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SANDINGMASTER
SMOOTHS OUT PROBLEMS AT PROGRESSIVE PINE
Taking
the time to select the right sander to suit your
specific needs is vitally important, as choosing
the right machine can result in long-term, positive
benefits. This has been the experience of Progressive
Pine Ltd, where a Timesavers- Sandingmaster 3000
has led to a considerable speeding up of the sanding
process and a noticeable improvement in the quality
of the finished product. Started in 1993 by partners
Martin Avent and Tim Ecott, the Great Dunmow,
Essex, business manufactures a broad range of
pine bedroom and dining furniture items from three
small factories in the area. It sells direct to
retailers across the UK and has built up an excellent
reputation for the quality of its output.
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Co-owner
Tim Ecott with a perfectly smooth component
finished on the Sanding Master 3000 at Progressive
Pine |
What
has also led to its success is its guarantee of
fast delivery. This is achieved as, unlike many
of its competitors, it builds solely for stock
and not to order. There's a product offering of
more than 100 different lines, most available
for immediate delivery from its 7,000 sq ft warehouse,
which is packed solid with beds, wardrobes, chests
of drawers, coffee tables, desks and much more.
They are all crafted from top quality Swedish
Redwood, with around 10 per cent finished off
by being polished, stained or waxed in the polishing
shop and the rest supplied to customers in the
white. "We had been using a two-headed sander
in our unit that specialises in chests of drawers,"
says Martin Avent. "We needed to speed up the
sanding process as our level of production was
increasing due to a rise in orders for the 30
or so chests in the range, and we also wanted
to improve their finish." With the former sander,
components often had to be put through up to three
times until they were smooth enough to be passed
to assembly. In particular, it had problems removing
the glue from laminated items, which caused production
bottlenecks and led to considerable wastage. After
examining the various sanders on display at the
last Woodmex, Martin and Tim were attracted to
the Sandingmaster 3000 because of the quality
of its sanding, its solid construction and simplicity
of operation. But not one to be taken in solely
by a salesman's smooth patter, Martin Avent asked
to see one at work in a furniture factory setting.
"When we got there, I had a long chat with the
experienced foreman who gave it an excellent report
and confirmed my view that it would meet all our
requirements."
Timesavers-Sandingmaster
machines, the industry's benchmark for value,
are available from UK agent TM Machinery Sales,
of Leicester, who also provide an efficient after-sales
service. The range starts with the entry level
1300 series, for owners of smaller workshops,
while at the top end is the new 4300 series that
meets the needs of the largest of factories. Progressive
Pine buys its pine in board form, usually 21.5
mm thick. After it has been cut to size and laminated
as required, all of the flat components pass through
the sander before being assembled. The heavy duty
3000 model they chose is a three headed, wide
belt sander with a 760mm in-feed loading area
and a host of standard features others only offer
as options. These include a longer abrasive belt
length, an in-feed stop bar, dial indicators on
drums or platens, an emergency brake system on
all heads, a centralised control panel and a digital
thickness readout. It has an adjustable feed speed
of 4-20 mpm, an hour meter, auto set-up device,
a motorised lift, four bed jacks and quick release
outboard support. Locating the motor under the
machine, not on the outside, makes the 3000 a
real space saver. "It's absolutely brilliant and
we are very pleased with it," says Martin Avent.
"We have been able to reduce the time it takes
to sand a week's output from between 50 and 55
hours to between 30 and 35 hours, which takes
into account the 10 per cent increase in production
in recent months. It's a solidly built machine
that's simple to operate. All you have to do is
set the thickness of the wood and the speed required
and it does the rest."
They
can now, for example, put through six drawer fronts
at a time, instead of three as in the past. They
build up batches of work for it and it does the
job as fast as the operator can feed the items
onto the belt. Martin Avent says the speed control
device is extremely useful as it allows the operator
to increase or decrease the speed of the belt,
depending on the size of the components being
put through. "As well as benefiting from faster
throughput, the quality of the sanding has been
the real clincher," he says. " We now only have
to put things through once to achieve a perfectly
smooth finish, even on laminated items with traces
of glue on them, and the improvement in quality
has been commented on by our customers. It also
makes staining and polishing quicker and easier
if you have a perfectly smooth surface to work
on." He says it's a highly economic sander to
run, with its long-lasting belts halving the company's
belt bill, plus it's virtually silent when running,
another big advantage as it has been placed close
to the assembly area.
By choosing a Sandingmaster, Progressive Pine
has lived up to its description of being a far-sighted
company that invests in the best available machinery
in order to remain ahead of the competition.
Sales
enquiries to Matt Pearce, T.M. Machinery Sales
T: 0116 271 7155. F: 0116 271 5862
E: sales@tmservices.co.uk
W: www.tmpartnership.co.uk
Editorial enquiries to Stephen Barry Publicity.
Tel: 020 8341 6660. email: stephenbarry@clara.co.uk
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