'Sizing' Up the Future of Panel Saws.

Wood & Wood Products talks to panel saw experts about how technology is increasing the productivity of one of the industry's most important pieces of machinery.

AS MORE AND MORE manufacturers focus on speed and productivity in the workplace, focus must also be placed on actually having accurately dimensioned materials to produce the end products. Panel saws traditionally have been the "beginning of the line" in high-volume panel sizing and component production.

In considering the developments made with other types of machinery, Wood & Wood Products asked some of the leading authorities on panel saws how their side of the industry was keeping pace. Not surprisingly, panel saws are automating at a rapid rate, utilizing the latest in PC programming and transfers to help woodworkers be more productive and get more value out of each panel or board.

Following is what the panelists had to say about developments that have changed the panel saw marketplace, how machines are making end products more profitable and what developments woodworking manufacturers can expect in the future.

Utilizing PC Control

"With the panel saw generally being the first operation in the production process, it must be able to keep up with the fast-paced production environment of today's woodworking industry," says Larry Tolbert, technical support manager for Richard T. Byrnes Co. Inc.

"Incorporating a PC into the panel saw control has allowed the panel saw to interface into the end user's process more efficiently. This lets it become an extension of the office network for faster data transfer. The PC has allowed manufacturers of panel sizing equipment to develop operating programs that are more simple for the operator to understand while making the panel saw more flexible."

According to Giordano Checchi, president of Giben America Inc., a variety of computer-based enhancements have helped the industry. These developments have alded both the overall manufacturing process as well as the operator on the production line.

Multitasking controls and true PC technology, says Checchi, are some developments that have proven themselves most beneficial to panel saw operators.

"The use of off-the-shelf PCs of any kind and brand that can be easily replaced by the customer itself and the communication between the machine and the other machines on the floor and office is also important. Networking is now proving to be a huge advancement," Checchi says. He adds that the new technology has spawned developments in other areas, such as bar-coding and labeling.

"Over the last three years, the biggest advance in panel saw technology has been the use of PCs for the operator interface in panel saw controls," says Bill Pitt, vice-president and general manager of Holzma-U.S. "The advent of the use of PCs as the operator interface on the panel saw has provided a huge increase in memory," says Pitt. "This has enhanced cutting pattern storage capabilities, graphic displays and areas such as error diagnostics with digital photographs. This would have been impossible with the earlier, memory-limited controls that were in use."

Randy Jamison, national product manager for Selco at Biesse Group America, agrees that PCs have had the biggest impact on panel saw advancements.

"The biggest advancement in the last three years is very simple: PCs. They have provided the environment that the majority of users are now familiar with," says Jamison. "PCs have reduced the overall cost of maintaining the machine, and have provided unique methods of trouble-shooting and updating control software."

Bret Benson, vice-president of sales and marketing with Mayer USA, notes that not only has the personal computer changed the way the machine runs, but also the operator who runs it.

"Most operators are at least comfortable with the point-and-click aspect of computers," says Benson. "The standard PC operating system provides an easy environment to coordinate the downloading of information from the office as well as interface with other machinery downstream."

Diagnostics Lead New Developments

With infusion of PCs as the central information base in panel saws, experts say that the increased focus on machine diagnostics and the ability of the computer to check itself for potential problems is the next area to watch for development.

"While most panel sizing equipment has self-diagnostics, I think this will be one area where more improvements will be made," says Tolbert. "Controls and devices are going to become more 'intelligent' and allow end users to identify problems down to a component level on more advanced equipment."

Jamison says that the infinite possibility of orders available as a result of computer control means that a premium will be placed on being able to find trouble within the system.

Troubleshooting will continue to improve in the future," says Jamison, "simply because of the possibilities made available by working with a PC. Control technology will also be a key area because of the constant evolution and development that we see with computers today."

Benson agrees that troubleshooting will be a major area of improvement in new machines, as well as the continued development of controls.

"There will be a continual improvement in controls that promote a more user-friendly environment, can work with thirdparty programs and share information with other machines via barcoding to minimize setup and mistakes," says Benson. "There will also be more advanced on-line troubleshooting via modems, networks and videos. These will be available through both online and remote networks."

Balancing Speed and Productivity

"The increasing requirements for speed in the industry are pushing the development of panel cutting equipment in three areas," says Pitt. "The physical operating speeds of key components such as the saw carriage and program fence are being increased constantly to reduce the time required for the act of cutting. Control technology is advancing to reduce machine interaction times between the various cutting steps. Finally, new material handling solutions allow for faster infeeding and off stacking so panels from the next book can be fed into the machine as soon as the previous parts are cut."

Checchi adds that improvements in machinery have pushed the industry to a new level that users are now beginning to utilize. These improvements will allow the industry to continue to automate and improve profit margins while maintaining product quality.

"In panel sizing, we can talk about increased productivity due to several innovations introduced in the design of the machines, including, but not only, faster movements of the machine elements," says Checchi. "I would say that the major panel saw manufacturers are actually leading the woodworking industry into a high productivity and a high flexibility scenario, not seen by the woodworking industry before. It is now the woodworking industry that needs to cope with the increased productivity of these machines by carefully studying material flow, plant layouts, and the communication between the panel saw and the machines downstream."

Jamison also notes that the design of the machine, as well as regular maintenance and an understanding of the unit's capabilities, is critical to the overall ability of the machine to maintain a high rate of speed over the saw's life.

"Speed requires an extremely stable and strong design," says Jamison. "Customers are requiring faster feed rates without sacrificing cut quality. Control and drive technology is critical to maximizing the mechanical capabilities of the machine.

"An effective, well-defined preventive maintenance program and realistic expectations are also factors that will impact overall productivity. These factors are out of the the machine supplier's control, but are critical to maintaining a productive unit."

Increasing Yield, Reducing Waste

"Advancements in panel saw technology have enabled end users to maximize the yield of parts from panels by making it easier and faster to execute complex cutting patterns that improve yield per panel," says Pitt. "The increased use of panels has accelerated saw development. More features are being incorporated into machines, allowing them to be more user-friendly and more productive."

According to Tolbert, the technologies now available on today's machines allow end users to get more parts than ever out of existing boards. But, he adds, new developments to improve operator awareness of panel optimization is the next trend manufacturers should be aware of.

"Higher yield cutting patterns from today's optimization programs are more complicated than ever to process," says Tolbert. "Panel sizing equipment controls have maintained compatibility with these types of patterns. The challenge has been to present these patterns graphically to the operator in a fashion that eliminates cutting errors, especially since many of these patterns require pieces to be re-cut more than once."

Jamison says that continued development of controls and operator awareness are both keys for woodworking manufacturers to improve yields and reduce waste.

"PC controls are so important in this area," says Jamison. "They allow not only the processing of very complex patterns, but offer the information management necessary to assist the operator in identifying the part being produced. Labeling is of course the most widely used tool for this part identification, but faster processing will allow for higher productivity."

Increasing competition is forcing companies to look at all areas to improve profits, says Benson.

"There is more competition than ever to produce products at lower prices," says Benson. "The key to this is the introduction of better and more sophisticated optimizing programs that are tailored to the specific operation. This factor, and building in new efficiencies both in mechanics and operating systems, will allow the end user to get the most out of his machine."