Timber iQ October - November 2019 // Issue:46 | Page 34

FEATURES Getting familiar with edge banding The Festool Konturo KA 65 is a mobile edge banding machine that can be carried around. By Dineo Phoshoko Wooden desks, wardrobes, kitchen units and other wood finishes have smooth and neat edges that look impressive, thanks to edge banding. D uring the manufacturing process of wood, edges are often exposed and look ugly and rough. “An edging should match the surface perfectly in colour and texture, be impact and scratch resistant, UV stable and if in a kitchen environment, thermally stable as well,” comments David Behr, managing director at National Edging. Edge banding entails applying the edging tape to the edges of the engineered wood. This process is done to make engineered wood look like a solid piece of wood all around. “Edge-banding is used to upgrade or as a finishing to melamine, veneer or surfaced boards. Edging is commonly used within the production of kitchens, office furniture or cased goods furniture,” says Nico Jansen van Rensburg, marketing manager at Upper Edge Products. In addition to improving the aesthetics, edge banding also protects the wood from warping, which could happen if the 32 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 // exposed chipboard edges get wet or become exposed to heat. Because the wood is protected, edge banding increases the lifespan of the entire wood product in the long run. TYPES OF EDGE BANDING MACHINES Edge banding is both a process and a machine. There are various edge banding machines available on the market, each with different functions and capabilities. There are different edge banding machines for different for wood production categories such as floor manufacturing, furniture and interior furnishings as well as panel and door manufacturing. Typically, edge banding machines fall within the R250 000 to R2.5-million mark, however there are both cheaper and more expensive machines outside of this range. Ian Fuchs from Donald Fuchs Machinery says that although all the machines are primarily capable of performing edge banding tasks, the difference lies in the additional features which make the www.timberiq.co.za