High-tech hot air edgebanding was shown last year at international woodworking shows, including the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas. If you have followed the storyline of laser edgebanders – a regular edgebanding machine that uses a laser to weld pre-glued edgeband material to panels – hot air edgebanding is the next chapter in the quest for quality and productivity.

Homag, Biesse, Hebrock and Felder were among the companies that introduced hot air edgebanding at LIGNA. When interviewed, representatives of each of the four companies said compressed hot air units, priced at 20 percent or less than the cost of laser units, can apply edgebanding materials featuring a co-extruded polymer glue layer to create a zero edge glue line.

An invisible glue line is not only coveted for its aesthetics, but also for its anti-bacterial benefits making it ideal for healthcare, restaurant and other public furnishings.

Closet America Invests in Hot Air Edgebanding

Improving the manufacture of its home storage and organizational systems, was one of the factors that led Lanham, MD-based Closet America to be the first company in the U.S. to place the Biesse AirForce hot air edgebanding system in its production line.

Closet America President Skip LaBella said the decision to invest in the hot air edgebanding system is a continuation of the company’s commitment to producing a high-quality product at its 6,000-square-foot shop in nearby Landover.

The hot air edgebander emits a forceful stream of hot, compressed air through a slot nozzle, directed onto a reactive layer of edgeband material, activating an adhesive that bonds the banding to the panel edge. The end product results in an invisible glue line on the company’s products.

Closet America added the Biesse Roxyl model edgebander fitted with the AirForce system to its production line after purchasing it at the 2013 AWFS Fair in Las Vegas. It also contracted with Rehau to provide the specialized LaserEdge edgeband.

“This investment is one more way that we continue to surpass our customers’ expectations,” LaBella said.

Founded in 2007, Closet America has received numerous industry awards and has been recognized multiple times in Wood Products’ WOOD 100 for its strategies for success.