The latest component manufacturing machines boast a range of innovative features that promise to minimize lumber waste, increase speed and accuracy, give workers more flexibility, or accommodate larger or more diverse component designs—all to help component builders streamline their processes and increase their plants' capabilities.
The Matchpoint precision jigging system from MiTek is flexibly designed to work with both solid-surface and walk-through jigging tables. The system features nominal 24-inch on-center puck spacing with two pucks per rail and two or four rails per table. Trusses can be oriented in any position on the tables, the company says. The system reports setup time per truss, average setup time, total number of setups, and total truss production per shift, and it allows for previewing of the truss layout on the monitor. 800.523.3380.
Builders Automation's new servo-driven CNC-MFSR stair router machine automates production of prefab stairs, making faster and more precise cuts by reproducing exact measurements directly from a library of programs or engineer's drawings. The machine, which features a menu-driven touchscreen interface, uses four axes that cut two stringers simultaneously; top and bottom landing cuts are made without the user having to remove or reposition the stringers. 727.538.2180. www.buildersautomation.com.
Customized to each shop's needs, the 3000 Series Semi-Automated Sheathing System from Panels Plus is available as a single-beam or dual-beam bridge with a new opening that can accommodate panels from 7 feet wide up to 12 feet 4 inches wide. The unit's heavy-duty motorized telescoping arms clamp walls prior to stapling or nailing; the squaring stops and clamps provide consistent wall quality, according to the manufacturer. A hand-crank tool bridge provides easy movement for precise stapling and nailing and a foot pedal controls telescoping functions. Its tool bridges adjust by 3 inches to accommodate code-compliant offset stapling and nailing at sheathing seams. 866.726.7587. www.panplus.com.
The Koskovich Co.'s new automated jigging system features dual computer-directed jigging pucks mounted on removable steel planks. The planks bolt onto the table at nearly any space interval and are designed to replace the conventional non-computer-controlled planks of a steel-top table. One puck on each side of the plank moves back and forth along its length. On the computer monitor, the user positions the image of a truss design over the image of the jigging table and the jigging pucks automatically move into position on the table, profiling the chords as depicted on the monitor. 888.261.0519. www.omnisaw.com.
Powered by two soft-start motors, the Open Stringer Saw (OSS) from Triad is designed to cut up to four separate 2x10 or 2x12 stringers at once at angles ranging from 25 degrees to 45 degrees using two 30-inch-by-80-tooth carbide-tipped blades. The PC-controlled machine features automatic indexing and cutting, and its in-feed and out-feed roller conveyors come standard. The OSS increases productivity and safety and saves time, the manufacturer says. 800.568.7423. www.triadruvo.com.
Designed for LVL and I-joist production, Weinig's OptiCut S 700 crosscut saw optimizes length cutting from cut lists. Featuring a Windows-based touchscreen control, the saw's system automatically links to a variety of common engineering programs. An ink-jet printer labels cut components as they pass through the saw, and the saw's integrated router enables cutting mechanical and HVAC holes in joists. The S 700 offers a positioning accuracy of 1/64 inch and a 33-foot automatic sort line with five kickers. 704.799.0100. www.weinigusa.com.
The single-blade X4 Linear Saw, based on the company's popular ALS saw, achieves high production volume through its linear lumber-feed system. The X4's software optimizes cuts to minimize waste by 8 percent to 10 percent. Lumber is fed into the machine in stacks up to four boards high; the 22-inch blade cuts through the stack in less than one second and changes angles in less than one second, according to the manufacturer, Alpine Engineered Products. 800.735.8055. www.alpeng.com.
