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

Today's smartphones are essentially handheld computers that also make phone calls.  The speed of technological advancement in this area has been nothing short of phenomenal over the past decade.  Not so with CNC routers.  There has been the occasional improvement here and there, but not until recently with the introduction of the modern smart-router, has a CNC router come along that does much more than just route parts.

A modern smart-router saves material and labor and is really easy to use. The intial cost may be a little bit more than a traditional "dumb" router, but the benefits make it an overall much better investment for nested-based manufacturing.

Over the next several postings, we are going to demonstrate some of the ways that modern smart-routers can improve your production process and help you save money:

Pause button allows machine operator to safely do other jobs

With standard routers, the operator must remain close to the control so he can stop the machine if something goes wrong. The only job he can really do is watch the machine. With a smart-router, a pause button clips to his belt. Pressing it anywhere in the production cell stops the machine. It works like an emergency stop, but is not a “wrench in the gearbox” emergency stop. It immediately stops the machine, but offers options.  With this feature, the operator is free to perform other tasks away from the control. A progress bar, visible from a distance, shows the operator how long before he needs to service the machine. It’s like getting an extra worker for free.  More info on this feature.

Smart-routers can recover from broken tools without scrapping the material

One great feature of a smart-router is the ability to recover from a broken tool without scrapping the sheet you are cutting or restarting the job. This can save a lot of time, effort and money.

If a tool breaks, press the Pause button to stop the machine.  Then select the Replace Tool option on the control, and the smart-router drops off the tool holder and notifies you to replace the tool. The machine then picks up the new tool, automatically measures it, adjusts the program for the new tool length, recuts the path of the broken tool and continues with the job.  More information on this feature.

Our annual Christmas party was held today, and it was a fun time for everyone to gather in the demo center and enjoy great food and fellowship:

Thermwood Graphic Designer Jennifer O'Brien handing out goodies

Thermwood VP of Sales, Dennis Palmer - having a good time.

As we head into the new year, we are very grateful for all of the positive business that we've enjoyed in 2013, and encouraged that 2014 promises to be even better!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us here at Thermwood!

Interview by Jon Cantin of CNCKingdom.com

Thermwood Corporation has an impressive range of industrial CNC routers but more importantly, Ken started the company back when NC was transitioning into CNC nearly half a century ago! This makes Thermwood the oldest CNC router company in the world.

I approached Ken to see if I could interview him and he was very keen… watch their corporate video for a quick review of the company...Read the rest of this interview at CNCKingdom.com

This video shows a variety of large sculptures created on a Thermwood 5 Axis Model 67 CNC Router.  These were all done at John Cox's Creature Workshop in Queensland Australia. 

The Model 67 is a fixed-gantry, moving table 5 Axis CNC Router that features single table sizes from 5'x5' to 10'x5' or dual table sizes from 5'x5' to 5'x12'.  It has a 7.5HP HSD Dual End Spindle (3,000-18,000RPM) and Z axis height up to 60".

Thermwood Model 67 5'x12' Dual Table CNC Router shown