When woodworking professionals need to cut, shape, or trim wood, they use a machine called a moulder. A moulder is a machine that shapes wood using a set of blades called profiled cutters. For added precision, many woodworking professionals choose to purchase a computer numerically controlled (CNC) moulder. Professionals recognize that purchasing the wrong machine will not only hurt the company financially, but will also affect the quality of wood pieces cut. Woodworkers must therefore take their time when shopping for a CNC moulder, making sure to evaluate all of the options for acquiring these industrial woodworking machines. This blog post will address some of the considerations that should be made when buying these machines.
Single or Multi-Head Moulders
Single head moulders have a horizontal head and are more economical. However, a single head CNC moulder works methodically because it can only cut one surface at a time. Multi-head moulders are most common in the furniture industry, because they allow the manufacturer to run shorter stock and put deeper edges on the stock. A machine with multiple heads might start by sizing wood with the first top and first bottom head, then finish the cut with the second top and bottom heads.
Is a Planer Necessary?
For the most part, moulders have the ability to serve as wood planers, and many even refer to the machine as a planer/moulder. A planer is used to make sure each piece of cut wood has the same thickness. While most moulders can act as planers, many planers will not be able to work as moulders. Before making a purchase, organizations should check with the CNC moulder vendor to determine whether a moulder can function as a planer.
Learning Curve
When a shop adds new industrial woodworking machines, there is often a learning curve. The learning curve is steepest when the equipment differs from machines already in place. However, there are ways for companies to reduce the learning curve. Video and online tutorials are easily accessible for older industrial woodworking machines. When a new machine is purchased, the dealer will, in many cases, offer to send an employee onsite to train workers on how to use the new machine.
New or Secondhand
Another factor buyers must consider is whether to purchase a new CNC router or whether to purchase a secondhand machine. Be cognizant of the risk factor of purchasing machine from certain locations. Risk can be substantially reduced when a pre-owned machine is purchased from a seller of refurbished equipment instead of from an individual on eBay or Craigslist. Refurbished machines typically come with a warranty, and those that do not will still come with a written history of repairs made by the refurbishing company.
The aforementioned are some of the many buying considerations associated with the purchase of a CNC router. RT Machine refurbishes all of its industrial woodworking machines in-house, and we stand by the quality of all machines sold. RT Machine will help shops of all sizes locate a machine that matches its needs.
