Reliability is evident in the details

Reliability is evident in the details

INFORM YOURSELF

Vacuum presses of the latest generation. 

GENERAL

Optimal solutions, highest quality, and best service for your production process and sustainable success. 

Vacuum is one of the most versatile applications in industry. From lifting and holding technology, food and automotive industries, medicine to the deformation of materials under pressure. Many production processes are no longer economically viable without a vacuum.

Now, we often associate vacuum with outer space or an airless space. But what does vacuum have to do with pressure?

Working with VACUUM: When a technically hermetically sealed space is created, from which air is withdrawn, i.e., “vacuum” is created, air remains outside the hermetic space. However, air also means air pressure.

So, it’s about the potential: the pressure difference. And it is enormous. A pressure of about 9 kg (equal to an air weight/air column of almost 10,000 kgf/m2) actually acts on one cm2, which we can harness and convert using machines. With a machine area of 5.6 m2, this means about 50-60 tons of pressing pressure, depending on the altitude of the press location. Conversely, we could also say we work with up to minus 1 bar.

But how do we create hermeticity? For hermeticity or the separation of “vacuum-air pressure,” we use a special, highly elastic membrane that is clamped in a frame and, when vacuum is applied, ultimately wraps around the workpiece and transfers the external air pressure to the workpiece from all sides, as well as fulfilling the task of the counter template.

The vacuum generated in this way by a special vacuum pump – we are always talking about a so-called rough vacuum – not only has the advantage of creating pressure but also the effects of drying. Air, which contains moisture, is removed, allowing for faster curing. But also, the condensation of water in an air-poor space is well-known, as well as the rapid boiling of moisture. These effects also allow for faster gluing.

With vacuum, many applications in wood and plastic processing can be combined, such as pressing, shaping, laminating, edge banding, etc. And if we also heat the workpieces, we can thermally shape, thermoform, and laminate films. 

For centuries, pressing and shaping have been carried out using clamps, weights, steam. Today, with presses, veneer presses, molding presses, hydraulic presses, and so on. However, vacuum presses, as we know them today, have only existed for about 25 years. What was initially only for hobbyists has become professional today. The advantages of a vacuum press become apparent quickly when one understands the processes or other press machines and compares them.

Compared to conventional pressing processes:

• No counter template, membrane takes over the task
• No minimum occupancy
• Material-independent
• Multiple heights, multiple workpieces in one pressing process
• Haptically neutral, no damage to press plates
• Visual inspection
• Better and easier workpiece manipulation (4 sides)
• No risk of injury (pinching)
• No maintenance intervals (safety checks)
• Faster glue curing times – Vacuum removes moisture from the glue and enjoys the advantage of faster curing. (Keyword: boiling point and moisture extraction)
• Controlled and even pressure on all sides
• Air pressure also acting on the reverse side of the workpiece (edge banding)
• High insertion height up to approx. 80 cm (shape or press height approx. 60 cm)
• Many processes (flat and shaped) on one machine without conversion
• Simplest machine operation
• Low power consumption 

If you need a press, then this one: The Vakutek systems, like all vacuum presses, are not machines designed for just one task. Instead, they offer a wide range of applications. And that’s the appeal and potential of these presses.

New materials demand new processes and special applications. Meeting this constant evolution not just with resistance, but being able to utilize it, can be achieved with a VAKUTEK vacuum press because it is designed for that purpose. As a kind of manufacturing facility, we provide you with the best possible vacuum press construction so that applications remain practical and not a risky adventure.

Using VAKUTEK to glue, shape, coat, laminate, apply films, thermally reshape, deep-draw, and even sublimate is not a challenge that ties up skilled workers, but simply a matter of having the right equipment that allows you to implement cost-effective solutions with your own quality control for things that previously seemed impossible.

