96 | Feature: Ligna Review
SUMMARY
■Ligna attracted about 80,000 visitors this year
■The Hanover event is the world’s leading woodworking technology fair
■Automation was a big theme ■Weinig showcased the Hydromat 4400
■SCM’s Oikos xs is aimed at timber construction
LIGNA RETURNS
The Ligna exhibition returned to Hanover for the first time in four years and the result was a welcome coming together for the international wood-based panel sector. Stephen Powney attended the show
Hanover has been a rare meeting point in recent years due to the Covid pandemic. So it was with some relief and enthusiasm that the international wood-based industries could once again congregate at the Ligna exhibition to discuss markets, innovation and technology.
In attendance terms it was busy, although visitor numbers were slightly down on the previous 2019 show.
Organiser Deutsche Messe said the event’s five-day run from May 15-19 had around 10,000 less visitors than the previous edition in 2019 (an 11% reduction), though Russian and Chinese visitors were largely missing due to the Ukraine conflict and reported visa issues respectively.
Nevertheless, some 80,000 people attended and companies lauded the value of seeing customers face-to-face again. Ten halls showcased the best of solid wood, panel processing and forestry technology, covering the whole supply chain from forest to end user.
“In view of the uncertain situation confronting the woodworking and wood processing industry, the success of LIGNA 2023 speaks volumes for its status as a source of momentum,” said Dr Bernhard Dirr, MD of VDMA Woodworking Machinery. “Not only is it a driver for the industry in good times, but above all, it delivers solutions for the challenges ahead.”
EXHIBITORS
German machinery giant Weinig had a successful show on its 5,000m2
exhibition
stand. Under the motto “Weinig offers more”, visitors could experience many of the almost 50 machines and systems live in action. One of the star exhibits was the massive, high-speed Hydromat 4400 planing machine. It was on display in conjunction with the High Performance Feeder, which is also designed for feed speeds of 400m/min. It features a minimum / maximum working width of 60-300mm and a minimum / maximum working height of 19-120mm. The third generation Cube 3 four-sided planer was a magnet for attention. More than 1,000 Cubes are in operation globally since the launch of the machine.
Above: Visitors arrive at the Hanover fairgrounds for Ligna 2023 TTJ | July/August 2023 |
www.ttjonline.com
From small strips to large beams, the Cube 3 can plane a vast range of dimensions in an efficient one-person operation. This is possible by the high level of automation present in the automatic planer, reflected in optional features such as the Weinig automated stacker or the RFC 15 return conveyor, which dispenses with the need for manual stacking. Automation was a big focus on the Weinig stands and elsewhere at Ligna. Weinig also demonstrated several digital software solutions, with viaConnector Edge being the link between machines and software solutions, allowing machines to be interconnected and data to be transferred. The output data can be configured individually according to requirements. The Weinig Control Suite is Weinig’s central system control technology for intelligent production. For the first time at Ligna, Weinig presented how virtual part tracking with
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