CNC double-spindle, tool and cutter grinder has been introduced to manufacture and resharpen a variety of wood working tools from round shank cutters to complex profile routers or blades.

Australian CNC grinder manufacturer ANCA has released a new machine designed specifically to grind woodworking tools.

Named the WGX, the new machine can manufacture and resharpen a variety of wood working tools from round shank cutters to complex profile routers or blades.

The WGX provides diversity with new applications allowing scalable production capabilities.

WGX’s double-ended spindle gives the freedom of using multiple wheels on a single job.

This is ideal when producing profile blades as a dedicated roughing and finishing wheel enables high material removal and finished profile accuracy and quality.

The wheel spindle is a direct-drive motorised spindle capable of 10,000 rpm.

With a constant power of 4.2kW (5.6HP) and peak power of 9.5kW (12.7HP), the WGX offers sufficient power for producing profile blades, sharpening applications and some new tool production.

To meet heavier grinding requirements, the spindle can be upgraded to have a constant power of 8.2kW (11HP) and a peak power to 19kW (26HP).

WGX is compact yet has a deceptively large working envelope for a machine of this size.

The machine offers all the standard features used on all ANCA CNC machine including: * Polymer concrete base.

* MPG feed.

* Automatic tool probing.

* Direct drive technology.

* 5DX CNC digital servo drive system.

Productivity on the WGX can be enhanced by installing any of several automation options.

CLX - Compact Loader - compact in design, this loader is mounted inside the machine and does not increase the machine footprint.

It offers small batch loading capability enabling short periods of unmanned operation, and is suitable for both round shank tooling and profile blades.

WLX - High capacity Loader - a high-production loader makes extended unmanned operation possible.

The loader offers exceptional flexibility and can be set up to load: * Profile blades.

* Round shank tooling (drills, compression cutters).

* Router with head diameters upto 100mm.

The Loader software allows the machine to grind a batch of tools that are different in size, shape and type.

This ensures the loader is used to its full capacity when possible.

The ANCA ToolRoom software suite with its easy to follow user interface is capable of producing a wide variety of tools in one setup.

The intuitive software has clear and precise help images to simplify use.

* Compression Router - this software package is for tools where the cutter requires opposite cutting flutes on a single tool.

Commonly called compression routers, they are also known as compound shear or up/down cutters.

* Special Tool Profile - a wide variety of customer-defined profile tools - such as routers or spindle Blocks for cope and pattern sets - can be produced on the WGX.

The user interface allows tool profiles to be drawn on the machine or imported directly as a DXF from any third-party CAD software.

The possibilities are limitless.

* Profile Blade - this software is used to manufacture replaceable profile blades.

The blades are ground on the centre line of the machine with relevant hook and shear angles to suit the cutter body entered by the operator.

The software uses the final profile shape required and will automatically distort the profile to obtain the required cutting shape based on the hook and shear angles.

* Tooling options - there are numerous options available with the WGX, giving it the flexibility to suit a wide range of applications.

These include popup steady, iView tool measuring system and a range of pneumatically operated work holding systems.

When manufacturing profile blades a fully automatic blade chuck is available.

The blade chuck is a very strong and rigid unit providing exceptional work holding for blades ranging in length from 8mm to 80mm.

The chuck is designed to cater for different possible datum features on a wide variety of blade types.

* About ANCA - ANCA was founded in 1974 to design and manufacture high technology computer numerical controls (CNCs) for the machine tool and metal-based industries.

Today, ANCA has become a leading designer and manufacturer of complete, precision CNC tool and cutter grinding machines in a global niche market.

With its core values of precision, innovation, quality and technological excellence, ANCA is today an international organisation of more than 300 employees with a robust set of technological and entrepreneurial skills.

Offices are located in major cities in Europe, North America and Asia; with dealerships represented in over 25 countries.

ANCA continues to understand market demands and produce products and services to benefit its customers.

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Woodworking CNC machining centre manufacturer has introduced cabinet component machining software, which is designed to speed up and simplify cabinet design and production.

Masterwood is rare amongst CNC machining centre manufactures in developing its own software for wood processing rather than relying on third-party packages.

Its software designers work closely with the company’s development engineers to deliver the innovative Windows-compatible, icon-led programs which are simple to learn and easy to use.

Its new Master Cabinet software is designed to speed up and simplify cabinet design and production for kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and offices.

It comes in three levels for users with varying requirements, each priced well below others on the market.

Level 1, with features usually found in more expensive packages, creates straight cabinets in a few minutes using simple commands to produce a cutting list.

Its library contains 10 models of doors and drawers, in both classic and modern design, plus various types of handles, legs, hinges, drawer guides and shelf supports.

Once the components have been selected Master Cabinet creates the required machining programs.

This includes grooving, drilling and dowelling plus any other processes needed.

By incorporating a nesting facility users save on space and money as there is no need for a separate panel saw.

Finally, it produces a list of the required components and creates their labels.

The Level 2 module incorporates all these features.

In addition it has a built-in library of 10,000 components and 50 door models.

This allows around 500,000 different design combinations.

Designs can be changed by inserting or substituting different doors, handles, legs, hinges, drawer fronts and drawer guides.

It also creates cabinet tops, shelves, skirting boards and frames, moulds the edges of panel tops and shelves and gives them a smooth finish.

With Level 2 the shape of a room - for example, a kitchen - can be drawn, complete with all the walls, and the cabinets placed in the exact spots they are to go.