Advantages:
• Independence from subcontractors
• In-house production (contribution margin)
• Own quality control
• Fundamental expansion of services offered (the broader your base, the less likely you are to fall) resulting in increased sales
• Being prepared for “not off-the-shelf” orders
• Immediate implementation of your own creative ideas and new approaches
• Generate feasibility studies in-house, etc.
• Faster production
• Reliable results

Owning a VAKUTEK vacuum membrane press means being able to quickly fulfill a customer’s scheduling request, increasing your profit margin, and being able to confidently say yes to a customer’s request because you’ve tested it yourself. You gain enormous flexibility and competence, and you can also try new things. Be creative. Get recommended again. And especially creative companies need solutions they can build on and trust. 

You will be surprised by how many applications you can process with a vacuum membrane press today and ultimately become excited about. It’s like having a foreign language at hand that allows you to understand all customer requests and implement them in your response. Whether it’s veneers, papers, metals, leather, foils, or other coverings, you can easily glue, bond, or laminate them, in flat, 2D, or 3D shapes. You can also thermally reshape plastics in 3D or deep-draw and thermoform plastic sheets.

The fact is: The market has changed – it has grown, become more diverse, and in some cases, more challenging. The applications and materials have multiplied in recent years. So have the shapes: from round and tactile to small furniture fronts and imposing reception areas.

With a vacuum membrane press, you can adapt to these market changes and varied customer demands. By being able to work with various materials and forms, you expand your capabilities and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. Embrace the versatility of a vacuum membrane press and delight your customers with innovative solutions tailored to their needs. 

ANALYSIS: In the wood and plastic processing industry, global megatrends such as sustainability, digitalization, and individualization have an impact on end products and their production processes. Individualization leads to a constantly growing variety of shapes and materials, posing significant challenges for productivity and efficiency-focused manufacturing. The furniture industry’s response is single-piece production, which would not be possible without a high degree of automation and flexibility. Combining machine construction and application, designed for the future, ready for data security, and offering perfect and affordable quality, are the interfaces for a sustainable response to the challenges of our time.

SYNTHESIS: Precise work can only be achieved with precise manufacturing. And quality requires qualification. Laser-cut and stress-free metal components, powder-coated, pre-stressed frames, with the best possible dimensional, shape, storage, and drive technology, and functional safety, are standard with us and prerequisites for success. With durable elements and a forward-looking approach, our experience working with wood, plastics, and NON-WOOD materials, as well as our passion for metal, has been incorporated into the design.

Thus, matured from decades of application and passion, VAKUTEK stands for a new machine architecture.

We are happy to accompany you on your journey, already paved for the next step. 

Yes, quality is extremely important to us.

But quality does not only mean using the best steel; it also means thinking from the core and creating something that proves itself in all situations.

Quality is not a coincidence; it is always a reflection of intention and approach. Quality also means being affordable, as pointless upgrades bring no benefit.

Quality also means being fast. Therefore, premium-class remote maintenance is essential for worldwide service that we offer.
Quality must also be traceable and verifiable, especially today. Our top models can be integrated into quality assurance processes, guaranteeing documentation down to the smallest detail. From laser or QR code scanning to protocols integrated into the network. Satellite, glued, and vacuum-pressed panels, lightweight components like partitions in airplanes – flat, folded, and curved – with 3D foil-covered metal. They all demand one thing: quality control, designed for single-piece production and series production. 

Well, we are somewhat different. We focus on quality, and you will surely agree: you can see it in the machines. Built from the ground up and entirely new. And we want to be new. Developed from craftsmanship for craftsmanship, our systems and machine series were created. Combined with a commitment to quality, ideas, passion, and attention to detail, we have exceeded our goals in engineering development. We have delivered more than what was asked for. But that happens to us often 🙂

It’s the details. But also the comprehensive solution of the PORTAL opening, which contains incredible technology. It is a perfect setting. The HMI control system, including remote maintenance and potential data backup from B&R, is more than just worth mentioning. Pre-tensionable frames, heating hoods up to 210 degrees, heating drawers up to 230 degrees have been challenges that we have mastered.

Being able to pass on the difference in technology and innovation, in quality – to your production, thus to your customers, and ultimately to your balance sheet – that is the invitation we offer. You will be surprised at how affordable a good decision can be. 

MACHINE TECHNOLOGY, TECHNICAL DATA

Optimal solutions, the highest quality, and the best service for your production process and sustainable success. 

