DETROIT - As part of the 2017 Executive Briefing Conference, Gary Wernlund of Stiles Machinery summarized some of what he calls Tech Bytes, short descriptions of improvements and developments in woodworking technology.
Here’s a quick look at some of the things he described in a presentation at EBC:
  • Machines that have smaller footprints while performing similar tasks
  • Improved materials management, including two carriages working at the same time in a large material retrieval system
  • Better management of offcuts, including a return conveyor that allows the machine operator to sort pieces
  • LED guidance to help the panel saw operator
  • Higher textures in laminates in answer to what consumers want
  • Edgebander return conveyor at a lower height than the edgebander itself to avoid collision between pieces moving in opposite directions
  • Improvements in zero seam technology
  • Faster changeover of gluing materials, allowing different glue technology to be used on the same machine without a separate setup
  • Quality improvements in edge milling
  • In tooling, a “boring pin” that doubles bring speed.
Travelers to Ligna 2017 this month will be able to see many of these new technologies demonstrated. Also see www.stilesmachinery.com.