Do you realize that nested based cabinet technology was first developed thirty years ago?

For technology, that’s ancient, and it really hasn’t changed much! It’s time for something new… something better… something easier… a lot easier

what is it?

It’s called a “cut center” and it’s really different. It makes virtually everything a cabinet shop needs, but there is no programming. That’s right, no computer, no software and no programming…none….EVER !

no programming?

A cut center doesn’t need programming because it already knows how to make cabinets, closets, furniture, doors, drawers, moldings and more…. thousands and thousands and thousands of designs. Just tell it what you want and it makes it, the size you want and the way you want

Thermwood has just announced the very first cut center, called "Cut Ready".  This amazing new technology has already been discovered by the business media and is being featured on Fox Business News, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg International Europe and Bloomberg International Asia multiple times this summer and fall

The amazing thing about this machine is that it can be run by just about anyone, no special training, no special technical skills. This is manufacturing for the average person

Now cabinet shops can remain cabinet shops and not be enslaved by technology. It installs and you are in full production in a couple of hours.  It can be run by your current folks and make you a ton of money

more info

See videos and more info at cutready.com

The Thermwood Multi-Purpose Five Axis Series combines all the elements needed for trimming formed parts, patterns or molds using five-axis simultaneous motions.  

Whether you are interested in a moving table machine for high-speed trimming, a fixed table for large aerospace and composite fixtures or a high-wall machine, we have a solution for you:

Multi-Purpose 67

The Multi-Purpose 67 is an entry-level five axis available with a variety of either single or dual moving aluminum table sizes.

Model 67 7x10 Single Moving Table

Model 67 5x10 Dual Moving Tables

Videos

Multi-Purpose 90

The Multi-Purpose 90 is a heavy-duty five-axis designed for high-speed trimming and pattern machining, available in single or dual moving aluminum tables.

Model 90 5x12 Dual Moving Tables

Model 90 10x5 Single Moving Table

Videos

Multi-Purpose 70

The Multi-Purpose 70 is designed for aerospace and composite applications utilizing large/heavy fixtures (various sizes available).

Model 70 10x20 Fixed Table

Model 70 10x10 Fixed Table

Video

Multi-Purpose 77

The Multi-Purpose 77 is a heavy-duty, high-speed contained system for the machining of large aerospace and composite materials (various sizes available). 

Model 77 10x20 Fixed Table

Videos

More Info

10 Position Automatic Rotary Tool Changer

A new option is now available for the Thermwood Model 70 CNC Router - A 10 Position Automatic Rotary Tool Changer.  

This new tool changer is contained in a protective housing that moves forward when tool changes are needed, and then back out of the working area to continue machining.  It expands the Model 70's capabilities with an additional 10 tooling positions.

Video

Images

More Info

The 10 Position Automatic Rotary Tool Changer can be added to a new Model 70 as an option, or retrofitted to an existing machine.  Please Contact Thermwood Retrofits for more information on adding this option to your existing Model 70.

About the Model 70

After weeks, months and sometimes years of deliberation, you've finally decided that a CNC Router is right for your business!  One of the most important (but often forgotten) aspects of a CNC Router purchase that businesses don’t think about is training.  If this is your first CNC Router purchase, then training is key.  Choosing a router that offers a comprehensive training schedule is important so you can be prepared when the router arrives at your facility.     

Almost every CNC Router manufacturer offers some form of training, and each has its positives and negatives.  Some allow five full days of dedicated in-house training at their facility, while others offer two days of training at your facility in combination with your machine install/setup. 

What is Onsite Training?

Onsite training is generally one to two days at your facility performed by a technician who not only will train you but will also run power to the machine and set it up.  Some of the training should include maintenance routines.  Onsite training is nice for those businesses that find it hard to get away from the office for a short period of time or having to spend extra on travel expenses (but this scenario also gives you less training time).  During this training period, distractions and interruptions can and will occur due to daily business routines. 

If you’re looking at a CNC Router that offers onsite training, ask the company for a training itinerary so you can get a better idea as to what they will be teaching you during this one to two days.

What is In-house Training?

In-house training is generally a longer period of time, usually no more than five days at the manufacturer's facility.  Added travel expense and time away from the shop for one or two of your employees could be hard for some of you, but you will receive more in depth training as well as no interruptions or distractions.  Some view the travel as a way to take a “vacation” or time away from the shop. 

In-house training is performed by a dedicated instructor who teaches this information week in and week out.  Also, you would most likely be in a training class along with other businesses just like yours.  This method gives you and the other students a chance to take a tour of the manufacturers’ facility and possibly see your machine being assembled if it hasn’t been shipped yet.  Depending on the manufacturer, lunches are provided during the week, so students aren’t left wandering around looking for places to eat. 

