Back-to-back global wood manufacturing shows open in Germany in late May: interzum in Cologne May 25-28, and Ligna in Hannover May 30-June 3, 2011. A single registration

interzum, staged every two years by Koelnmesse, features the latest innovations in woodworking hardware and supplies, including lumber.

Ligna, staged every two years by Deutsche Messe, will show the latest in woodworking machinery, May 30 to June 2011 in Hannover, Germany.

A single registration permits attendance at both wood industry shows Ligna and Interzum.>>

Koelnmesse outlines what to expect at interzum 2011:

Around 1,400 exhibitors will be presenting their latest innovations, but interzum will also include special presentations, and thematic gatherings.

Light and materials at the innovation of interior forum
Hall 4.2 will host the second interzum "innovation of interior" forum,  for architects, designers and product developers with a special focus on light and materials. Koelnmesse has signed up Prof. Hartmut A. Raiser  for the theme of materials/finishes; and Antonius Quodt is overseeing everything connected with light.

With innovation of interior, interzum is mainly appealing to planners, architects and designers. One third of trade visitors surveyed in 2009 expressed interest in innovations of interior woodwork. Related events include:

The Carpentry Forum, which is being held together with carpentry association Fachverband Tischlerhandwerk Nordrhein-Westfalen and will open at 10:00 a.m. on May 28, following the May 27  Interior Architects Day.

Finishes play a major role at the piazza in Hall 6.1 too, in a zone entitled "Inspiration, Innovation, interzum." Materials featured in the hall to show the beauty and possibilities of  decorative finishes and wood-based materials. The piazza will be created in collaboration with well-known designer Katrin Neelsen.

Natural materials like wood and veneer will be featured in Hall 5.1, with a European Veneer Forum on May 26 and 27 sponsored by the German Timber Trade Federation and the Veneer & Nature Initiative.

An Innovation Workshop on Wood-Based Materials will take place the day before the fair on May 24  from 10:00 to 18:00, everything will revolve around the versatile materials, from special requirements for the panels of the future all the way to interesting WPC materials.

The coveted interzum Award that is presented every two years to coincide with the fair will  be presented during the interzum opening ceremony on May 24.  Winning exhibits of the International Design Award  presented every two years by Hettich and Rehau will also be ondisplay. This award by two global players aims to promote young talent and use their fresh thinking toidentify trends and visions of tomorrow. 

A Lightness of Design exhibition will show ground-breaking applications for lightweight construction, showing studies and prototypes that are economical to produce and yet compelling in  appearance and function.

Future_bizz will be explored in Hall 4.2, looking ahead at innovative business ideas for people's homes and lives in the year 2020.  Hall 4.2 will also feature the Laminate Gallery, staged by the Committee of the Decorative Laminates Industry (ICDLI) and interzum. 

Deutsche Messe outlines a number of technology innovations to expect at Ligna 2011:

Sawing equipment, trending toward ever more automated machines that can import data or independently work independently to calculate optimized cutting layouts, say . Even very small panel sizing saws now come with integrated cutting optimization software. Camera-assisted scoring saw positioning will be more widely available.

CNC machining systems are more affordable and easier to use, even for beginners, thanks mainly to modern, highly user-friendly software interfaces. A new generation of compact window machining centers with a footprint of less than 90 square feet will be seen. And five-axis technology – once only a high-end product, will now be available even in very small machines. Five-axis machines can handle very sophisticated machining projects.

Watch for the growing number of multifunction machines, some offer multiple functions, others can machine multiple workpieces at the same time.

Laminates, veneers and edgebanding will be plentiful at interzum. Technology for applying them will be on display at Ligna.

Ligna 2011 Exhibitor Categories Forestry Industry and Forestry Technology Sawmill Technology Solid Wood Working Bioenergy from Wood Wood Materials and Veneer Production Handwerk, Holz & mehr - Wood Crafts Furniture Industry Special Displays

Lasers are gaining ground, used for marking planks in cut optimization planning as well as for assisting the actual cutting process. Now we will see four-sided planing machines that use lasers to project the spindle positions onto the workpiece for easier optimization.

A real revolution is in the area of panel edge banding, where the best solution for seamless joints – and hence optimal furniture quality with no ugly glue lines – is a close-run race between laser technology and glueless plasma technology.


Ligna will also include a show within the show for custom woodworkers, called in German, "Hanwerk, Holz & mehr: woodcrafts." The focus at this Ligna area is cabinetry and traditional joinery, including tools and technology for improving production. 

Read more about wood industry technology trends at ligna>>

Register for ligna>>