Global sticks to its goals: new edgebanding hotmelt adhesive applicator helps Canadian contract furniture maker improve productivity.

Toronto-based Global Wood Group's mission is to deliver high-quality products using the most efficient production process available. To meet this goal, Izrail Vainberg, president and general manager, is constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of finished products while maximizing labor efficiency and minimizing material waste.

As part of the Global Upholstery Total Office program, Global Wood Group supplies assembled and ready-to-assemble wood office furniture for both business and home-office use. Through its seven integrated manufacturing facilities located across Canada, Global Wood supplies the Total Office needs throughout the world.

By coordinating a just-in-time inventory approach with Total Office's requirements, Global Wood has reduced raw material inventory while establishing a five-day turnaround from order to delivery. Using a custom-developed software program, the company has integrated order processing, production, shipment consolidation and billing procedures for all of its plants.

Edgebanding Automation

For repetitive tasks, automation remains key to improving quality and operating efficiency. An area Vainberg identified as being repetitive was the edgebanding adhesive application and the removal of any excess adhesive from the finished product.

Although the company had high-tech edgebanders in place, the equipment operators still needed to manually adjust the adhesive flow to the glue roller wheel due to potential adhesive viscosity changes. Operators also noted that the use of a glue roller for adhesive applications would typically result in a large number of finished pieces requiring clean-up using a solvent-based cleaner. Additionally, glue pots were part of an open system, they could potentially become con- taminated from airborne particles.

To address these issues, the Global Wood Group tested the Nordson hotmelt system, including an EB60V adjustable edgebanding slot gun, an MX 4412 adhesive applicator and an EPC30 pattern control which could be retrofitted onto the existing edgebanding machines in place of glue pot wheels. The Nordson EB6OV edgebanding slot gun applies a wide range of hotmelt adhesives, including EVAs and PURs, through an adjustable slot nozzle. The application width can be adjusted to a maximum 2.4 inches.

Six systems were installed on the edgebanding machines at several Global Wood Group facilities in February. Additional systems have since been ordered.

The closed adhesive application system suits Global Wood Group's clean work environment while requiring relatively little maintenance. There has been no unscheduled downtime to date, says Vainberg. "The appropriate application of adhesive further reduces or eliminates the need for clean-up of excess adhesive" he adds.