MACHINERY
Passion for Machines
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WITH A BRAND AND REPUTATION spanning across three decades , British manufacturer Stuga Machinery Group had a lot to shout out about at this year ’ s FIT show .
Stuga has developed its product range in line with a multitude of PVCu window and door manufacturers throughout the UK and abroad , and shares a passion for innovation and technology to enhance its product range for its customers .
Steve Haines , one of Stuga ’ s owners , spoke to Clearview about the company ’ s strength of being a British manufacturer , the support it can offer and how this has assisted the business to develop its complex range of machines to fit perfectly into the window market .
Stuga ’ s comprehensive collection of sawing and machining centres are designed to include a range of complex precision machining , offering users ease of use , reduction in the need of over-skilled operators , leading to a reduction in potential errors .
“ Our machines are all manufactured and shipped from our site in Great Yarmouth . We manufacture everything in the UK and can provide our customers the machines , service , technical backup and spare parts they require , quickly within an acceptable lead-time .
“ At the hub of the business is our service centre . The centre is geared up to link directly to any machine anywhere in the UK , allowing us to conduct online diagnostics individually for our customers , and over the last ten years we have been fitting on-board cameras , strategically placed on the machines to help with more integrated and critical problems . The cameras are high-definition and full colour with sound , and can record helping us to help customers diagnose problems with their machines more quickly .”
Sitting under the Stuga brand is a range of stand-alone machines , including ; fully automated sawing and machining centres , with lines offering varying outputs to suit the needs of PVCu window and door fabricators . Constantly evolving , Stuga has a policy not to make any of its machines obsolete and engineers its products to offer first , second , third hand mechanical longevity .
“ We have both the technical knowhow and the skills to refurbish and keep our machines running for a very long-time . Dealing direct with the manufacturer and not via a distributor , allowing us to keep our machines upgraded quickly unlike European and Chinese competitors .
“ Our thirty years expertise , starting with the production of a simple CNC router used for producing aluminium patio doors has evolved so much so that we now develop a more complex range of machines , but with a significant benefit to our clients .
“ More recently , the company introduced the AutoFlow-2 sawing and machining centre , which was the start of creating a small footprint suitable for providing larger specialised PVCu profiles . Other advantages from the AutoFlow-2 are the addition of a ‘ VS ’ version , allowing larger vertical slider manufacturers the opportunity to produce
‘ frame to cill ’ angle automatically without the need to reset the frame on the machine . Holes for cills can also be produced automatically , ready for mechanical fixings .” Steve adds .
Stuga ’ s top selling machine in 2014 and 2015 was the company ’ s flagship ZX4 sawing and machining centre ; a machine which can produce up to 1,000 or more windows per week .
First introduced ten years ago , the ZX4 is constantly being updated to ensure that its keeps up with the advancements of modern technology and developments in manufacture .
The ZX4 MK6 is the latest version in the series of upgrades and although similar in look to the MK1 version the machine has a multitude of benefits to its predecessor .
The high output machine is operated by a state-of-the-art Beckhoff control system and offers 45 and 90 degree cuts . With 360 degree rotary tooling for unlimited machining , the centre offers no limitation to the number of profiles that can be used on the machine . Its flexible faster heads also allow for quicker profile positioning .
Other advantages and benefits of the ZX4 include multiple feed – left or right , profile recognition , swarf extraction , bar scanning and labelling .
Stuga wish to thank all customers existing and new who visited them at this years FIT Show .
www . stuga . co . uk
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