Production Technology

woodtec For Timber Construction

Fankhauser GmbH

CLT
Box Beams

+ swiss quality

Vacuum Press
Number One in CLT Production
2 woodtec Fankhauser Presse
Presseà àvide
vide 3

670 mm

Size of the Press

To simplify transport around the globe the press
comes in modules of 2.25 m. Its length is therefore
always a multiple of that amount.
The width can be customized at any size.
???
Gluing Process
Assembling the Panels Depending on the kind of adhesive
The panels are assembled manually assem- and the size of the press the latter is
bled inside the press, which allows for more operated by 3-4 people
flexibility than an automated version, is more

The inner height is a standard 300 mm, but can be efficient and reduces space, as assembly and
adapted. The frame is reinforced at its outer sides production area conincide.
in order to allow for Lateral Compression. To save time, a crane may be used for provi-
ding certain components as planks or prefab-
ricated frames for box beams.
2.25 m 300 mm Glue Application
2.25 m . X
k
a non-stic
rapped in
A portal automatic applies the glue on stripes
p r e s s is w
The whole PUR adhe
sives. width a width of 625 mm. Running speed 30
s ig n e d f or m/min, glue quantity continously variable
coating de with a standard 150-200 g/m2 (see pages 10-
11).

Concept: Uniform Pressure Sealing Procedure

The press is hermetically sealed with the va-
cuum sheet on three sides (one side fix). It

Vacuum
is clamped on the press frame by means of
sealing sections, using toggle lever catches.

Press Time
The pressure force results from a difference The press time is defined by the characteristics
Final Pressure: of the used adhesive and is usually 2-3 times
in pressure Δp between the atmospheric
Vacuum: ∆p = patm - ppress as long as its open time (Time before the glue
pressure patm and the final pressure in the
cures ≈ Assembly Time).
press ppress (Vacuum). patm ≈ 1 bar ppress = 0.10 bar ∆p = 0.90 bar
Depending on the work planning and the
It amounts to Δp = 0.90 bar and acts as a size of the press the open time for assembly
three-dimensonal force with 90 kN/m2 (9.0 amounts to 30-70 min.
t/m2) from all sides on the panel.

View the process on film:

woodtec.ch/vacuumpress

Vacuum Sheet
Monitoring
The digital monitoring equipment controls final pres-
sure, press time and switching hysteresis.
Its computer interface (RS232) can be used to record
the pressure for quality purposes.
Vacuum Compression
The vacuum is established via two connectors on the
inside of the press frame. Grooves on the inside of the
press drain the air in all areas.
The Vacuum Pump has a standard output of 140 m3/h.
The maximum vacuum pressure of ppress = 0.1 bar is
reached in 2-5 min.

Elasticity Vaccum Grooves Storage Box

The vacuum sheet is a special-
rubber mixture which has an
elastic breaking strain of upt to
700% and adapts perfectly to
any kind of form.
The large network of grooves on
the inside of the vacuum sheet
drains the remaining air in all are-
as and prevents the formation of
air pockets with locally low pres-
sure.
Inbetween pressing cycles a
storage box protects the vacu-
um sheet from damage (e.g. UV
radiation, wood chipping).
4 woodtec Fankhauser Vacuum
Presse àPress
vide 55

Your Panels Industry Advantages of the

Vacuum Press
You‘d like to produce largescale panels in
big quantities? 1. Low investment and
Box Beams Installations with several presses in serie operating costs
for more efficiency. Profit from our expe- 2. Quality goods
rience for a detailed planning and fine 3. Space-saving
tuning of your serial production to incre-
ase its output.

Your business
XLam / CLT

Small and Medium- Advantages of the

Sized Enterprises
You‘re running a timber construction
Sandwich Panels company or a sawmill and want to produ-
ce largescale panels at a low cost?
3D Forms
The vacuum press makes you indepen-
dent from unreliable suppliers and let‘s
you produce goods of the quality and
with the finishing you choose.
More than 60% of our customers are
SMEs, starting from a size of 20-30 people.
Vacuum Press
1. Independent of panel
suppliers for own requi-
rements
2. Added value through indi-
vidual size and finishing
3. Supply customized panels
locally
4. Create your own module
system

