A Cutting-Edge Development Advantage for Your Working World

Impressive Development 

laserTec edgebanding unit in operationBased in Schönberg, within the Mecklenburg region of Germany, PALMBERG Büroeinrichtungen GmbH looks back on a truly impressive company history (add website reference). The furniture factory, founded here almost 90 years ago, has evolved to become one of Germany’s leading manufacturers of office furniture.

Privatized in 1991 as a part of the Schwerin furniture factory, a model company has emerged – producing professional office furnishing solutions and employing a workforce of 440 members over an area of more than 22,000 sq.m. Palmberg is the first office furniture manufacturer to offer high-end edging technology across its entire production spectrum – using laser technology. This includes straight components, an entire spectrum of shaped parts, as well as creating a perfectly cohesive appearance – irrespective of edge and decor colour. This technology also offers the benefit of improved resistance to the effects of heat and moisture.

Implementation across the board

Homa BAZ 322 with laserTec edgebanding technologyWith the installation of two HOMAG BAZ 322 CNC processing centres, both fitted with laserTec gluing units, Palmberg has implemented a complete changeover to laser edges for all components. Technical Director at Palmberg Büroeinrichtungen GmbH Friedel Henning explains: “We quickly realized that the laserTec process heralds a whole new standard in terms of quality and design across the entire spectrum of furniture production. This prompted us at an early stage to take an in-depth look at the possibilities, and we decided to focus our efforts consistently on this technology. The condition for converting our production and the requirement we imposed on the machine supplier was that every one of our components should be capable of being manufactured by this technology. It would have simply been a short-sighted approach to manufacture straight components using this method and to apply conventional edges to the free-form components, because these are precisely the components which form the exposed aspect of the workplace – in direct view of the user. This prompted us to specify that retrofitting of our throughfeed plants and the purchase of a new supplementary machine would be conditional on implementation of the same technology on our processing centres. After starting with straight components last year, since the summer we have now turned our attention to applying the technology on our CNC processing centres. Following a successful start-up phase, we are now running production at full steam.”

Shaped panels for workplace systemsPalmberg is determined to continue down this chosen path. Towards the beginning of next year, it will be expanding its straight component production using laser technology to 100%, with further plans to continued expanding its CNC processing with the same technology.

The Palmberg image brochure boasts a “Cutting-edge development leap for your working world – superlative quality edges”. The technology required to make this possible has been introduced by HOMAG.

Pictures courtesy of: PALMBERG Büroeinrichtungen + Service GmbH