In the sheet material processing sector, perhaps more than any other, it is imperative to achieve the highest possible board surface characteristics to maintain healthy profit margins, let alone remain in business. As a result, whether it’s for primary board production or for the subsequent laminating of foils, melamine impregnated papers or veneers, a smooth blemish-free surface is a distinct and quantifiable advantage.

The smooth running of planers, thicknessers and moulders relies heavily on lubricating barrier products – and they can also make a massive difference when it comes to cutting wet timber in the sawmill. They also act as mechanical barriers wherever adhesives and lacquers are used, thereby making cleaning up both easier and faster.

Acmos, the Bremen-based manufacturer of a wide range of these products, has been in the business since 1922 and, for much of this time, has been represented in the UK woodworking industry by Interwood.

Those involved in pressing and laminating wood based substrates, either with synthetic foils or wood veneers – be they flat or profiled – have to obtain blemish-free finishes. To achieve this, they first need a perfect substrate surface with which to work. Secondly, they need to achieve blemish-free laminating or veneering of their own. Furniture manufacturers will no longer pay top prices for defective parcels of MFC or veneer wrapped profiles which have globs of glue on them.

This is an easily avoided problem as long as the caul plates on the press are kept clean – caul plates being the metal sheets that line the upper and lower surface of each daylight press. To achieve this, the most cost-effective way of keeping them clean is to use a quality release agent like Acmos. And cost-effective it is too – no other Interwood product enjoys a 100% re-order status.

But it would be a mistake to assume that Acmos is a product that improves board material surfaces alone. The quality and longevity of press caul plates themselves are equally improved, as are the economics of caul plate renewal. It does not stop at presses though. Spray booths – be they lacquer or adhesive – can be cleaned more quickly and efficiently if the zone is initially lined out with a specially formulated Acmos barrier product, thereby reducing downtime drastically. The same can be said for membrane presses, and edgebander rollers. Similarly, moulder and planer beds benefit from a wipe over with Acmos as this eases the passage of workpieces, especially resinous softwoods and gummy hardwoods.

Release and lubricating agents aren’t the only types of woodworking industry related products that the company produces, however. There is also a special formulation for hot-melt glues which is applied to edgebander pressure rollers, and which can be used on profile wrappers as well.

Slowing the ageing process

One particular product has been formulated specifically for melamine impregnated papers. Those involved in MFC production will know that the high gloss finish imparted by a new caul plate eventually dulls with time, just like the surface on a domestic iron. This ageing process will be slowed down considerably by using the right Acmos product.

There is also a product that will be of interest to those involved in lacquer spraying, dry booths specifically. Acmos 71-100TS is applied on average every two weeks to the foul wall of the booth after which it is peeled off in strips, along with all the accumulated lacquer over-spray, dramatically cutting maintenance time and significantly easing disposal.

&#8220When times are good, manufacturers worry less about the longevity of their machines. They are more inclined to have a write-off period and, when the time’s up, they sell the machine and buy a new one. But when times are tough – as indeed they are today – they think harder about prolonging write-off periods, and rightly so”

Lubricants are also an important area for consideration by those involved in timber processing; moulders being a classic example of the need for absolutely smooth running. A product formulated specifically for this purpose is poured into a container on the machine, from where it is then pumped onto the machine bed. Similar products are recommended for problems associated with wet timber processing on machines like bandsaws. There are other products too – coolant additives for knife grinding machines, resin dissolvers, cleansers for plastic surfaces, and a range of corrosion protectors.

Unlike most other woodworking sectors, the Acmos range of products has changed very little over the years. What has changed though is the range of uses to which the products can be, and are, applied. For example, with the advent of PU glues, Parting Compound 130-30 has proved highly beneficial, and machines can be built with the facility for automatic application.

In terms of bottom line cost, all of the products are very reasonable as they can demonstrably save on both downtime and machine repairs. It’s a case of simple, sensible and ongoing preventative maintenance, some of which is automated. Any production manager worth his salt will appreciate the benefits of that. Weekends spent at work, up to your elbows in muck, are not everyone’s idea of a brilliant use of time, and especially so if it could easily have been avoided. Employers benefit too as they avoid high weekend overtime pay.

For Acmos, environmental protection and health in the workplace has always been a priority. Indeed, more than 40 years ago the company was already developing solvent-free products, a number of which were release agents.

Clean and green

It is only recently that the value of this research is being appreciated fully by manufacturers getting to grips with new environmental protection legislation. So harmless are some of the formulations that, not only are they safe in contact with the skin, but some of them actually care for the skin.

Modern production facilities, combined with a well-equipped and innovative laboratory at Acmos, ensure not only consistent manufacturing quality, but a quick response to individual problems. Special products can be made up and dispatched within a few days if called for, and individual problem-solving is very much part of the mainstream thrust of the company’s work.

In the UK Interwood has represented Acmos for over four decades. According to joint managing director Michael Farmer: ‘The Acmos range has constituted a steady level of business throughout, and it’s one that hasn’t received much attention or publicity in the past.

‘When times are good, manufacturers worry less about the longevity of their machines. They are more inclined to have a write-off period and, when the time’s up, they sell the machine and buy a new one. But when times are tough – as indeed they are today – they think harder about prolonging write-off periods, and rightly so. Acmos is just one of a number of measures that can be taken into consideration in achieving this end,’ he added.