How about Software Training?

Software training is going to depend on who you purchase the software from.  Some offer onsite training, some in-house training and now (because of the popularity of the internet), online training is also available.  The pluses and negatives above will also apply to software training.  Hopefully you will have decided which software will work for your business before your new machine arrives, as this will give you an advantage of putting that CNC Router right to work once it is in place.  Online training allows you to go through the training courses anywhere/anytime and at your own pace as long as you have an internet connection.

Don't forget Training Support

Another aspect to consider is training support.  If you have questions or concerns about your machine or its operation/programming, you want to go with a vendor who offers the easiest access to answers.  Some manufacturers have pay-for-answer support which charges by the answer or by a time period, while others have free forums, email and/or phone support. 

The decision is yours!

You should spend time investigating all aspects of your purchase before you make a decision.  Ultimately, how well you understand your CNC Router and its operation (as well as the level of support you can expect) will help determine your future success.

We recently held our 2014 Dealer Conference at our headquarters in Dale, IN. The purpose of this annual event is to get all of our domestic and international dealers together in round-table informative sessions to discuss sales strategies and also to present the exciting changes and new products we plan to release in the next year.

Of course, the conference isn't all work and no play!  It also gives everyone a chance to socialize and catch up on news, as well as the opportunity to award our top sellers special prizes at the awards dinner. 

This year, our top dealership was Tech Con.  Second and third places went to Automation Associates, Inc and CNC Automation out of Canada.  The award for the dealership with the Most Improved Sales for 2013 went to Thomas F. O’Brien, Inc.  The award for top International Sales went to CAM Automatizacion out of Mexico.  Congratulations, guys!

Pictured above are: (l-r) Robert Vollmer (Tech Con), Dennis Palmer (VP Sales for Thermwood), Jason Susnjara (VP Marketing for Thermwood) and Glenn Suss (Tech Con).

Pictured above are: (l-r) Dennis Palmer (VP Sales for Thermwood), Mark Drone (Automation Associates, Inc) and Jason Susnjara (VP Marketing for Thermwood).

Pictured above (l-r) are: Dennis Palmer (VP Sales for Thermwood), Andrew Legault (CNC Automation), Jason Susnjara (VP Marketing for Thermwood) and Bob Law (CNC Automation).

Pictured above are: (l-r) Dennis Palmer (VP Sales for Thermwood), Thomas O'Brien (Thomas F. O’Brien, Inc.) and Jason Susnjara (VP Marketing for Thermwood).

Pictured above are: (l-r) Dennis Palmer (VP Sales for Thermwood), Pablo Macias (CAM Automatizacion) and Jason Susnjara (VP Marketing for Thermwood).

Thermwood personnel, domestic and international dealers socialize after hours during the 2014 Dealer Conference.

This video shows a Thermwood Model 45 CNC Router equipped with a Nemi Pod System machining a hardwood door out of poplar.

The Model 45 is a heavy-duty workhorse three axis CNC Router designed for composites, tooling boards, plastics aluminum, cabinets, wood and nested based production. Available in either single or dual spindles with optional rotary axis.  Featuring fixed table sizes from 5'x5' to 7'x12', it has a 12HP HSD Spindle (3,000-24,000RPM) - optional 18HP HSD Spindle available.

Thermwood Model 45 5'x10' CNC Router shown

Thermwood Model 45 5'x10' CNC Router with Nemi Pod System Shown

If you want the ability to create any type of custom cabinets you can conceive, as well as closets and custom furniture, we have a solution for you.  eCabinet Systems paired with Thermwood's CNC routers (featuring smart-router technology) allow you to program and run anything you can imagine and design, while offering total flexibility and absolute control of the entire process.

Although our CNC systems work with just about any cabinet design software, eCabinet Systems software is so well integrated with the machine control that production is smoother, problems are fewer and profit is much higher. Systems are available for custom or high volume custom nested based cabinet production.

Thermwood smart-router technology is...

Model 43 and eCabinet Systems

A great custom cabinet package is the CabinetShop 43 paired with eCabinet Systems.  This high-performance CNC router, comes standard with Thermwood’s smart-router technology as well as a fully stress-relieved rigid steel structure.  Table sizes range from 4’x’8 up to 5’x20’ and it comes with an 11 position automatic tool changer as standard.  This solution allows you to quickly and profitably produce any type of custom cabinets you can imagine and design, as well as a lot more.

