Material handling: from the lumberyard to the customer’s door.

Allowing materials and processes to help guide design is critical in understanding mass customization. Industrial equipment cutting flat panels is nothing new, but understanding how process effects efficiency and then makes objects easier and less expensive to produce is critical. Below is an example of Context Furniture’s material handling for the Truss Occasional Table and Kids Chairs.
Lumber and Laminator
Sheets of 18mm (3/4”) Baltic birch plywood are sent to the laminator. The laminator needs the wood, the color laminate (which the client can spec from any color available) material backer, masking paper and glue. The masking paper is applied to the laminate via a pinch roller. The stacks of material are set on a glue spreader conveyor; the boards are glued together in the appropriate order and cold pressed in a large hydraulic press. The panels needed for the Truss Kids chair and Occasional Table are one 36mm x 5 x 5 panel with laminate on both sides, and one 18mm x 5 x 5 panel with laminate on one side and paper backer on the other side. These two panels are then sent on to the CNC router.
CNC Router
The router operator needs to pre program the digital files from CAD software into CAM software. The panels are placed upon a large vacuum hold down bed, and the router cuts the interior shapes, the exterior shapes and drills any surface holes that are necessary. The size of the bit determines the size tolerence the cut path needs, so parts must be nested a certain distance away from each other. Profile furniture parts are cut from the 36mm panel, and surfaces such as tabletops and seats are cut from the 18mm panel.

When the parts are removed from the CNC router bed, the surface edges have been cut smooth, which eliminates the need for sanding. The sharp edges do need to be softened, so the parts are run along a table router to chamfer the edges. Any secondary drilling or boring also takes place. Connection hardware is inserted and the parts move to finishing.

Finish/Ship
A large conveyor, spray booth and oven accomplish the finishing. Each part is sealed, sanded, coated, sanded and then top coated. The entire process takes several days. After finishing the parts are ready for quality control inspection, removing of the masking paper protecting the laminate, cleaning and test fitting. If everything passes inspection the parts are packed with instructions and hardware, either in a box for shipping or blanket wrapped for an installation. The packing of parts is as critical a step as any other; since damage due to transportation is the part of the process that is most out of the company’s control. The finished product arrives on the client’s doorstep ready to assemble.