“I wouldn’t have thought that I would be able to see so many machines in action today,” an industrial customer said at one of Hundegger’s Innovation Days in early February. The joinery experts spared no effort and gave existing and potential customers deep insights into everyday work, the corporate philosophy and new developments.
“Over the past two years, we have been working intensively on numerous future topics. In addition to some new and further developments of our machines, we focused on the development of automatic infeed and stacking solutions in front of and behind the machines. We also further developed our tool line with the aim of being able to offer our customers the best possible solution for every application and machine. In addition, we successfully brought our Cambium software to a new level,” Rainer Auerbacher said about the key work that has been done recently. Auerbacher, who welcomed the guests together with Hans and Josef Hundegger, will take over the duties of Head of sales and service Walter Fahrenschon, who will leave the company at the end of the year. Trained carpenter Josef Hundegger will follow in the footsteps of his uncle Hans as Chairman of the Board.
Software for the entire production process
For many in the industry, Cambium is still a classic software for individual machines. During the lecture “Cambium in element production”, Hundegger showed what its in-house software platform can do. “Cambium is a software for processing beams, panels and elements, but also for connecting the entire production process, such as that of solid wood panels. It can also be used to control and monitor entire production cells,” Manuel Stürminger, CTO at Hundegger, explained. In addition to operation, production control and the visualization and planning of the material flow, Cambium also demonstrated its strengths when it comes to facilitating work preparation and the entire warehouse management.
Space miracle
Of the Robot product line, Hundegger presented the Robot Compact 650 and the Robot Max 1300. While the former fits into almost any workshop thanks to its extremely space-saving design, the Robot Max 1300 completes the successful Robot line on the other end of the scale. The Robot Compact does not require any structural measures, such as a concrete machine pit. Nevertheless, this model can also be used to process elements on all six sides and is equipped with a tool magazine which can hold up to 29 tools.
Maximum efficiency in processing
Hundegger also presented its new panel processing machine PBA-X 3600 and its PBA-Drive 3600. Hundegger sees the PBA-X as a further development of the PBA-E for the universal processing and production of large elements. In addition to a 35 kW 5-axis universal unit and a tool magazine for up to 50 tools, the machine can also be equipped with a powerful 3-axis milling unit designed specifically for the processing of glulam beams or large-format CLT panels. Hundegger also developed an eight-fold multifunctional head for the production of timber frame elements. “A combination of these machines and the Robot-Max 1300 gives customers the maximum in processing efficiency even for large cross-sections and at the same time unimagined flexibility for their applications. Also, the processing of mass timber elements is done with ease and precision,” Auerbacher said, summing up the main advantages of these complex machines.
Combined manufacturing solutions
Two cutting machines, which were integrated into the production cells, were also presented in Hawangen: the Turbo-Drive 450 and the Speed-Cut 480. Hundegger combined the latter with an automatic Pick & Feed loading system and the Pick & Place sorting solution for automatic packaging using a vacuum lifter behind the machine. In the future, this will enable the unmanned material handling for all beam joinery machines, with the Cambium Component Manager controlling the process.
The Turbo-Drive was combined with the Trusslinc Tactical, which was developed specifically for the US market, for the flexible and material-saving production of beams with nail plate connectors. This was also met with keen interest from international customers from the US, Canada, Japan and Spain, for whom Hundegger had organized a special event in January. In addition, members of the High-Tech Joinery Association, who had held their conference “Innovations in Timber Construction” in Hawangen in the same month, also had the opportunity to find out about the latest developments in machine technology and software solutions.
Focus on element production
In recent years, Hundegger has focused on the further development of machines for cross-laminated timber. In the coming years, the company wants to concentrate more on timber frame construction.
“A new Wallmaster which can also saw and mill elements, a new SPM for cutting panels to size as well as table systems with turning and clamping devices will keep us busy in the future,” Auerbacher said about current and future development projects. Given these prospects, the next Hundegger Innovation Days will likely be just as exciting as the previous ones.
