This blog post will tell you all of the information about veneer guillotine and more. So whether you’re a first-time buyer or an experienced pro, read on for a closer look at how veneer guillotine.
1. What is a veneer guillotine?
A veneer guillotine also called veneering equipment or veneer cutting machine, is used to cut the veneer sheet into the desired shape, thickness, and length. Having replaced the manual cutting procedure, the veneer guillotine realized one economic option in applying one layer of wood onto another material layer to produce panels for ready-made furniture and other products. Utilizing veneer guillotine, the various patterns of panels can be achieved at a lower cost while saving labor and reducing environmental damage. The cutting procedures of the veneer guillotine are conducted by different technologies.
2. What are the main types of veneer guillotines?
There are some types below:
1) Laser cutting
The veneer guillotine of the laser cutting type is the cutting machine that adopts a laser beam via high-density power to cut the raw materials into the desired shape and dimensions. This type of veneer guillotine requires the application of digital control or programmable control system.
This type of veneer-cutting machine has the following features:
- Good quality
- Small cutting crack
- Less surface deformation
- Smooth, flat, and nice-looking cutting groove
- Faster cutting speed
- High reliability
Since the laser cutting route and linear cutting function are activated, normally the shortest cutting route is selected and thus the operation duration is highly improved. On the other hand, the use of programmable software stabilizes the output of the cutting machine is stable and facilitates both the variation of the diagrams, shapes, or thickness and the mechanical operation by operators.
In addition to the stability and convenience, the low cost is another appealing factor of this veneer guillotine type. The smaller the cutting breadth is, the lower is processing cost or labor cost.
2) Plasma cutting
Plasma cutting is a technology that involves the melting process and is suitable for conductive materials. There is a veneer guillotine of plasma cutting mode, but it is not a popular one as this type is not the best option and the cost is quite high.
3) Hydraulic cutting
A hydraulic veneer guillotine is also called a veneer-cutting machine. It is designed for high-precision cutting and specialized in industrial cutting. This type of machine is accustomed to large-depth cutting even up to the depth of 4000 mm.
Hydraulic cutting is one mechanical function that is obtained via the force of liquid pressure. Normally, the hydraulic veneer guillotine is equipped with a movable piston and the movement of the cylinder causes the hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic veneer guillotine combines the computer program enjoys the following features:
- Smooth cutting
- Energy efficient
- High productivity
- Longer life span
- Easy to operate
4) Single blade v.s. Double blade
This classification of the veneer guillotine can be told from the number. The veneer guillotine can be equipped with more than one blade. The double-blade one is not always better than a single-blade. The number of blades shall be selected according to the thickness and shape of the veneer sheets to be cut.
The difference in blades is not limited to the amount but also the structure of the blade. Toothed and serrated blades are two main types and blades can be customized as per specific requirements.
3. How to operate a veneer guillotine?
There are steps for operating a veneer guillotine:
1) Preparation and setting
According to the type of veneer guillotine and user manual, set the initial parameters of the machine. This is the very first step and the crucial one for ensuring the normal operation of the veneer guillotine. Personal protective equipment shall also be ready at the preparation stage. Put on the personal protective equipment as required in case of inadvertent movement and protect operators from injury.
2) Starting
- Upon the correct setting of the machine and putting on the proper personal protection equipment, the operator can activate the veneer shearing machine.
- Unless the veneer guillotine is operating under the fully automatic mode, use both hands to operate the machine, especially those double-knife types.
- Press down the button only when the cutting positions and angles are confirmed to be correct. The landing of the guillotine machine knife shall be exact with a delay of no more than 0.5 seconds on each side.
- After completing the current cutting task, re-set the machine and blade position, and then carry out the next task.
4. How to choose a good veneer guillotine?
Safety always comes first. A good veneer guillotine shall have the appropriate safety mechanism to avoid accidents during operation. The followings are the key designs to ensure safety, including both mechanical and electrical design concepts.
1) Protecting guard for veneer guillotine
There are several ways to ensure the safety of the machine. Safety guards might be installed at the front and rear sides of the machine. The opening at the front side of the veneer guillotine is a requirement for complying with the safety measures given in BS EN ISO and EU regulations, either movable or fixed guard can be used. If the machine adopts an interlocked guard, the safety distance of the openings in the protective guard shall be in accordance with the principles regulated in international standards. Please be noted that the design of the protective guard shall make sure that whenever the guard is moved, the blade is changed, or clamped is dropped, there will not be any damage occurring to the operator. No further movement of these detachable components is allowed unless the protective guards are in their positions. Access to the sharp components shall be covered with protective guards or other measures and direct contact shall be avoided.
2) Positioning system
An electronic light barrier or photoelectric switch is another option for the safety of the cutting machine. In the case of any fault in the operation system, there shall be an electrical plan to avoid accidents.
Upon installation of these electronic components, the normal function of these components shall be tested at each operation cycle. The machine shall not be activated until the safety-related system is tested to be functional. Whenever the safety system fails the test, the veneer guillotine shall have a mechanism to stop itself automatically in the case that dangerous components such as the blade and rotary parts will cause injury. It shall be avoided that the sharp blade and clamp will touch the hand of the operator or any other part.
3) Control system
The control system involves both the mechanical construction, i.e., the control cabinet itself, and the software part. The electrical control cabinet shall be wired correctly and the control software shall be debugged at regular intervals. In such a way, the control system can realize precision cutting more safely. The control system usually cooperates with the positioning system to increase its effect.
Surly, a good-quality veneer guillotine shall consider other causes. Apart from the safety part, the machine shall be suitable for your own needs, and the work of maintenance and inspection shall require as little effort as possible. Long-term and stable use is important for every user.
5. Why regular maintenance and inspection is required?
Regular maintenance and inspection are required for every type of machine. Maintenance and inspection are required due to different causes. For protective guards on the machine, the inspection is to ensure the fault of a protective component can be detected at an early stage and thus save the labor in maintenance. The blade replacement is one work of maintenance. After hundreds of thousands of operations, the blade will be so worn that the working efficiency will be reduced. Following the user’s instructions, the blade shall be changed after a certain time. The safety-related components are one key issue for selecting the veneer guillotine, but regular maintenance and inspection are also essential for the reliability of these components. Without a regular check, the performance of the electrical and mechanical components will be decreased and the version of the control software shall be updated regularly.
Normally, the maintenance and inspection will be carried out at a certain interval as per the specific requirements of customers. Written records will be beneficial to the continuous use of the machine.
6. Conclusion
Currently, we are in an era of rapid development and advancement in the modern furniture industry. Since the material are required in different industries and various dimensions and shapes, the cutting machine is more urgently required. The veneer guillotine is one of the most common cutting machines.
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