Market Entry Advantages of the

Vacuum Press
Your planning to launch a new product or
enter a new market and don‘t dispose of 1. Low-cost procution line
neither a large sales network nor an esta- 2. Step-by-step expansion
Functionality Design Manufacture blished clientele? 3. Individual panel size
Opening up of new markets often requi- and finishing for testing
• Insulation: • Outer layer from: • Local Wood res a gradual development, which allows purposes
Soft-fibre Board Aluminium • Different Kindes of Wood for market-building and can grow with an
Fermacell Panel Glas v • Different Wood Qualities increasing demand.
Box Beam with Plexiglas v
• Module Systems
Rock Wool Wainscot
• Lenticular Panels v • Panels with Cutouts v
• Acoustic Insulation
• Fireproof Cladding • 3D Forms v

v = only with vacuum (see page 8)

6 woodtec Fankhauser Vacuum
Presse àPress
vide 77
Uniform Pressure
The Vacuum Sheet adapts to any kind of
surface. The evenly distributed pressure
difference with the atmosphere of Δp = 0.9
bar acts from all sides on the panel.
This guarantees the quality of the glue
joints at any point of the panel.

Vacuum Press
Low Investment Costs
The Vacuum Press takes advantage
of the physical properties of the
atmosphere for compression. All your Advantages at a Glance
Therefore the press itself does not have
to be very massive and experiences
only little strain, which means very low
investment and operating costs.
1. Excellent Glue Joint
Quality

4. Individual Panel Size

2. Pressing technique with
best Return On Investment

+
3. Produce several
Panels at the same
5. Perfect Planarity of
time
± 2 mm over 20 m
Our Clients
34 Vacuum Presses ± 2 mm
23 Facilities
10 Countries
9. Low-energy
Operation Mode
8. Cut-outs for doors
and windows.
6. Integrated Glue
5-7 kWh Application
„In addtion to our traditional timber construction business,
we wanted to create new possibilites using the advantages of
CLT.“
Hubert Hartmann, CEO
Hartmann Holzbau GmbH, Austria

„Mit der woodtec Vakuumpresse haben wir ei-

nen Qualitätsprung gemacht. “
Vladimir Chronek, Verkaufsleiter
Agrop Nova a.s. , Tschechien

7. Lateral Compression:
No gaps between slats
„Two pressing cycles per day with an average panel size
of 3.25 x 4 m and a thickness of 60 - 240 mm. We are
very satisfied.“
Markus Lobis, CEO
Lobis Elements GmbH, Italy
8 woodtec Fankhauser Presse à vide 9

Only In Vacuum Slat Joint Quality

Adjustable Pressure
The pressure in the Vacuum Press is continuously variable
from 0 - 9 t/m2.
Therefore, soft components like soft-fibre board are not
smashed, fragile ones like glas don‘t break.
Box beams are generally compressed with lower pressure
in order to reduce deformation of the panel sections inbet-
ween the beams.
Irregular Surface Structures
Thanks to the uniform three-dimensional pressure and the
extensible Vacuum Sheet any kind of surface can be com-
pressed.
This makes additional claddings from wood, aluminium or
other materials in the same production step possible. Even
3D formed panels.
Cutouts for doors or windows are easy to produce.
Continuous Beam Effect
With box beams the two perpendicular top layers distribu-
te the pressure on the whole panel on the surface of the
beams alone.
This pressue amounts to 0.5 - 0.7 N/mm2 (50-70t/m2), a
mutliple of the normal pressure. The glue joint with the
highest strain (rolling shear) is therefore compressed with
highly increased pressure.
Lateral Compression
In order to press the slats of the top layer tightly onto each
other and to minimize the joints between them, a lateral com-
pression beam is added in the press and pneumatically acti-
vated before the creation of the complete vacuum.
The top layer is often inserted first (at the bottom), in order to
prevent the slats from being squashed out horizentally when
applying the lateral force. It is usually a bit wider than the rest
of the panel.
The Pneumatic Cylinders exert a force of 14 kN at a supply
of 10 bar and are handled from the outside.
Additional Ledgers
Instead of relaxing them, highly contorted slats can be Relaxing the Planks
handled using precisely cut ledgers, which are laid across the
The gaps between highly contorted slats are easier to close
top layer in intervals of 2-3 m.
if the latter are relaxed by cutting two or more grooves into
When creating the vacuum, they consolidate the pressure on them.
the most contorted slats, so that they are pressed down befo-
The grooves are 3 mm wide and cut into the slats up to max
re the rest, creating a very flat surface. Unfortunately it cannot
half of their thickness.
be used in combination with the Lateral Compression.