AutoProcessor series for nested based feed through machining

For high-speed/high-volume nested-based CNC routing, the AutoProcessor series is another excellent option.  This heavy-duty system comes standard with auto-labeling and auto-load/offload to increase throughput and cut down on labor.  Table sizes range from 5’x10’ to 7’x12’ and it comes with a standard 10 position rotary automatic tool changer.  With a rapid speed of 4100 IPM and a 6000 lb automatic lift table for loading material, the AutoProcessor series is a very fast and extremely tough solution for nested based feed through machining.

This is part four in our blog series demonstrating some of the ways that modern smart-routers can make your job easier as well as help save you money. 

Here, we focus on a couple of ways a smart-router can improve your nested-based production process: 

• Allowing you to automatically flycut the spoilboard in the middle of a job

• Smart-routers can be monitored and managed from your smartphone or tablet

Smart-routers easily flycut the spoilboard in the middle of a job

Maintaining a good working spoilboard surface with ordinary routers is involved and prone to problems. With a smart-router, this process is automated and easy.  If you need to flycut the spoilboard in the middle of a job, just press the "Flycut" buttom on the control and the smart-router will automatically walk you through the steps.  This can save a lot of hassle by allowing you to quickly level the surface of your spoilboard at any point in the job.

Smart-routers can be monitored from your mobile device

Smart-routers live on the web. They access updates on the web, are serviced through the web and let you monitor and manage your smart-router using your smart phone or tablet.

Smart-routers do this through the use of apps that allow users to monitor their CNC router(s) and the programs that run on them from anywhere. These apps permit users to obtain the following information and more:

• A listing of every machine (includes an optional user customizable nickname)

• The current state (ready, running or in e-stop)

• The current Feed Override setting

• The current program loaded and or running

• A listing of all current and past part programs loaded/ran in chronological order with extensions

• A listing of machine events during each part program in chronological order

• A listing of the cycle time of every part program ran in chronological order

• A listing of completion or interrupt times in each part program ran in chronological order

• All machine events in chronological order with filtering

• Monitor scheduled maintenance with a cycle time countdown as well as a graphical countdown progress bar

• A time stamp listing of all previous maintenance performed

• The ability to request a service phone call from a support technician right from your device.

This is part three in our blog series demonstrating some of the ways that modern smart-routers can make your job easier as well as help save you money. 

Here, we focus on a couple of ways a smart-router can improve your nested-based production process: 

• Allowing you to easily use material left from a previous job

• Guiding you with step-by-step instructions

Smart-routers easily use material left from a previous job

Replacing bad or scrap parts is really easy with a smart-router. At the end of a job, simply scan the labels of any parts you want to recut and the machine nests them on any material still on the table so you can recut them. This saves a lot over having to create new CNC programs to make replacement parts.

With a smart-router you can even add parts from previous jobs to a new job, provided you are running the same material (it monitors that for you). When replacement parts from another job are cut, a red bar on the label lets you know this part is for a different job.

Smart-routers guide you step by step through the program

During program operation, smart-routers tell you what they are doing and offer instructions every step of the way. They tell you how many steps are in the program,what step they are on and what step is coming up next. 

If you can read you can run a smart-router.

This is part two in our blog series demonstrating some of the ways that modern smart-routers can make your job easier as well as help save you money. 

Here, we focus on a couple of ways a smart-router can improve your nested-based production process: 

• Allowing you to nest around defects in damaged material

• Giving you the ability to create a profile edge with standard tooling

Smart-routers allow you to nest around defects to use damaged material

This feature can save you a lot of material, which in turn can save you a lot of time and money.

When using this feature on nested based jobs, a smart-router saves you money by reducing the amount of scrap material that is wasted.  This in turn saves you a substantial amount of money, and ordinary routers just do not focus on this area. They rely on the user to take care of checking the material for flaws, and this means that the operator must be both skilled and well trained to work within the limits of these systems.  

Smart-router Advantage

Smart routers address areas like this in a big way - they address the areas where you spend the most money because that’s where you can make the most money.  Ordinary routers may seem less expensive at first, but may prove to be much more expensive in the long run.

Smart-routers machine a profile edge without a profile tool

Smart-routers can machine a profile edge without a profile tool, by tracing over the edge multiple times with standard tools. It even works on curved moldings.

This saves a lot for any shop that makes custom moldings by allowing you to use Profile Modeler to quickly create a molding or custom shape from a sketch or drawing with no special shaped tooling required.

Overview:  Smart-routers machine a profile edge without a profile tool

In depth:  Profile Modeler - from Sketch to Production