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
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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
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