You can then obtain a 3D view of the room, which is useful for face-to-face meetings with customers.

There is also a built-in budgetary system so as to keep abreast of a project’s production costs.

Level 3 incorporates all of the features in the first two modules but can also deal with straight or curved furniture or curved rooms.

It can also develop complex cabinet designs, such as curved cabinets and those incorporating mosaics or marquetry.

It provides high quality rendering, showing all of the items that make up the room in virtual reality like a good coloured photograph.

Said Masterwood UK managing director, Russell Corlett: “We have made Master Cabinet a modular system so users need only buy what they actually need.

The time savings are enormous as there is no setting or marking out needed and no template making, plus there is total accuracy in the product being produced.” Masterwood’s standard package, MasterWork is a Windows-based program with CAD/CAM interface.

Customers can have it updated on a regular basis so that they benefit from the very latest developments.

Among its other purpose-designed woodworking packages are: * MasterStair - this is designed to speed up the production of straight and conventional winder flights.

It was developed following extensive trials at leading UK stair makers.

* MasterDoorSet - using MasterDoorSet software it takes just two minutes to design a complete door and door frame and produce a complete set of machining programs.

It is for use with slab, or solid core, door blanks, including assembled fire, internal and fibreglass versions.

* MasterTraditionalDoor - this is a similar easy-to-use program like MasterDoorSet, but is for use with stile and rail doors incorporating fielded panels.

* MasterWindow - like all the other software packages, users are taken step-by-step through the design and setting-up stages prior to the machining of all the window frame, sash and facia components.

It lets you design and produce windows in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

* MasterNest - this optimises the number of components per sheet of material and automatically creates the machining program.

This gives an advantage to manufacturers who wish to save on material costs and substantially reduce wastage.

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Two CNC wood machining centres being used by a joinery product manufacturer has dramatically slashes the time taken as it can carry out all of the necessary window component operation.

Lake District joinery, Fallowfield Projects in the UK, has increased turnover and profitability and opened up new business opportunities after buying two Masterwood CNC machining centres.

With a Winner 3.2 machine helping to boost the business’s turnover by GBP 200,000 a year in each of the last three years, it has now bought a Masterwood Atlas KL, enabling it to re-enter the window market.

The family-run joinery, of Staveley, near Kendal, is run by brothers Jim and Ward Fallowfield.

As well as making doors, windows and staircases for building developers and staircases for loft conversion companies, it also carries out shop fitting and interior work.

Fallowfield used the Winner to make staircase components, making full use of Masterwood’s purpose-designed MasterStair software.

It also did all the panel processing for the counters and cabinets needed in its shopfitting work.

With increased demand on the Winner’s time resulting from substantial extra business, it was decided to add the larger Atlas KL, which was supplied with optional large diameter tooling, to overcome a bottleneck in the mill.

Said Jim Fallowfield: “Our positive experience with the Winner, our first machining centre, encouraged us to go back to Masterwood for the Atlas earlier this year.

It demonstrated the value of obtaining the machine and the software from a single supplier, so we knew the Atlas would be just as versatile and accurate.” It is used in conjunction with the MasterWindow software package to design and produce solid wood windows.

Fallowfield used to make them by hand, but it became too labour intensive and less profitable.

The Atlas KL is unique in that it can be fitted with up to four 320mm diameter tools for tenoning which, as far as Fallowfields is aware, no other CNC machining centre is able to offer.

It dramatically slashes the time taken by traditional window lines as it can carry out all of the necessary window component operations.

This includes cutting the timber lengths to the exact window size, tenoning, linear profiling, cutting out glass beads, storm proofing and producing the glazing bars.

It can even take care of all the air vents, key and handle holes and locks, as well as any milling operations that are needed.

Having two CNC machines has allowed Fallowfield to become more efficient and increase its output still further by splitting up the work.

The Winner is now used for the staircases’ treads and newel posts, as well as handling panel work The Atlas concentrates on making the staircase strings in addition to windows, with Fallowfield making full use of the MasterWindow software to make the main frame and sashes.

With MasterWindow, users are taken step-by-step through the design and setting-up stages prior to the machining of all the frame, sash and fascia components.

The easy-to-understand program lets you design and produce windows in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

They include rectangular, half-round arch, sector arch, three centres arch, trapezoid, triangular, full round and, oval, plus French windows.

External fully glazed doors are also made on the Atlas, with Fallowfield carrying out the glazing work in-house The large diameter tooling is used to storm proof windows with mouldings on them, process square profiling windows as well as the ovolo and square profiling on doors.

It also makes the jointing tenons on both widow and door components.

Said Jim Fallowfield: “MasterWindow, like MasterStair, is a very good, easy to use program that gives us total accuracy on a sustained basis.

We looked at several machining centre suppliers before selecting Masterwood.

The key factor in their favour was their ability to supply the CNC machines as well as their own specialist software, which was something no-one else could offer.

We also wanted someone to take care of us as we were totally new to computer operated machines, and we have been very impressed with the high level of technical and after-sales support provided.” He said the Masterwood machines had brought a dramatic increase in output without the need for extra staff, which had made the business far more profitable.

“It is the software that is the key to their success.

It is fast, accurate and simple to use after minimal training, and we had no problems adapting to the new way of doing things.

I would not have been able to expand the business without the Masterwood machines.

It has been a real win-win experience.”.

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