automatic edge bander

[coach]

I am looking to get an auto edge bander. If work holds up thru January. Any suggestions to manufacturers to look at?
I see semi automatic and full automatic. I have no idea where to start.
Input will be appreciated.
Thanks, Dave

[dlcw]

Dave,

I've got a Virutext EB25 that I've been using for over a year now and it has performed very well. It uses the pre-glued veneer that you would otherwise use with an iron. I've included a picture and a link to a video I made showing the machine in operation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujd2iRDq6So

[cabnet636]

i started with the virutex and moved up to a brandt kd 54,

jim

[ken_rychlik]

I bought the virutex eb25 and if you can afford better, buy it.

It works, but I wish I had better. It kind of depends on your volume that you need it for also.

[john_hartman]

Dave- I can see that its trimming the top and bottom. Does it trim the ends as well? How much is this machine.. around 10k?

[tgm]

Dave,

There are many bargains out there on some good equipment. We went years ago with a used Holz Her 1436 SEL Primus which has rough and finish trims, corner rounding, scrapers for PVC and buffers and it was only 12K at the time. Having a cartidge glue system saves a bunch and you can be ready to edgeband in 5 minutes.

With all the places closing their doors lately, bargains abound.

Our machine was 6yrs old when we bought it and we have been running for the past 6yrs with no issues. Most times brand name, big iron is the best way to go in the long run.

Good Luck,

Tom in PA

[bleeth]

Dave: I have to agree with Tom unless you are running a very small volume. The cost difference in materials and stock between Preglues and non glued is quite a bit. I got my "used" Holzher similar to Tom's from a local reputable mechanic and am extremely glad I did. They are obviously more sophisticated than the hot air machines and take some time to learn to tweak the settings just right as well as making sure you maintain it well, but nothing knocks out parts like a true commercial edgebander. For any small to mid size shop I have no problem recommending a Holzher Sprint series type machine. I'll take cartridge over pellets anyday.

[Gary Campbell]

Dave...
I am with Dave & Tom also. Hot air machines use preglued edgeband. Cost is higher, selection is about 10% of unglued and many of the preglued use a fleece to hold material together and glue.

If you are a small shop and have < 3 workers you may be able to get by with a hot air bander. After doing our research (we fit the small shop demographics) and talking to knowledgable guys that owned them, like Dave, we went with a hot pot machine. After a 18 mo of use I have no issue with pellets. However, we hardly put the bander to good use, as it was seldom used more than 1 day a week.

These "big iron" machines are made to work all day long, have indexable replacement cutters, spindle motors for trimming and allow you to change your trim profiles. Higher end models have computer control of the adjustments, even allowing you to save a group of custom settings for job or material types.

With all that said, the price difference between the 2 types is great. Very few of the hot air banders even reach $10K and very few of the hot glue banders are under $25K. Like mentioned above, there are some great values out there now for a shop that is buying.

One thing a small shop needs to pay attention to is the power requirement. Most large machines are 3 phase, and it would be cost prohibited or unwise to convert them to single phase use. If buying a used machine, pay very close attention to this if you dont have 3 phase power. Converters and/or conversions may make what seems like a good buy become no so good after the bills come in.

[bill_lumley]

http://www.safetyspeedcut.com/products_edgebander.htm

I picked up one of these (72GP) last year for a very good price and so far I am very happy with it but only after learning how to use it . I know a guy with the hot air version of this and he wished he had gotten the hot glue machine shown here . I ended up turning off the end trimming stations because there are too many scenarios they don't work well in so I still have some manual work but a much better bond and a lot faster than the old iron it replaced . It is single phase which I needed and took little space as well . I couldn't justify a higher cost and space for a pure industrial model but from frineds who have them even they have their days :) Although it looks like a simple task the bander will be the most complex tool in your shop after the bot . Bill

[mikeb]

Hey Bill, Mike from Hamilton, How is the bond with your unit, and is there any telegraphing of the substrate, also what thickness of banding are you using[pvc, polyester]? I currently am using the same unit with hot air and the telegraphing is terrible.

[bill_lumley]

Hi Mike , I use primarily 1/2 mm PVC and telegraphing has not been a big issue at least that I have noticed . Bond is very good except when I run a narrow piece through and it tilts and doesn't get full coverage but 90% of the binding issues I had with iron on are gone .

Bill

[mikeb]

Bill is the glue applied to the banding or the panel on your machine?

[bill_lumley]

The glue goes on the panel first and then the banding meets up with the panel a short while after before meeting the pressure roller . Probably a similar procedure in larger machines .

[gene]

Bill , Do you have to clean the glue pot after every use ? how hard is the glue roller to clean? What other maintainance issues are to be concidered with a glue pot machine ? Thank you

[bill_lumley]

Gene , I have had the machine less than a year so I am not best qualified to discuss these issues . The glue stays in between uses and the pot would only be changed after it appears to have too much non-glue particals in it but some of that can be scraped off the top as the glue starts to melt for each use .... The roller has a scraper riding on it to remove 'junk' when it appears .

Bill

[chunkstyle]

Another option for Dave to look at is the SCMI K201. Glue pot with high frequency end, top/bottom trimmer motors. Track feed and single phase. The reason I went with it was that it was also mobile as it's set up on casters from factory. The unit has a very small footprint for my already cramped shop. Also has the capacity to do 3mm if needed. Found one for less than 5k that was in good shape. So far so good.

[richards]

I have an EB-25 that I've only put one roll of tape through. It's in perfect shape. I paid $7,500 for it and will sell it for $6,000 (firm) plus shipping. It's a great little machine and well worth its price if you're looking for a hot-air machine that uses pre-glued tape.

Call me at 801 254-3900 or send an email to miker@xmission.com

-Mike Richards

[coach]

I purchased an automatic Cehisa EP-8, with glue pot. I used a stop watch and most doors take less than 2 minutes to band 4 sides, including trimming top, bottom and ends. Don't know how I did this by hand for so long. Thanks for all the input guys.
Dave

[cabnet636]

good move !!