Machinery
‘ DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN ’
Whilst there is remarkably little reliable statistical data available to businesspeople in the UK replacement window and door sector , anecdotally we know that 2024 has been challenging for an industry that is especially vulnerable to the currents and tides affecting homeowners , particularly the cost of living and political instability .
All of which has placed additional pressure on frame fabricators that are themselves suffering from the day-to-day pressures of running a manufacturing business , including of course , immense cost increases in materials and also finance . And it is the latter that has hit smaller fabricators especially , with slimmer margins preventing many from investing in capital equipment to improve output and quality . But there is help at hand …
Sean Mackey , partner in one of the UK ’ s leading machinery specialists Jade Engineering , says that as a result of the pressures facing smaller fabricators , the firm has designed and produced a couple of machines that will massively improve volumes and quality , for very little money , and certainly against the large , complex and expensive CNC machinery .
The first of these is a neat and unique machine that replaces the ubiquitous Don Carlos knife by automating that most irritating cause of bottlenecks , the cleaning of reverse butt welds . For until now , the only way that such welds might be cleaned , has been manually using a moon knife , thus creating a work dam and with all of the potential for failure that reliance upon a handtool in a manufacturing environment implies .
Jade has cast its unwavering eye over the problem after encouragement to do so by a number of its regular customers with the result being the somewhat unwieldily entitled Reverse Butt Weld Cleaner – or JBC2 for ease – which , if nothing else , is a wonderful example of doing exactly what it says on the tin . It is also , quite literally , the only machine of its type .
Produced at Jade Engineering ’ s Coventry facility the JBC2 , produced in Jade Engineering ’ s highly recognisable
green livery , will effectively , safely and accurately clean the welds of an internally glazed frame , over and over , with no chance of error or , crucially , the requirement for first aid for tired and bored operators . Sean explains how the JBC2 came about : “ This type of weld has always been carried out by hand , despite the popularity of this type of window . But a number of our customers have asked if we have anything that can improve this process from the point of view of efficiency and also quality . We didn ’ t so we set about designing and building a solution . And it works , very effectively , with no chance of damaging the frame through a slipped knife . It is also highly affordable at just under £ 5,000 plus VAT ,” adds Sean .
The second device is the result of cooperation with sister company Kombimatec , which Sean , slightly tongue in cheek , describes as a ’ 25 stack corner cleaner ’. Essentially however , the Kombimatec EV443 is a CNC-equipped corner cleaner that elevates the task of corner cleaning to new heights by combining CNC cutting functionality to quite literally clean every profile shape and finish , as Sean explains : “ The EV443 provides CNC technology and functionality towards corner cleaning , to handle every profile shape and finish that a fabricator might handle in its portfolio , in a single unit and without cumbersome manual tooling changes .
“ It costs a fraction of the price of a full CNC whilst also offering a compact footprint , which again provides great benefits for a fabricator short of factory space . It will automatically groove both top and bottom profile faces and mills outside edges in one operating cycle including a wide range of outside shaped profiles and decorative shapes . And for around £ 20,000 plus VAT .
“ Again ,” continues Sean , “ this machine is unique and designed following feedback from fabricator customers . There is so much emphasis on high-end CNC machines – machines that we supply tooling for – that sometimes a back-tobasics approach is required . The Jade JBC2 and Kombimatec EV443 have been designed with the smaller fabricator in mind : affordable , practical solutions that help them with significant , measurable improvements in efficiency and quality .
www . jade-eng . co . uk
62 AUGUST 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM