News

The industry is making great steps towards the most important trade fair event of the year – LIGNA 2023. With a stand space of more than 400sq.m, MARTIN will present its premium range of machines aimed at the professional woodworking sector.

LIGNA, the world’s leading trade fair, takes place from 15–19 May 2023 in Hannover, Germany, and will once again attract visitors from all over the world.

On Stand E30 in Hall 12, MARTIN – the quality market leader – will present its complete range of sliding table saws, spindle moulders, thicknessers and surface planers as well as a special sanding machine for wood window construction.

Michael Mühldorfer, MARTIN Marketing Manager, says: “We’re very proud to be able to present our innovative, now patented ConnectControl technology to visitors for the first time at LIGNA. We’re convinced that with this innovative concept of machine control, we’ve once again given a noticeable innovative impetus to the entire industry. The undisputed highlight of this year’s event is MARTIN’s cloud-based, patented Connect-Control concept that characterises the latest generation of sliding table saws and table milling machines.”

With this multi-award-winning MARTIN invention, users receive a uniquely designed, high-performance machine control system that not only opens up completely new horizons for the user in terms of machine operation, but also the entire world of modern data exchange.

New horizons for the workshop

The innovative, patented ConnectControl system is available for the new T14 and T29 spindle moulders and the two new T66 and T77 sliding table saws. Thanks to the modular design of ConnectTouch, the permanently installed touch-screen control, ConnectPad, the Apple iPad, with the ConnectApp and cloud solution ConnectDrive, the customer has the option of upgrading or downgrading the control of the machine at any time, even after purchase. This provides a comfortable level of investment security and flexibility.

Operation of standard, state-of-the-art stationary woodworking machines is dominated by electronic controls, which are permanently connected to the machine; the possibility of multifunctional use of the existing control electronics isn’t offered.

These controls are also only connected to the internet in exceptional cases, mainly for maintenance. With ConnectControl, MARTIN is taking into account the increasing digitalisation of the working world, which is also unstoppable in the traditional trade. A central cornerstone here is communication. Modern companies and their employees increasingly work with electronic work documents, i.e. tablets. On the one hand, because the tablet carries all relevant work documents, and on the other, as it’s a central means of modern communication.

Smart operation

It made sense to take this development a step further and use the tablet as an extended machine control system. With the tablet or the corresponding app, users have access to multiple extensions of the essential machine operation, which runs on the 7in touch-screen and is permanently installed on the machine. In addition, access to data centrally managed in the company, such as order data or mould information, is ensured via the tablet or the associated cloud application.

Of course, every machine equipped with ConnectControl can be operated without a docked tablet or online connection, but without the possibilities of external communication.

Mobile extension

The intelligent combination of a mobile tablet and 7in touch-screen permanently installed on the machine enables the multi-level operating concept to provide efficient electronic support for the operator directly at the machine.

On the other hand, the tablet also ensures communication between the machine and the work preparation department as well as between the machine and construction site, for example. The tablet as the employee’s central work device ensures that work processes are perfectly organised even if changes occur that flow into the company from outside.

Examples of this are changes or rework that are necessary at short notice, which occur from time to time during an assembly operation. Through the use of modern communication technology, these flow seamlessly to the machine – quickly and efficiently. Neither outdated work instructions nor obsolete drawings need to be exchanged; everyone has the current status directly at hand at all times. By integrating modern technology directly into the machine operation, even the last hurdle of information flow is taken.

UtilisingAward-winning technology of tomorrow

The ConnectControl concept has already received two awards. The control structure’s innovative, successful design was honoured with the German Design Award 2022, and then – something the company is particularly proud of – the innovations realised in this concept were further honoured with the German Innovation Award 2022.

New machine design

Visitors can also look forward to the new, fresh design of the MARTIN machines. The entire range now comes in a modern white; the familiar water blue is now only used for the area around the logo.

Complete range represented at LIGNA

“Our machines have long stood for woodworking at its best. Many functions that you may not even have thought about complete all models, from the entry-level class to our top models. And they really leave nothing to be desired,” finishes Michael Mühldorfer.

On the LIGNA stand, the company will present its complete range to visitors. In addition to the two new spindle moulders – T14 and T29 – both of which offer all the possibilities of digitalisation thanks to ConnectControl, the newly added T32 combined planer will also be shown for the first time. This planer will be accompanied by its ‘sisters’ – the tried-and-tested T45 thickness planer and T54 surface planer.

Thanks to ConnectControl, companies can now also make full use of the possibilities of digitalisation on the new T66 and T77 sliding table saws. Both models are already equipped with infinitely variable speed control as standard, as are the table routers. The T66’s cutting height is now 155mm with a 450mm saw blade, whereas the T77 is capable of reaching a cutting height of 205mm. Where the T66 swivels on one side up to +46°, the T77 swivels 47°. Optionally, the T77 can also swivel on both sides, from +47° to -46°.

Q-FIN: Building windows without intermediate sanding

The Q-FIN special sanding machine, which won Gold in the German Innovation Award, has literally ushered in a new era. The machine, which has been used by numerous leading European window manufacturing companies since 2014, is now able to process the glass neck in the quality finishing process in addition to other main surfaces, thanks to the chamfering unit, which will be shown at LIGNA for the first time. Both the profiled scantling and glass bead can now be prepared on all relevant surfaces in such a way that the resource-consuming intermediate grinding is omitted.

Be ready for a new era in wood window manufacturing and experience how quality finishing from MARTIN works. Visit MARTIN in Hall 12/Stand E30; for more information, see www.martin.info.