Titus Quickfit TL5 Dowel
Easy furniture assembly is an important
aspect for the end user of the furniture.
An easy and quick assembly significantly
improves the user experience in furniture
assembly and thus the satisfaction of the
end user. In the Internet age, this aspect
is becoming extremely important for RTA
furniture manufacturers. End users of
furniture can make a review of product
satisfaction on the manufacturer’s website.
Poor reviews have, of course, a negative
impact on the decision of potential
customers. This means that increasing ease
of assembly is a key ambition for virtually
every furniture manufacturer. But what’s
the best way to transform this admirable
ambition into reality?
Titus Steel Quickfit expansion dowel
brings two key novelties to the field of
user-friendliness and quick assembly.
First, the number of assembly operations
is reduced from a few dozen (classic
expansion dowels) to only 3 to 4
operations. Secondly, with its design and
expansion technology, the dowel allows
the installation into the furniture panels
already in the furniture factory. Titus
offers a complete solution in the form of a
prefabricated FastFit insertion machine for
Quickfit TL5. The final customer receives
furniture panels with built-in fittings,
which significantly reduces the time of
furniture assembly.
High productivity in the RTA furniture
industry brings limited flexibility
in manufacturing processes. Any
replacement or modification of the type
of drilling of furniture panels means a
serious barrier for the industry, which
in most cases is not acceptable. Using
Steel Quickfit expansion dowels does not
require drilling changes. The product is
useful in panels designed for use with
conventional expansion dowels with
thread.
PROCESS INNOVATION
The RTA furniture industry faces the
challenges of increasing competitiveness.
One way to increase competitiveness
is to offer additional functionality. The
most important of these is a simpler
and faster assembly. To achieve this, the
RTA furniture industry uses the most
advanced connections and other fittings
and pre-prepared furniture panels. The
latter allow very fast assembly of elements,
significantly reduced possibility of errors
and complaints, reduce the assembly time
and increase satisfaction as well increase
the chance of a positive online review.
Pre-prepared panels have an exceptional
competitive advantage that, despite the
high cost of labour force in the EU and
America, forces manufacturers of RTA
furniture to pre-prepare panels by hand.
Most often, 3-5 workers per shift are
needed to pre-prepare one panel, which
means production of 1100 panels/shift.
Each cabinet has two panels with inserted
fittings. Such organized production can
produce up to 400,000 cabinets per year.
With the use of Titus FastFit insertion
machine for Quickfit TL5, the capacity rises
up to 1,200,000 cabinets.
WHAT IS TITUS INNOVATION ABOUT?
The first innovation concerns the much
improved product characteristics and
performance. The high-performance
Quickfit TL5 ‘Full Metal Jacket’ has
exceptional pull-out load capacity
and provides optimum strength and
performance in MDF, chipboards and
solid wood – even without using wooden
dowels. Its expanded steel body ensures
reliable span in holes for 5 mm dowels,
which makes it possible to use Quickfit
expansion dowel inserting technology
without tools (screwing) in a wide range
of applications. Its structure allows high
tolerance to drilling errors ±1mm from the
centre to the hole, which still provides for
the establishment of a reliable and high
load capacity connection.
The Titus Quickfit TL expansion dowel
family allows for manual insertion into
the furniture panel, which provides for
a unique solution for intuitive and quick
assembly of the cabinet right at home.
For maximum efficiency, it is possible
to automate the process of insertion of
connecting eccentric cams and expansion
dowels TL using its own Fast fit insertion
machine for Quickfit TL5.
The second innovation is about improved
process. The advantage of the FastFit
machine for automatic inserting of
expansion dowels, connecting eccentric
cams and wooden dowels into furniture
panels is in the extremely short inserting
time of these semi-finished products
into the chipboard panel, the quality of
the finished product and, consequently,
the reduced working force. The insertion
time of the semi-finished products is thus
approximately 3 seconds for smaller panels
and up to 7 seconds for larger multi-
inserting panels. The final time of panel
assembly is reduced by approx. 85%.
THE RESULT?
Titus was able to achieve thousands
of satisfied customers since the
implementation of the solution into their
processes lowering the manufacturing
costs, time and customers’ claims resulting
into improved quality of life for many
people.
Experiment Titus innovations at
Interzum Cologne, 21-24 May 2019.
Hall 5.1, Titus stand A-018/C-011.
Issue 38 PECM
171