Biesse America expands edgebanding system

Biesse America has made its AirForce System Edgebanding Technology available on different configurations of edgebanders. The system emits high-temperature compressed air through a slot nozzle directly onto the reactive layer of commonly available laser banding. This activates that layer and bonds the banding to the panel fibers.

Product manager Jason Varelli says the ease of use is what makes this system beneficial to custom woodworkers.

“Unlike an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) glue system, you just turn it on and use it. There’s no tinkering with it and nothing to adjust. It’s simple. The number one thing people become frustrated with on an edgebander is the glue system. So with this product, there are no glue adjustments. You just turn it on and you run it,” Varelli says.

“There is no glue used with this product. It simply heats a functional layer on the back of the edgebanding so that it gets inside the fibers of the panel, which can be MDF or fiberboard, to create the bond. The alternative is to use an EVA glue system or a PUR (Polyurethane reactive) glue system.”

The AirForce System allows changes based on banding colors without any setup. In addition, the AirForce System is environmentally friendly, providing a “clean-green” technology that eliminates glue and fumes. This has become increasingly important now that AirForce can use PVC, according to Varelli.

Other benefits include the absence of a glue line and resistance to heat and humidity.

The technology is offered on Akron, Roxyl and other edgebanding machines in many different configurations. The machine prices vary. Those without the technology and only EVA glue systems sell for about $110,000, while those with the technology can retail for up to $160,000, according to Varelli.

For information, call 704-357-3131 or visit www.biesseamerica.com.

This article originally appeared in the February 2015 issue.