when cutting, etc. Jointing allows you to use less glue in the future, to get a thin seam.

There is a special unit on the machine for supplying edging material. Depending on the type of material, this unit can be equipped with micro-prongs, a bar without them, etc. The equipment of the machine with a knife also differs depending on the power of the machine. If it is designed for thin edge material, then the knife will no longer cope with other edges, for example, plastic ones. Length allowances are also given by different machines. It is worth noting that the larger the volume of production, the greater the overrun of the edge can be, since the allowance increases.

A feature of the machine is the presence of a magazine for quick readjustment. It allows you to change the edging material by color or size.

The glue station on the machines can be made in the form of a tray (possibly removable for quick replacement of glue) or in the form of a cartridge. The adhesive is either spread onto the edging material from the roller or squeezed out from the nozzles of the cartridge.

The sizing system can also be combined - it is something between a tray and a cartridge, i.e. there is both. The glue is heated in the nozzles, and from the container it is applied to the part.

One of the most important elements of an edge banding machine is the clamping mechanism. Very often they do not pay attention to it when choosing a machine, but the final quality of furniture parts depends on it. The strength of the joining of the edging material and the workpiece depends precisely on the clamping unit. It is good if the machine is equipped with several rows of rollers that provide long-term pressure until the glue hardens.

A device that affects the overall performance of the machine is the end assembly. It removes the remnants of the edge from the ends of the workpiece. The workpiece approaches a special saw, and in the process of its movement saws off excess pieces. Then the saw carriage returns back to “wait” for the next part. Sensors regulate the operation of the unit, plus there is a device that determines the size of a suitable workpiece at the beginning of the machine (processing line). From this sensor, the computer reads information and transmits data to various devices at the time of processing. It is also important that the saws have an adjustable angle of rotation, as the adjacent edge must not be damaged.

The milling unit serves to remove excess edge overhangs along the workpieces. He also profiles the part, if it is necessary to glue a thick edge. Two milling cutters on both sides cut off unnecessary parts of the edge from above and below. The cutter angle can be adjusted to smooth two surfaces: the edge and the part.

If a thick edge is used in production, then there is a need to mill the joint of its two parts. For this, there is a profile milling unit. He is also able to process the radius edge on the parts. The profile of the part is rolled in by a copy roller, then it is processed.

A profile knife or radius scraper removes defects after milling. The fact is that after processing with a cutter, a wave is formed, which the cycle will remove. Adhesive residues from some equipment manufacturers are also removed using a flat scraper. After such processing, the edge of the edge turns white, which can also be called a defect. To remove it, a thermal edge alignment unit is used. It melts part of the edge, darkening its color and, as it were, restoring it.

The polishing and grinding unit is necessary for the final processing of the edge and part. They remove minor defects, glue that has come out, etc. Leading manufacturers equip the polishing unit with a device not only for rotational movements, but also for reciprocating movements in order to improve the quality of processing and make the wear of the unit (fabric wheels) uniform.

The sanding operation is carried out for further edging of the edge with solid wood or veneer.

To create grooves in workpieces, the machine is equipped with a grooving unit. To prevent glue or chips from sticking to the workpieces, a release fluid is used, which is sprayed with an anti-adhesive system. The blank heating system allows you to heat the edge during the cold season so that the glue does not harden on it. Thus, the bonding quality is maintained.

The adjustment of all nodes on the machine can be done manually or automatically. The first option is simpler and cheaper, but requires the participation of qualified operators. The second is more expensive, but more functional, as it allows you to diagnose errors and malfunctions.

High-quality edge banders are always equipped with a route control that monitors the position of the part and its size. The final result and accuracy of each operation depend on these parameters. It is better when at the entrance there is a size reading system that transmits data to a computer and includes one or another node. There are fewer sensors on the machine, which means that the probability of their failure also decreases.

The bed on which all the nodes are attached can be of different lengths, and some manufacturers sell their machines with free space on the bed so that another node can be installed there. The bed should not accept the vibrations of the nodes.

An important element of the machine tool system is the supply of workpieces. The parts are pressed against the conveyor belt by means of a V-belt or rollers. If the feed rate is high, a belt is preferred.

What to look for when choosing a machine

When choosing an edge banding machine, it is important not to make a mistake. The equipment is not cheap, it must perform many operations, complete the processing of parts, while maintaining their quality and appearance.

What is worth paying attention to? For example, if you settled on computer-controlled equipment, do not forget that its elements are sensitive to voltage drops in the network. Machine controllers can suffer due to network failures. To prevent this from happening, install a voltage stabilizer. As a rule, the installation of a stabilizer is a prerequisite for warranty service of the machine by the manufacturer.

Also, the machine is selected according to productivity, and in order to calculate it, you need to know many parameters: feed rate, distance between parts, number of parts, their dimensions, assortment of edging material.

The productivity of the equipment is directly affected by the feed rate of the workpieces. The higher it is, the higher the performance. Plus, it is worth taking into account the distance that can be between the workpieces during the passage. The smaller this distance, the higher the performance. This parameter is especially important if the machine will mainly process small parts.

Machine changeover time also affects productivity, but it all depends on the operator. There are models of machine tools with programmable controllers, thanks to which the reconfiguration of equipment is faster. If the production is going to work with different thicknesses of boards and different edging materials, it is worth considering models of CNC machines or buying several machines for certain types of boards in order to maintain production speed.

Finally, I would like to say that before buying, you need to consider several models of machine tools, compare them, consult with experts, see the equipment in operation in order to find your best option.

You can see all the presented woodworking equipment, we also suggest that you familiarize yourself with large-format printers for printing on wood, chipboard, MDF and other materials.