New 'Vending Machine' to Produce Custom Cabinets
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New 'Vending Machine' to Produce Custom CabinetsThermwood, a major supplier of CNC routers to the cabinet industry, has introduced a new type of machine for making custom cabinets. This new machine is NOT a CNC router, it is a “cut center.” Thermwood’s version is called“Cut Ready.” So, what is different about a Cut Ready - Cut Center?

It works differently and is aimed at a different market. Today’s nested based CNC router systems are comprised of three elements, a fairly capable PC computer to run design software, cabinet design software to design products and create CNC programs and a CNC machine to execute those programs. It requires a fairly high level of technical training and skill to program and operate. Thermwood believes that there are a substantial number of cabinet shops that do not possess, nor do they want to develop these technical and programming skills, so for this market they developed the Cut Ready - Cut Center.

A cut center is a single element system, the machine itself, and does not require programming. That’s right, there is no programming… at all…none… EVER! No computer, no software… it’s all in the machine. Just tell it what you want, how you want it made and it makes it. It’s like a vending machine for cabinets but even better…it actually knows how to make cabinets.

Thermwood’s cut center is capable of making custom kitchen cabinets about any way you might want, face frame or frameless, one or two sided material, attached or detached toe kick and a couple of different assembly methods. Just specify how you want it made, and it will display all the cabinet configurations made that way. Select the configuration you want, adjust the size and it cuts the parts for that cabinet. In addition to kitchen cabinets it also makes closet cabinets, bath cabinets, utility cabinets and some furniture items like shelves, entertainment walls and table tops, but we’re not done.

It also makes drawers. Side mount or undermount, dovetail or blind dado construction, with quarter inch or full thickness bottom. Once you’ve cut some cabinets, just tell it to make drawers for those cabinets and it takes care of everything else. You can also make individual drawers by specifying the type and size.

It also makes doors and drawer fronts. Slab doors are grain matched so the woodgrain flows smoothly across the front of the cabinet. There are also over 450 MDF door and drawer front designs, square, arch, cathedral, applied molding and slab in both raised panel and recessed panel styles. These are high-quality designs with profiles similar to high-end five piece wood doors. They are all produced using standard tooling and a reverse 3D printing process where, instead or adding a small amount of material each pass, a small amount is removed. Just like drawers, tell it to make doors and drawer fronts for a cabinet job and it makes them. If doors are used as applied ends, it makes them too.

It also makes mouldings. There are hundreds of moulding profiles to choose from and the size of each can be adjusted for your exact requirements. Mouldings can be either straight or arched. There are even some fancy carved mouldings. Just tell the machine what you want, it marks the table showing you where to place the wood blank and, using the same reverse 3D printing technique, it makes the moulding. It’s just that easy.

And, talking about easy, running the cut center is really easy. The machine handles tooling automatically. It handles vacuum part hold down and spoilboard maintenance and resurfacing automatically. It monitors routing maintenance automatically. All you do is follow directions and if you don’t understand, a “Show Me” button plays a video showing you exactly what to do. If that doesn’t work, you can call up a real live technician on your control screen and ask for help. The Cut Ready - Cut Center is designed for folks with no real technical background. If you can read you can run it.

Thermwood has been developing the substantial technology behind the cut center for over five years and has applied for, and received numerous patents on its unique approach and features. They intend to continue expanding products the cut center can make, guided by users. These will be available, on an ongoing basis as a free download to all existing Cut Ready - Cut Centers. System software updates will also be available on the same basis as well as is the virtual service. All free as long as you own the machine.

This is clearly a new way to do things with some clear advantages for its target market. Perhaps some advantages for other folks too.

For more information visit Thermwood.com

Sponsored content, provided by Thermwood Corp.

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