Thermwood's Profile Modeler allows you to quickly create a molding or custom shape from a sketch or drawing on a Thermwood CNC Router with no special shaped tooling required.  

This video demonstrates using Profile Modeler to create a custom curved cherry molding from Sketch - to Profile Modeler - to Machine - to Completed Shape.

Steps used in the video:

• Verify the measurements
• Create the shape using Shape Manager in eCabinet Systems
• Create Tool
• Apply Tool to create Shape

• File loaded into Profile Modeler on QCore SuperControl
• Verify Tool Path
• Run Program
• Machining Part (Roughing/Finishing/Detail Passes)
• No special shaped tooling required - Tools Used: 1/2 Straight, 1/2 Ballnose, 1/8 Ballnose, 1/8 Flat
• Completed Shape

For more information on Profile Modeler or any of our other products, please click here or contact us at 1-800-533-6901.

Thermwood has developed our new Five Axis Alignment Verification Routine which is used to record and populate the alignment measurement values into the Thermwood QCore control system (after machine alignments are manually performed).  

This routine automatically checks alignment in multiple axes and allows alignment to be quickly verified between jobs.  The routine compares the measured values to the default values.

The Thermwood 5 Axis Alignment Verification Routine includes:

• Renishaw high-tolerance tooling sensor
• Precision ground pin
• Dedicated tool holder
• Collet and all mounting hardware.

For more information on the Five Axis Alignment Verification Routine, please contact us at 1-800-533-6901.

Here is our latest video featuring the Thermwood Model 43 CNC Router with the new Auto Labeling option for nested based production (auto labeling option available on the Model 43 and the MTR 21): 

Model 43 features:

• 12 HP (3,000-24,000 RMP) Spindle
• Universal Vacuum 1 or 2 Zones
• 11 Position Automatic Tool Changer
• Rapid Speed:  3500 inches per minute
• QCore SuperControl
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives
• Volumetric 3D Laser-Compensated Axis Alignment
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor
• Machine Training and Installation
• Free Lifetime Phone/Forum Support

Model 43 CNC Router

On behalf of the entire Thermwood family, we would like to extend our warmest wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

Have a safe and prosperous New Year!!

Our annual Christmas party was held today, and it was a fun time for everyone to gather near the Model 77 and enjoy great food and fellowship:

As we head into the new year, we are grateful for all of the positive business that we've enjoyed in 2012, and encouraged that 2013 promises to be even better!

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

Thermwood would like to invite you to visit us at the JEC Americas Trade Show in Boston, MA.

When:   Wednesday November 7th to Friday November 9th
Where:  Boston Convention and Exhibition Center -Booth #E14

We are exhibiting the latest Thermwood equipment:- Featuring our newest 5 Axis CNC Router - the Thermwood Model 77.

For a limited time, you can receive a FREE Visitor's Badge to attend the show free of charge - act now to take advantage of this offer!

About the Model 77 CNC Machining Center:

The Thermwood Model 77 5x10 (larger sizes are available) is a heavy duty five-axis CNC router specifically developed for three dimensional machining. This stationary table high wall machine was designed using advanced 3D software utilizing Finite Element Analysis. All major welds including the base and gantry are stress relieved to provide long term stability. This machine is inspected and calibrated utilizing a precision volumetric laser system.   

Features:
• 12 HP (3,000-24,000 RPM) Spindle
• Impact Resistant 5 Axis Head
• 10 Position Rotary Tool Change System
• Rapid Speed: 3500 inches per minute
• Moving Gantry
• QCore SuperControl
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives Throughout
• Volumetric 3D Laser Compensated Axis Alignment
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor
• Machine Training and Installation
• Free Lifetime Phone/Forum Support

More information can be found here

The Thermwood Model 77 5x10 (larger sizes are available) is a heavy duty five-axis CNC router specifically developed for three dimensional machining. This stationary table high wall machine was designed using advanced 3D software utilizing Finite Element Analysis. All major welds including the base and gantry are stress relieved to provide long term stability. This machine is inspected and calibrated utilizing a precision volumetric laser system.   

Features:
• 12 HP (3,000-24,000 RPM) Spindle
• Impact Resistant 5 Axis Head
• 10 Position Rotary Tool Change System
• Rapid Speed: 3500 inches per minute
• Moving Gantry
• QCore SuperControl
• Siemens Intelligent Servo Drives Throughout
• Volumetric 3D Laser Compensated Axis Alignment
• Automatic Tool Length Sensor
• Machine Training and Installation
• Free Lifetime Phone/Forum Support

More information can be found here

Thermwood has completely redesigned and expanded the EZ Office library, which is part of the design offerings under its YouBuild program. Discussions with major national office product retailers have uncovered the need for a variety of resizable office furniture but the original EZ Office was only available in limited fixed sizes.

To address this, Thermwood programmers have (while retaining original styling) redesigned EZ Office products so they can be freely resized by the customer. All new designs have been machined, built and fully vetted and are ready.

Desks come in several styles which are each adjustable to any width within a range:

Library Style desks offer a working desktop with either two or three narrow drawers under the top or also available without drawers. 

Office Style desks can be made in widths from 30” to 66”. One style, available in widths from 30” to 48”, has a four drawer stack on either the left or right side. The second version available from 48” to 66” wide offers dual drawer stacks.

Mini Student style desks feature a pull-out shelf available from 24” to 36” (for use where space is at a premium).

Desks have finished appearance on both front and back and can be positioned against a wall or away from the wall with the users back to the wall. The simple, clean designs blend with virtually any decor.

Credenzas come in several complimentary styles with adjustable width to match the desks, offering the ability to mix and match components to address a wide variety of needs. Upper cabinet modules can be mounted to desks or credenzas of the same width.

