360° Wrapping line

The furniture producer for renowned brands, Ecolor, ordered a 360° wrapping line with automatic feeding and stacking system.

Ecolor’s customer requested smooth, closed-cell edges at the profiled MDF or chipboard edges featuring a width of up to 300 mm. To ensure that this quality requirement could be met, the subcontractor Ecolor decided to order a completely new wrapping line with the following components: 

• Automated raw board feeding 
• Multi-blade dividing saw 
• Edge profiling system 
• Belt magazines 
• Edge sealing 
• Wrapping 
• Chop saw 
• Automated sorting and stacking system

MHF realizes all tasks acting as a prime contractor. The machine for dividing the raw boards and the profiling machine were provided by the customer and integrated in the process by MHF. The workpieces featuring a width of up to 300 mm are wrapped on four sides in a single process. To ensure smooth, closed-cell edge quality, the two longitudinal edges are sealed with a suitable filling adhesive.

MHF has long-standing experience in the planning and realization of wrapping systems. The workpieces pass through the wrapping line horizontally, i.e. flat. Both narrow sides are simultaneously sealed; 360° wrapping is performed right thereafter. The decisive advantage is that the parts are sealed at both sides and directly wrapped on four sides in a single production step.

The approach as described above yields the following results: 

• Space-saving solution due to compact dimensions 
• Smooth workpiece guidance optimizes the surface quality 
• The wrapping speed including edge sealing is up to 55 m/min

Stack delivery via forklift (raw chipboards).

Stacks are automatically conveyed to the bottom of the feeding system.

After separation, the cut strips are transversely singularized and conveyed to a belt magazine.

The belt magazine conveys the parts seamlessly to the milling machine, from where the parts are transferred to another belt magazine.

From another belt magazine the parts are conveyed seamlessly with a feed rate of 20–70 m/min to the wrapping system and wrapped at four sides.

Infrared preheating for workpiece and foil.

Glue is applied through a slit die with infinitely variable width. The unit can be laterally moved for cleaning purposes.

Wrapping line with hot air nozzles.

Edge finishing unit with active cooling.

Surface finishing rollers.

After leaving the wrapping line, the parts are cut to length at the joints by means of a saw (flying saw). The saw features a feed rate of max.120 m/min. The cutting tolerance of the chop cut is +/- 2 mm.

Subsequently, the parts are collected on a timing belt conveyor and stacked on base boards by means of a gantry stacking unit using vacuum suction cups.