Being in this industry for the last 16 years, I’ve been inside many panel fabrication shops. The one thing they all have in common is the requirement to accurately cut and mark wall components which are then put together as a complete frame. The original and most simple way to achieve this was, of course, with good ol’ plan, tape measure, and pencil, which is effective but time consuming and has the element of human error. When I started working with Mango Tech back in 2004, they were developing the computerized manual plate marking system which provided a faster and more accurate way of laying out plates and other components. Utilizing a drop-down stud stencil that the plates passed underneath, the pusher stopped at the appropriate stud or component locations for just enough time to allow the operator to scribe a mark using a pencil. This system, which is still very effective, provided a faster and accurate way to mark plates while removing the human errors.
Fast forwarding 13 years and many installs, Mango Tech had toyed with the idea of ink jet marking but never put it into development. Spida also had a plate marking system very similar to Mango’s so, after the two companies were combined, the decision was made to start working on an ink jet marker. It took about 12 months to get the first working proto-type, and I was fortunate to be visiting New Zealand when they were running the initial demonstrations. Seeing it in person, I was completely blown away.
The speed and accuracy of this new system, even during its initial development, has been mind blowing. The first set of pieces I witnessed run through the printer were around 12’ long and it took less than 3 seconds to process with completely legible, accurate, and detailed information magically appearing on the lumber. After so many years of watching the manual plate marker stop and start its way through a set of plates, I knew this was going to be a game changer for us and the days of the plate markers were numbered!
Now we have been developing a range of machines around this technology and have something for any shop – from small low-volume shops and start-ups all the way through to high-volume linear saws with live decks. Through working with customers and drawing on the extensive knowledge of our installers, sales team, and programmers, the software has evolved to include many features, all available at the machine level through an intuitive and user-friendly touch screen interface. Some of the key features are as follows.
Optimization – Once you have configured a list from your available stock, the software will optimize your lumber and tell you what stock is required to load in what order. This can be set to look forward into the current job or batch of jobs as many panels as you like. Then the operator can pick a good balance point of optimization vs. sorting, as often looking too far into a job, especially the big ones, makes sorting a nightmare.
Batching – The operator can select any components they would like to process on the saw from the whole panel down to just the plates. Any members can be isolated and cut on the fly (such as headers), which can be very useful when wanting to cut one type of stock all at one time.
Pre batching – The supervisor is able to create batches from files from the office level, which gives them a printable pick list, a pre-determined waste amount, and an accurate time estimate on how long the batch should take to process through the saw.
Configurable printing – You can print as much or as little information as you like on each member. The label feature gives you 4 choices from a list of options (panel name, member name, etc.) and the mark feature gives you up to 3 pieces of information about the attachment that prints between each mark.
Best of all, we have a range of options to suit your budget and production needs.
GOOD
RAPID STOP SPRINT: Already have the saw? The rapid stop sprint is designed to marry up to existing saws, and we can provide outfeed tables too if required. This system is hand load and will cut up to the capacity of your saw. There would be no saw automation on this system, but the all of the other features are available in the software.
https://www.spida.com/machines/rapid-stop-sprint/
SPRINT ZERO: The Sprint Zero is an all-in-one package designed to work with a standard chop saw. It incorporates the pusher, ink jet marker, chop saw table, and outfeed. You can provide your own chop saw or look to our sales staff for our recommendations on a suitable unit. The Sprint Zero is ideal for a start-up company or smaller company, and you can expect around 230 pieces per hour depending on what you are cutting.
https://www.spida.com/machines/sprint-zero/
BETTER
SPRINT S600: The Sprint S600 is an upcut saw with automated clamping and cutting capabilities. Once the boards are loaded in place and the operator initiates the first cut, then they are free to collect the pieces as they gather on the outfeed. Once one board or stack (2) of boards is finished, they load another set to begin the process again. The blade is completely encased in a switch-monitored lift-up hood, coupled with the mandatory two-handed controls, which ensures the operator remains safely away from the blade at all times. Capacity here is up to 300 pieces per hour depending on what you are cutting.
https://www.spida.com/machines/sprint-s600/
SPRINT M600: The Sprint M600 upcut saw has characteristics very similar to the S600 with the added feature of being able to do angles. The quadrant plate rotates down to 20 deg on both sides giving it the ability to cut raking walls and angled plates.
https://www.spida.com/machines/sprint-m600/
BEST
TORNADO SERIES: The Tornado is the ultimate in frame component saws — this linear saw has a live deck infeed and can process up to 500 pieces per hour. The innovative waste and short piece delivery system ensures all members are delivered to the operator on the outfeed. With this much capacity, the Tornado can keep up with 2–3 wall lines with ease. Fully automated cutting cycles, a laser correction system, and a fully enclosed cabinet make for a lightning fast, super accurate, and safe machine to operate. The ability to double-stack boards also helps to keep the production numbers high.
https://www.spida.com/machines/tornado-m500/
Please give us a call and we can chat about all of our available options or even customize something that will suit your needs and budget.