• State-of-the-art machine engineering.
• Laser-cut and stress-relieved metal components with the best possible dimensions, shape, drive technology, and functional safety, powder-coated.
• Integrated vacuum tank with a 220-liter volume in the steel base construction (short operating time of the vacuum pump due to automatically regulated pressure sensors and valve control, resulting in optimal energy efficiency)
• 40-48 m3 Becker vacuum pump of the latest generation (U5.40XL), circulating oil, with a large oil tank, vacuum up to -0.99 bar (990 mbar) equivalent to approx. 10 t/m2 pressing force, with filter, condensate separation, non-return valve, and automatic shut-off.
• Flat high-pressure laminate HPL Compact worktop 3400 x 1600, tightly glued and pressed with double-hardened acrylic-polyurethane resins according to EN 4386. CNC-milled vacuum channels in the table surface (white, heat-resistant up to 160°C, surface loadable up to 250 kg/m2), including 3 CNC-milled suction nozzles.
• Side-integrated, 2-door, fan-cooled technical cabinet (pump/electrical).
• Digital pressure setting, reading, pressure monitoring, etc.

Advantages:
• Most robust construction with premium components as a high-tech solution
• Exquisite machine engineering precision
• Portal opening for the highest demands and premium operating comfort
• Outstanding design
• Quality and precision from Austria
• Perfectly coordinated complete package of the highest class
• Built from experience
• Tremendous potential for special requirements
• Uncompromising productivity.
• …Connected workshop if desired. 

Our big solution: unmistakable, unique, well thought out, and full of expertise. A statement for the difference.

• Portal opening on 4 TR threaded spindles in the portal columns, serving as a carrier for the motor-driven, circulating 80/80mm membrane frame.
• Speed control with frequency converter (FU) up to 50mm/s with proximity automation, end-point controlled for 100% force fit on the table.
• Manually pre-tensionable membrane frame counter-tension mechanism built into the frame (for working with high workpieces to ensure tightness and prevent frame damage)

Advantages
• Better membrane adhesion to the table. 100% vacuum tightness.
• 4-sided access for aligning the workpiece before and after vacuum drawing
• Better volume utilization
• No lateral pressure on the workpiece when the membrane closes, thus no workpiece displacement as with angled flap solutions.
• No physical overhead and pulling work by pulling the flap closed.
• 100% parallel lowering and lifting without additional compressed air or hydraulic support.
• Frequency converter (FU) motor-driven guidance and generation of high, adjustable closing force beyond the frame’s own weight. 

Controlled circulating air power for efficient heating. 3D heat up to 230°C. Pulse-controlled and precise use of the applied energy.

With a double-walled design and optimal heat insulation of the plates to be heated up to 70 mm material thickness, the roll-out heating drawer can be extended up to 850 mm drawer depth on temperature-resistant special rollers, smooth-running roller extension with “soft close” function, and automatic hydraulic locking without additional closure.
• Circulating air heating system with special air guidance and separate heating chamber for optimal heat distribution, homogeneous heating of the workpieces, and pre-drying as required for some plastics.
• Temperature preselection via display and precise pulse control (display of the heating process (widget) with monitoring function of the heating elements. Tuning function, automatic shutdown. Programming & management of recipes via ETV Large).
• Workpiece support in wavy grid execution, galvanized, grid 30 x 30mm.
• Usable size 2800 x 1300 x 70mm. – Heating power 2x10kW. – Maximum temperature 230°C, continuously adjustable heating rates up to 15 K/min (fully heatable in 15 min)

ADVANTAGES:
• Heating in circulating air
• Pre-drying required for certain plastics due to linear heating
• More homogeneous heating of the workpieces
• Contactless heat, preventing discoloration in some PMMA plastics
• Acrylic heatable
• High insertion height up to 70 mm
• No overheating due to heat accumulation
• No hotspot formation
• Sublimation option 

PERFORMANCE THROUGH PRECISION.

210-degree performance with pure circulating air. Incredibly strong. Incredibly large. Precise heat supply, ideal for film and deep-drawing applications.

