The all new Cut Ready Cut Center is available for free live demonstrations here at our modern factory headquarters in Dale, IN.  During your demo process you can expect:

• The demo process starts with phone consultations with our techs.  This helps us learn about what you want to make, and how the Cut Center can best help improve your operation.
• On the day of the demo, you’ll find a relaxed atmosphere, and receive a complete overview of the easy to use Cut Center and its operation.  You will work with our knowledgeable experts hands-on with this amazing machine.
• By “Hand’s-On”, we mean that you will actually be able to select, size and run product from the Cut Center yourself and see how incredible easy it is to operate.  With no training necessary, you’ll be able to run the Cut Center yourself!
• You’ll get a personalized tour of our modern facility to see our manufacturing process from start to finish, and how we carefully build each machine from the ground up.

Will the Cut Center Make Everything I Want?

We are continually adding products and capabilities to the Cut Center.  But what if something you want to make isn’t in the system yet?  Does that mean the Cut Center won’t work for you? 

Actually, we have developed a program for those who want to make things not already in the Cut Center. How do you get “No Programming” and the simple, intuitive operation of a Cut Center for your special products? With our new “Special Products” program the answer is simple, we add them for you! 

Definitions for your unique products are custom developed and installed in your Cut Center. These are not just CNC programs. Definitions teach your machine to make your products in all their variations, all their sizes, from all the materials you use. If your product requires special fixtures or tooling, we will develop and supply them also. This is a complete, ready-to-run solution. 

Run your products by simply selecting what you want, right at the machine. You can use material of varying thickness and/or adjust product size and features, again, right at the machine. The machine adjusts for all of this with no separate computer, no software and no programming. This is by far the simplest, easiest way to make things. This program is not restricted to cabinets and furniture. It will work for any product that can be manufacturered on a router. 

You can add additional products at any time and can have existing product definitions modified. We stand ready to manage your product offering so you don’t have to. 

With the “Special Products” addition, you still have all the features and product capabilities of the standard Cut Center, with your unique products as an added benefit. 

More Information

To find out more about the Cut Center and the process of adding arranging a free hands-on demonstration, please give us a call at 1-800-533-6901 or click below to fill out an information request form.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Written by Scott Burton - Sales Manager at Royce//Ayr

The latest kitchen design trends are demanding that solid wood and MDF doors appear in the same space with multi-colored cabinet layouts. This reality has challenged door makers to produce MDF doors that resemble solid wood profiles.  Production limitations have traditionally made it impossible to make MDF doors on a CNC router that match solid wood doors made on traditional moulders and tennoners.   

Advancements in MDF door tooling design and related software packages have made it possible to machine MDF doors on a CNC router that could pass as solid wood. A cohesive combination of smart tool design, flexible software, and proper material can produce an MDF product that is almost an exact match to solid wood once the door has been finished and installed. 

The application is possible, but does require some critical tools and design strategy to achieve a door with tight corners and good surface finish that can be primed with minimal sanding.  There are a couple of problems that must be overcome before achieving success.

Shows the current possibilities of MDF profiled doors on a CNC router.  Notice the detailed moldings and small radius on the corners of the inside profile that can be achieved.

Problem # 1 - Moulding details and tight inside corners

In previous years, a simple profile made from a single pass with a profile tool would create a rounded corner affect that made it obvious to the customer that the door was made from MDF and machined from above with a CNC router bit.  Detailed moldings and tight corners were impossible, if not very inefficient to produce.               

Solution # 1

The key to this issue is as much software related as it is tooling, and any solution must include effective communication between tool designers and software programmers.  The obvious solution to create a smaller radius in the corners is to use a smaller diameter tool.  However, this can lead to dramatically increased cycle time which can be prohibitive from a production stand point.  Primitive software made it necessary to have all tools do a complete pass around the door profile, but modern systems allow the smaller diameter tools to isolate all four corners after the larger profile tools have done their work.  The key is to start with a large profile tool to remove the majority of material and then break up the profile into small sections, and design the smallest diameter tool possible to clean the corners.  