ves
e Sa
T e c hniqu
sing
Pres ace
50-7
0 % o f Sp
Tests Certification
A variety of tests internally, at the MPA Stuttgart and at ad- We help you certify your products with our standing experi-
hesive manufacturer Purbond confirmed the quality of CLT ence.
and box beams produced in the woodtec Vacuum Press.
Space-saving Conditions
We assist you for testing your products for validation or cer-
As the Vacuum Press is open on top and accessible on three
tification purposes. For gluing a precisely adjustable temperature in the produc-
sides, the panels are assembled directly inside it and don‘t
tion hall, as well as humidity of the wood are crucial and must
have to be prepared on a separate surface and inserted into Bending Test be audited internally and externally.
the press. At the breaking point, only the wood is damaged, whereas
the glue joint remains intact, which proves the quality of the Raw Materials
glue joint. The current standard demands planing of the planks up to
max 24 h before the gluing (Planing precision: 0.3 mm). For
Delamination large panels a finger-jointing machine is an advantage.
The delamination or splitting-off of certain layers under ex-
Grow with Demand treme conditions (water, heat, pressure) is tested. Here too Component License
The woodtec press installations can grow with an increasing the panels produced in the woodtec Vacuum Press show Our own German component license for CLT is at your dispo-
demand. Many companies start production with a single excellent results. sal. This way you can directly start your production and obtain
press and expand step-by-step according to demand. your own license later on.
The complete plant consists of up to three alternatly opera-
ting presses.
10 woodtec Fankhauser Presse à vide 11

Pneumatic
Linear Guiding
Stroke: 600 mm
z Glue Application Machine
Manual
A cartensian portal automatic with three de-
Linear Guiding
Hand Crank & Chain
grees of freedom for precise glue application.
The opeartor runs on top of the portal and con-
y
trols it manually. That is on the one hand very
efficient and on the other enables quick inter-
ventions at every point, as well as last minute
changes in the production procedure. Choice of Material Maintenance Sealing Liquid
Electric The manual control also reduces the collision
risk and allows other workers to carry out tasks Sophisticaed materials prevent the After each use the application header is To prevent the adhesive from cu-
Parallel Drive
On toothed tracks simultaneously (Human-Machine Collaborati- glue from curing even during oc- quickly cleaned with diluent and coated ring, the application header is
up to 30 m/min
on). casional standstills. with release paste. stored in sealing liquid between
x consecutive uses.

For PUR
Adhesiv
es

Concept: Technology
Glue Application The adhesive from the container is applied by a header
pipe using a continuously variable gear pump.
In contrast to injection systems, the application header
The biggest challenges of glue application are doesn‘t dispose of spray valves, but, due to the low
currently: pressure in the system, of simple output holes.
This reduces the cleaning time, prevents the adhesive from
• Curing (hardening) of the adhesive in tubes curing and drastically lowers the cost of the application
and valves header.
• Presice flow-interruption
• Uniform distribution of the adhesive Application Header Pipe
• Simple handling and control 625 mm (standard)
9 mm The adhesive curtain of the application header is given by
the length of the pipe, as well as the number and width
??? mm of the output holes. They have a standard dimension, but
can be customized.
The adhesive feed is designed for a uniform distribution
of the quantity of the adhesive over the whole width of
the header.

Flow-Interruption
Even at running speeds of
30 m/min the glue is applied accu-
rate to a fraction of a centimetre.
As the flow is interrupted manually,
a short reaction time of the valves
is crucial above everything else.
Retro-Suction Effect
A sophisticated electro-pneumatic
control enables a retro-suction
effect on flow-interruption.
This reduces the reaction time
and prevents dripping on the
application header.
Water Spraying System
As 1C PUR adhesives cure with
humidity, the necessary humidity
is applied via an automatic water
spraying system.
It applies a thin film of water on the
panel on either sides of the header.
Adhesive Pump
The quantity of the adhesive depends on the feed of the
gear pump as well as the running speed of the portal
automatic. Both are continuously variable.
The output quantity is normally calibrated manually one a
month and amounts to 120 - 200g.
The more precise the adhesive dosage, the more the
operating costs can be reduced on long term.
Container
The adhesive container has a volume of 170 kg, disposes
of an integrated glas for the monitoring of the adhesive
level and can easily be replenished.
A special gel prevents the adhesive from curing even
during long periods of standstill.
woodtec Fankhauser GmbH
Moosweg 1
CH - 4803 Vordemwald

tel +41 62 752 95 80

fax +41 62 752 95 84
info@woodtec.ch More Information:
www.woodtec.ch woodtec.ch/vacuumpress

Timber Frames CLT Vacuum-laminated Glue Application

Box Beams 3D Forms