With a double-walled lightweight construction and optimal heat insulation above the table, thermally decoupled. Ideal for heating workpieces, heating and laminating films, and deep-drawing for sheets up to 6 mm.

• Mounted and vertically separate from the membrane frame, an additional heating hood frame, movable on 4 TR threaded spindles motor drive 1.25 kW, frequency-controlled for gentle start & stop – travel speed up to approx. 50mm/s – end positions continuously regulated via inductive sensors.
• Circulating air heating system with 2x radial fans, heating power 2x 10kW – maximum temperature 210°C, and separate heating chamber for optimal heat distribution.
• Viewing window with double-walled construction,
• Continuously adjustable heating rates up to 8 K/min (fully heatable in 25 min)
Temperature preselection via display and precise control via pulse control.
• Display of the heating process (widget). Monitoring function of the heating elements.
• Tuning function. Automatic shutdown. Programming & management of recipes.
• Usable size 3000 x 1140 x 500mm, lifting height approx. 750mm
Surface hood aluminum natural anodized.

ADVANTAGES:
o Pre-drying and heating in one
o More homogeneous heating of the workpieces.
o Contactless heat
o High heating height up to 500 mm
o No overheating due to heat build-up, no hotspot formation.
o Comparatively low energy consumption for films or deep-drawing applications in special systems 

E TEC. (for models: Discovery/Factory)

• Central HMI control unit/user interface.
• B&R browser-based software.
• Multi-touch panel (15 inches) Optional 17 inches.
• High-end PLC control technology with actual/target evaluation/display.
• PC control capability via USP, network cable.
• LTE router built into the technology cabinet, suitable for local SIM card insertion or wired network integration.
• Remote maintenance and update installation.
• Self-explanatory user interface, easy-to-understand widgets.
• Central control and monitoring of PC-controlled processes and operation of the control panel.
• Optional protocol control, exportable.

ADVANTAGES:
• Intuitive and easy-to-understand control
• Program input and management for automatic processes
• Central control unit with all parameters in one screen
• Remote maintenance as standard
• Protocol capability based on individual parameters. 

MATERIALS

Optimal solutions, the highest quality, and the best service for your production process and sustainable success. 

• MDF, slotted MDF (TOPAN©)
• DUKTA© panels
• HDF
• Honeycomb panels
• Wood materials (bendable plywood)
• Composite panels
• Lightweight panels
• Solid wood
• Polystyrene
• Marine plywood
• Particleboard
• Ribbed panels
• … 

• HPL decorative panels (laminates)
• CPL decorative panels
• HGP (kraft paper)
• Plastic panels
• Design boards
• Veneers of all kinds, including 3D veneers
• Stone veneers
• Thin metal sheets
• IMI panels (concrete, reclaimed wood, metal, stone)
• Fabrics
• Leather
• Felts
• Skai
• Papers
• Braids
• Tactile or relief panels
• Cork
• Vinyl coverings
• and many other materials… 

FILM DRAWINGS (Thermolaminates) (90-135°C)
• 3D films & 3D high gloss
• (Continental®, Hornschuch®, Renolit®)

THERMAL FORMING (130-190°C)

A) PMMA mineral materials (pure acrylic, acrylic and polyester-bound) (3-70 mm) All ®: AVONITE, CORIAN, EOS, FORMICA, GETACORE, HANEX, HIMACS, HOLSTEX, KERROCK, KRION, KDYEX, LIVINGSTONE, MARLAN, MYSTERA, MEGANITE, MISTRAL, PLEXICOR, RAUVISIO, STARON, TRISTONE, VARICOR, VELSTONE, WILSONART, etc…

B) Thermoforming materials (95-150°C) (UBP, WPC, NFK materials)

• NFPP (natural fiber with polypropylene)
• RESYSTA®, SIMOWOOD ® (wood-plastic composite)
• UPM-GRADA ® (thermally formable birch plywood)

THERMOFORMABLE SHEET MATERIALS (2-6 mm) (105-180°C)
• ABS, EPVC, PC, PE, PET-G, PMMA cast and extruded (Plexiglas, acrylic glass) PS-HI, PPE, PVC-U, TPO, etc. 

VAKUTEK

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