It is important to understand the limitations of the smaller diameter tools, and adjust feed rates and RPM accordingly to avoid tool breakage. The smaller diameter tools will often be designed with single flutes, so a drop in feed rate will also ensure better cut quality.  Many small carving tools are better suited to solid carbide or carbide insert, rather than diamond due to design constraints.

Any tool inventory must include larger diameter tools for maximum material removal at higher feed rates, and matching tools with the smallest possible diameter to perform critical detailed carving applications in the corner of inside door profiles. 

Problems # 2 – Surface finish

MDF is generally very consistent and easy to finish on the outside of the panel, but profiling on the inside of the panel can create a surface that is very difficult to finish due to machining lines and “fiber tearout”.   MDF is obviously a porous material that tends to show loose fibers when machined in the core of the board. The density of MDF panel can have a dramatic impact on the resulting cut quality, but regardless of the quality of MDF it is impossible to achieve a surface finish in the core that is equivalent to the outside layer

Flat surfacing on the inside door panels is notoriously difficult as tools tend to leave machining lines on the overlapping tool path.  Depending on the fiber size in the core, tools can also pull fibers which creates a pitted affect that must be filled by primmer.  If fibers are not sheared off, they tend to raise up during priming, resulting in additional sanding or priming required.

Solution # 2

There are some machine parameter adjustments that can be made to improve surface finish.  Smaller chiploads will obviously provide less feathering of fibers, but excessively small chiploads will cause heat generation and reduced tool life, so feed rate reduction is not always ideal.  The solution lies in the tool design and cutting edge geometry.   

Shows an example of a diamond surfacing tool designed to provide premium surface finish on MDF door panels.  Notice the “Integrated” tool holder and tool body, which ensures optimal performance and allows tool to remove material at higher feed rates without sacrificing cut quality

The cutting edge geometry helps limit “overlap lines” between tool passes which reduces the amount of sanding required before priming.   Up shear geometry helps extract large chip loads at higher feed rates to reduce cycle time.  The diamond cutting edge is critical to providing prolonged tool life in difficult surfacing applications that produce excessive heat generation and cutting edge wear.  To achieve optimal results, it is best to run multiple tool passes and leave 3-4 mm for the final finishing pass.

Cabinet doors will always be the focal point of any kitchen, and generally require the most attention to detail.  Proper tooling design and application can help ensure the customer’s expectations are met, but also ensure that production cycle times and finishing costs are controlled.  Consult your tool designers to discover many creative ways to make your MDF doors look as good as wood.  

About Royce//Ayr    

For over 4 decades Royce//Ayr has combined excellent customer service with state of the art cutting tool technology.

Royce//Ayr started out in 1963 as “Royce Carbide Tools Ltd” a small local sharpening shop for woodworking tools. The company soon became involved in the design and manufacture of specialty saw blades and cutters. In the ‘80s and ‘90s Royce started to explore the many possibilities of Insert and PCD-Diamond tooling.

1997 saw the merge of Royce Carbide Tools Ltd. with Ayr Saw & Tool Inc., a manufacturer of HSS saw blades for metal. This merger added valuable experience to the new company Royce//Ayr Cutting Tools Inc. In 2003 the company moved to a new 40,000 sq.ft. facility at 405 Sheldon Drive in Cambridge, ON.

As the industry is constantly changing and looking for better and faster ways to produce their finished products Royce//Ayr is committed to continuously investing in state of the art equipment and highly skilled employees to satisfy the demands placed on them.

Browse through this web site and inform yourself of our capabilities to produce premium quality cutting tools to internationally accepted ISO standards. You can always reach our dedicated sales and engineering staff to help design and develop the best custom tools to meet your specific needs.

With such excellent customer service and quality tooling, it’s no wonder that today Royce//Ayr is a leading manufacturer of cutting tools for wood, plastics, rubber and metal today.

