Leidorf’s robot CNC machine equipped with a Hiteco Robotech SM milling spindle with a 900 mm saw blade © Doris Himmelbauer / Leidorf
Leidorf Group specializes in the robotic processing of cross-laminated timber, BauBuche and LVL. The Upper Austrian company processes extra-large mass timber panels with dimensions of up to 3.5 x 20 meters, using a robot CNC machine it developed. Complex shapes can be created thanks to the high flexibility of the machine which processes the construction elements to be round or angular or to have a free form.
Robot technology is particularly exciting because of the high flexibility of the woodworking tools. Feed rate, rotational speed, direction of rotation, working angle – everything can be adjusted individually. Leidorf profits from this flexibility especially in the choice of tools. Circular saws, milling cutters and drills as well as multiple drilling units or multiple slotting units can be mounted on the machine. As a result, Leidorf can make acoustic drillings on Kerto LVL panels or cut acoustic slots into CLT panels with the same ease and efficiency. Leidorf Group’s range of services is not limited to joining. The fast-growing company’s goal is to increase the degree of prefabrication of CLT elements. “For example, drywall panels, empty conduits or windows and doors are built into the cross-laminated timber already at our production site. This reduces the time needed for assembly on the construction site and helps to remedy the lack of skilled workers that is affecting everyone in the industry,” Leidorf explains.
Leidorf chose Hiteco as a partner for the robot CNC machine it developed. The Italian company is a leading global manufacturer of electrospindles and birotary heads. It is a choice which was taken after careful consideration: The electrospindle is the “heart” of every machine tool and robot and an important component in terms of quality and performance. Hiteco’s decades of experience is based on the SCM Group – an innovative and leading machine tool manufacturer. An exciting example of the cooperation between Leidorf and Hiteco is the milling spindle selected by Leidorf, which was mainly developed for the production of robot arms and birotary heads used for processing wood and other materials. The strengths of the so-called Robotech electrospindles lie in their remarkable rigidity and high performance.
The most powerful spindle of the Robotech SM series with 35 kW was installed at Leidorf. The unit can be equipped very flexibly with circular saw blades, milling cutters and other tools. Thanks to its high performance, tools with very large diameters can be mounted onto it as well. It goes without saying that the woodworking tools are exchanged with an automatic tool changer. The Robotech electrospindles are not only designed for processing wood. They are also suitable for the processing of many other materials, such as light metals, plastics and composites.
