Cumbria-based high-grade door and window maker AJ&D Chapelhow Ltd has a threefold commitment – to delivering sustainable, quality crafted and 100% madein- the-UK products.
Established in 1961, the company combines heritage skills and techniques handed down through generations with very latest technical developments “to supply a truly British quality product, from design to installation”.
“All of us at Chapelhow take immense pride in the knowledge that our British-made products will enhance the beauty and energy efficiency of our customers’ home or work space for years to come,” said chairman and founder Alan James Chapelhow, adding that the company offers a supply only, or supply and fit service throughout the UK for its fully glazed timber windows, doors, patio and bi-fold doors.
This, he explained, is the backdrop to the company exclusively purchasing from British suppliers for its ironmongery and fittings and sourcing its raw material only from suppliers that hold either FSC or PEFC chain of custody certification.
Asked why choose wood joinery, and Mr Chapelhow has no doubts.
“Timber window frames have a natural, traditional charm that can’t be found with any other window material,” he said. “They deliver homes with natural insulation. They keep the heat in, cold out and will help to reduce your energy bills. Timber windows can also last as long as 60 years, so they are a long-term investment, whilst as wood is naturally durable material, they’re able to withstand the most severe weather. In addition, timber window frames help to increase the security of customers’ homes.”
Mr Chapelhow and his daughter, general manager Helen Chapelhow, lead a highly skilled team at the company who assist customers and their architects with any planning enquiries and guide them in their timber choice and any window and door project. Working together they help select the most suitable colour, aesthetic features and material.
“We endeavour throughout every stage of the sales, manufacture and installation process to offer service that is sensitive to the individual requirements of each and every customer,” added Mr Chapelhow.
Innovation is another main pillar of the company, hence the decision to purchase the UK’s first SCM ‘windorflex’ window and door CNC machining cell to augment and complement the skills of its team.
Expertly programmed by Chapelhow’s highly skilled crafts people and their technical partners JoinerySoft, and utilising Oertli custom tooling, the ‘windorflex’ can now automate many of the company’s traditional manufacturing techniques. Mr Chapelhow said it has dramatically transformed its manufacturing processes.
“This machining cell efficiently reproduces windows and doors that once were highly labour intensive to make,” he said. “The techniques and methods that once could only be delivered by hand, by experienced crafts people, can now be reproduced at speed on this revolutionary machine.”
He said the ‘windorflex’ – allied with other SCM machinery in the workshop – allows Chapelhow to maintain its exceptional standards, while delivering improved turnround times and more competitive pricing.
“The introduction of this technology also allows our traditional crafts people more time to focus their unique talents on highly bespoke projects involving pieces that can only be handcrafted using methods and skills honed over decades,” said Mr Chapelhow. “This will allow us to expand our hand-made bespoke joinery services.”
The ‘windorflex’ has a fixed gantry structure, enabling it to combine high machining speeds with great accuracy.
“The configurability of the machining units with 4 and 5-axis electrospindles, fitted with HSK 63F Plus or HSK 63E toolchuck, allows performing all the necessary operations for the production of complete windows, regardless of the type,” said SCM UK managing director Gabriele de Col. “The alternate use of the two routing units reduces the cycle time. While one unit is working, the other performs the tool change in masked time.”
He added that the innovative automatic worktable, available in single or double version, is equipped with dedicated clamps for the constant holding of workpieces. It is possible to process from one to four in sequence and the worktable modularity allows it to handle three workpiece lengths, 3500, 4500 and 6000mm. The workpiece repositioning, from the internal side machining to the external one, is direct between the clamps, without needing additional devices, to ensure finish quality.
“Another advantage is the automatic workpiece loading/unloading systems that enable the machine to work autonomously, without the continuous input of the operator,” said Mr de Col. “These systems are available in two solutions – with a loading/unloading bench or with an anthropomorphous robot that picks up the rough elements and unloads the finished workpieces on special trolleys.”
Depending on the user’s needs, he added, the machine can be fitted with two handling devices for workpiece loading, with the aim to increase performance and productivity, and the front-loading bench to reduce the longitudinal footprint.
“The Maestro active windoor software, specifically developed for the control and the programming of ‘windorflex’, allows the interaction with external software,” said Mr de Col.
The machine model chosen by Chapelhow is a ‘windorflex’ 1 equipped with one automatic worktable, able to execute pieces with a 4500mm maximum length. It has two machining units with the HSK 63F Plus toolchuck, and features an automatic loading/ unloading bench fitted with one handling device.
After over 60 years, concluded Mr Chapelhow, the installation of the ‘windorflex’ underlines his company’s commitment to remain at the forefront in combining modern woodworking technologies and traditional craft skills.