Mission Statement

Royce//Ayr is committed to supplying customers with superior quality tools, excellent customer service and on-time delivery by employing cutting edge technology, tooling and machinery, and experienced dedicated employees.

The Thermwood Multi-Purpose Five Axis Series combines all the elements needed for the machining of large aerospace and composite materials as well as trimming and machining large format patterns and molds/plugs for the aviation and defense industries.

Here we look at the Thermwood Model 77 and Model 70.  These heavy-duty, high-speed, moving gantry machines are ideal for machining of large applications using large/heavy fixtures.

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):

Features:

• 12HP HSD Tool Change Spindle (3,000-24,000 RPM Spindle) (other spindles available)
• Impact Resistant 5 Axis Head 
• 36" Z (other sizes available)
• 10 Position Rotary Tool Change System
• Full 5 Axis Simultaneous Motion
• Fixed Drill and Tapped Aluminum Table
• Conventional Style Vacuum Plumbing
• Heavy Duty Access Doors
• Tool Center Point Programming (TCP)
• Rapid Speed: 3500 inches per minute
• Moving Gantry
• Thermwood Q Core SuperControl
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives Throughout
• Volumetric 3D Laser Compensated Axis Alignment
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor
• Chip Collection
• Multi-Function Nemi Pod Table
• Machine Training and Installation
• Free Lifetime Phone/Forum Support 

Model 77 10x20 Fixed Table

Videos (please click images to view videos on our blog)

Multi-Purpose 70

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

Features:

• 12HP HSD Tool Changer Spindle (3,000-24,000 RPM larger spindle sizes available)
• Impact Resistant 5 Axis Head 
• Fixed Aluminum Table
• Moving Gantry
• 24" Z Standard (available up to 60")
• Full 5 Axis Simultaneous Motion
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives Throughout
• 3D Laser Compensated Axis Alignment
• Thermwood QCore SuperControl
• Tool Center Point Programming (TCP)
• Chip Collection System
• Multi-Function Nemi Pod Table 
• In the Leg Tool Changer 
• Bar Style Tool Changer
• Automatic Lubrication
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor

Model 70 10x20 Fixed Table

Model 70 10x10 Fixed Table

Videos (please click images to view videos on our blog)

More Info

To find out more about either of these two machines, or any of our other 5 axis offerings, please give us a call at 1-800-533-6901 or click below to fill out an information request form.  We hope to hear from you soon!

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

Here we look at the Thermwood Model 67 and 90.  These heavy-duty moving-table machines are ideal for high-speed trimming and pattern machining, and come in either single or dual table configurations:

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.

Features:

• 12HP HSD Tool Change Spindle (3,000-24,000 RPM, larger spindle sizes available)
• Impact Resistant Head 
• Moving Aluminum Table/Fixed Gantry
• 24" Z Standard (available up to 48")
• Full 5 Axis Simultaneous Motion
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives Throughout
• 3D Laser Compensated Axis Alignment
• Thermwood Q Core SuperControl
• Tool Center Point Programming (TCP)
• Chip Collection 
• Bar Style Tool Changer
• In the Leg Tool Changer 
• Remote Start/Stop 
• Gantry Lighting 
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor

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.

Features:

• 12HP HSD Tool Changer Spindle (3,000-24,000 RPM larger spindle sizes available)
• Impact Resistant Head 
• Moving Aluminum Table
• Fixed Gantry
• 24" Z Standard (available up to 60")
• Full 5 Axis Simultaneous Motion
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives Throughout
• 3D Laser Compensated Axis Alignment
• Thermwood QCore SuperControl
• Tool Center Point Programming (TCP)
• Chip Collection
• Multi-Function Nemi Pod Table 
• In the Leg Tool Changer 
• Bar Style Tool Changer
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor

Model 90 5x12 Dual Moving Tables

Model 90 10x5 Single Moving Table

Videos

More Info

To find out more about either of these two machines, or any of our other 5 axis offerings, please give us a call at 1-800-533-6901 or click below to fill out an information request form.  We hope to hear from you soon!