When manual sanding slowed their high-end cabinetmaking business down, Cripps & Sons Woodworking of Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, brother Sam and Jim Cripps began looking for a solution to clear their sanding bottleneck. 

“We started cabinet making in 2009 with Jim, dad and myself,” said Sam Cripps, co-owner and vice president. "Since then, my brother and I are now the owners. We built a new facility in 2022, and have taken Cripps and Sons Woodworking from where it was to where it is today.”

The company serves customers around Northern Nova Scotia, as well as throughout the province. It serves a wide range of customers, with the most popular being high-end residential.

As the company has grown, it has worked to remove production bottlenecks. One of those time-consuming areas was in its sanding operations. The solution was the new Vention Rapid Series Sanding solution. The turnkey solution can easily handle multiple cabinet sizes and designs, with the option to create recipes in minutes through an intuitive touch screen pendant. Optimized for 3M Abrasives, the Rapid Series Sanding solution was designed to maximize performance and is supported by 3M abrasive process experts.

Jim Cripps, company of Cripps and Sons, said, “One of the biggest challenges we have is the time-consuming process of sanding. We're looking to increase efficiency, increase the quality of sanding, and also consistency with this automation project.”

The other thing with sanding is that it is a messy job. “Nobody really enjoys doing it,” he added. “With this [equipment], I think the employees will be fighting over who gets to use the robot.”

One of the biggest features that drew the company to the Rapid series sanding was the simplicity of the interface, said Sam Cripps. “The ability to have a number of different recipes that we were able to choose from. Things that made it a lot more comfortable for us to be able to allow our team to use.”

Jim Cripps added that the company has already cut sanding time by half. “The quality of the finish for all the products that we put on that sanding robot will be a lot better, a lot more consistent, and will result in better products for the end user.”