Finally, a collection of base and tall wall cabinets and single or double shelves round out the collection.

This collection is called "EZ" because of its simple yet elegant design and the fact that all pieces are assembled with a screwdriver using “Lock Joints”. “Slot Slide” drawers assure perfect alignment yet do not require separate drawer slides. Drawer bottoms extend past the drawer sides and slide in dado slots machined into partitions.

Three different styles of drawer and door pulls are offered and some items, which can function without pulls, are available without pulls. These units are relatively easy to assemble with a caution that larger pieces may need two people to handle.

The full EZ Office library offering can be seen here.

About YouBuild:

YouBuild is a new and exciting opportunity for woodworkers with the proper equipment to address the huge furniture market in a unique and practical manner. Aided by local Retail Dealers and Design Centers, orders are placed online, parts are cut by local shops and then assembled by the customer. Extensive integrated technology make this easy, practical and profitable and an extensive and growing library of customizable designs address almost every area of home and office furnishings. For more information about YouBuild, click HERE

Thermwood has added a “Personal Pause Button” to its CNC routers that process YouBuild programs, which dramatically improves productivity.

Even though modern CNC machines rarely encounter production problems, they do happen. This means the machine operator must remain near the control to stop the machine should something unexpected occur. This limits what he or she can do, other than watch the machine.

To address this, Thermwood has developed a remote wireless “Pause Button” which can be clipped to a belt or pocket. Pressing this button stops the machine, much like an emergency stop, but this is different. The Pause Button, which works at distances of 100 feet or more, not only stops the machine in place but also offers several options for recovery:

• Back at the control screen, the system wants to know what happened and offers several options. You can just resume cutting by pressing “Resume”. Press the “Replace Tool” button and the machine drops off the tool holder with the broken tool and moves out of the way. Change the bit and replace the tool holder and tell the system to resume. It picks up the new tool, measures it and begins re-cutting the path for the broken tool.

• Perhaps parts are moving because you didn’t fly cut the table soon enough. By selecting “Leave Skin”, you can continue machining this sheet while leaving a skin on all remaining parts so they won’t move. You do have to remove the skin from these parts later but that is a lot easier and less expensive than remaking parts. When the sheet is done you can fly cut the table right in the middle of the program and then continue with the next sheet.

• Another possibility is that you encounter bad material or something else happened that makes this sheet unusable. Simply select “Start Sheet Over” and the system will return to Home and instruct you to replace the sheet. It will then re-cut that sheet and continue on. There is a process for pretty much anything that might happen and it all starts with the Pause Button.

Because the Pause button is remote, the operator can move away from the control to sort, label or edge band parts and still be able to stop the machine if something happens. The control even displays a large progress bar along the top of the screen which can be seen from some distance away. It is like the ones you see on your computer and tells you how much time is left before the operator needs to flip a sheet or remove finished parts. By the way, in YouBuild, all back side machining is done on the full sheet rather than one part at a time. It’s a lot faster.

If there is more than one person working in the cell, each can have their own Personal Pause Button.

Personal Pause Button, a simple elegant addition makes processing YouBuild jobs so much easier and more productive.

You can find more information in the YouBuild section of the eCabinet Systems web site and at youbuild.com.

Ken Susnjara, the founder, chairman and CEO of Thermwood, conducted a series of seminars at the IWF show in Atlanta describing the fundamental basis of YouBuild. He explained “YouBuild allows cabinet shops, using the proper equipment and current skills, to address the approximately $45 Billion furniture market, a market which is ten times larger than cabinets.

He explained the differences between cabinets and furniture and how YouBuild makes this possible. “A typical sale for a cabinet shop is for an entire kitchen, perhaps $10-, $15-, $20,000 or more. You can afford to design and sell the job, work out production problems and still make money. A typical furniture sale might be $500 - $1,500 dollars. You can’t afford to design, sell or work out production problems. If you want to make money all you can do is cut the parts and cash the check. YouBuild does the things you can’t afford to do making furniture. Let’s start with selling.”

“As part of YouBuild, shops, called “YouBuild Cut Centers”, can designate others to sell for them. There’s two ways to do this. Some folks, like Interior Designers, professional handymen, and even certain types of retail stores can operate as Design Centers. They help customers select and order YouBuild products and receive a sales commission for these sales. Others like closet installation companies, home contractors and even larger retail stores will likely operate as Retail Dealers, receiving a discount on YouBuild products and then reselling them at a higher price, perhaps with added value such as assembly or installation.”

“The nice thing about this approach is that, once set up, there is virtually no effort required. All commissions and discounts are tracked and handled automatically by YouBuild. A Cut Center can set up 50, 100 or more sales outlets without having to worry about the clerical effort needed to maintain and service the network. Once established, this sales network can generate a continuous flow of business without much day to day effort from the Cut Center.”

“Now let’s look at production. When an order is placed, it is queued online where it can be accessed by the Cut Center. They simply assign the order to their CNC router right online and the order shows up on the machine control. Just execute the program and the machine guides you through every step. Edge band designated parts and they’re ready. All the hardware, screws, fasteners, hinges, pulls…everything else needed for the order, even the assembly instructions, arrive in a package a few days after the order is placed. The Cut Center doesn’t have to deal with any of these details. Just give the package and parts to the customer and the order is complete.”

“There are over a thousand product designs that have all been optimized and tested. Every piece has been produced, sometimes multiple times, until both the design and instructions work smoothly and easily both through production as well as for the customer. We have even hired inexperienced day workers to assemble YouBuild products using our instructions and then, by observing them, refined both the product and the assembly techniques until the average person can easily do it.”

“We believe we have all the bases covered with YouBuild so that properly equipped cabinet shops can enthusiastically address the huge furniture market in a bold new way that works for them and can make them a lot of money.”