There was an ad almost forty years ago with the slogan “open doors at Renault”. It became iconic, a sort of anticipation of future trends, a change of perspective in the job world, with different working hours and more and more “global” organizations. Now, in 2023, we want to start from this slogan, rephrased into “open doors at Essetre”, to tell about an open-house event (held from 6 to 10 March) which has become a bridge between tradition and a brighter and brighter future per the Veneto-based company specializing in numerical control working centers. An opportunity to see almost the complete range of solutions produced in Thiene and, together with Cristina Sella, marketing manager of the company, take a tour between present and future.
But let’s start from the open house, from this “Techno Tour S3 23“, let’s start from the occasion that led us to enter the headquarters of the Venetian company.
“We are really satisfied with how this “open house” went: it is not the first edition, and also the past events had gone very well, as in 2019, when we organized the last “physical” event before the three-year pandemic; but this time, allow me, we did the “big things”, with several of our technologies ready to use together, such as the “Techno” range, that our customers have been able to see at work. An almost unrepeatable opportunity, given the speed that characterizes our production, and for which applause must certainly go to our collaborators, who were exceptional and managed to set up the show and keep working concurrently. This is a point that made us really proud: we opened the doors, but we did not stop and we could really show the daily work in Essetre”, said Cristina Sella.
Was the feedback positive?
“I would say very positive: 180 customers walked through the door and came to see our products live, some to get to know them “from scratch”, some to see the new solutions and the upgrades that we have grafted on the machines. Many visitors came from the United States, a market we are monitoring closely, with big investments of money and energy, and an excellent return on the investment. Several visitors could not attend due to an airport strike in France, but they will come next year…”.
TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS
Among the machines shown at the Essetre “Techno Tour”, a prominent place was played by the “Techno Multiwall”, a numerical control working center ideal for walls. “A great opportunity to see at work a large machine that is hardly put on display during fairs”, said Cristina Sella.
“This working center – she continues – is suitable for processing curved beams, as well as CLT walls, and frame walls with large dimensions, up to 4 thousand millimeters in width and 480 in thickness”.
This solution is equipped with a blade group with a diameter of 1,200 millimeters with five axes, with a 55-kW motor. The milling unit with five-axis “Hsk80F” cone has a 53-kW motor and an automatic tool magazine with nine workstations.
Much space was also dedicated to “Techno PF 1250 Evo“, the working center produced by Essetre ideal for the construction of wooden structures, roofs, beams and Clt walls with a width of up to 1,250 millimeters. Besides an incoming and outgoing part handling system, a loading and unloading area, and a chip extraction unit, this solution features due 2 opposing (upper – lower) 5-axis CNC independent milling units with continuous interpolation and 12-kW, 7,000-rpm power spindles (plus a 9-position HSK63F tool holder mounted on the right side of the gantry to serve the top milling unit).
“Like all our solutions – explained Cristina Sella – this can also be customized to meet the customer’s needs”.
“Techno PF 1250 Evo” can be equipped with an additional loading and unloading system to extend the loading area by 3 thousand millimeters approximately, and an automatic labeling unit to identify the finished piece.
Not only. “Techno Saw” is a six-axis working center for continuous and flexible operations including milling, cutting and drilling on wooden parts with small sections. These elements can be used in the construction of frame walls, gazebos, playgrounds and other elements, with a maximum working section of 450 millimeters wide by 150 millimeters thick.
Last but not least, “Techno Fast”, the CNC working center created by the company for the rapid processing of beams. A versatile and compact working center that, with an automatic handling, loading and unloading system, can process beams up to 620 mm high and up to 300 mm wide.
“The “Techno Fast” – said Cristina Sella – is one of the most appreciated solutions. A compact machining center that can work quickly and optimize production”.
44 years behind, the 45the anniversary coming up…
“That’s right, next year we will celebrate an important anniversary and we want to do it by continuing to invest, continuing to innovate. At Essetre, we have never stopped, in recent years we have invested in the new American branch, this year in a new machine tool that will allow us to machine bases completely in house, reducing the lead times, allowing us not to have to wait for others and be able to offer real “made in Essetre” solution.
This choice also represents a progress in terms of sustainability, because it reduces transport and travel, putting “less heavy vehicles”, less pollution, less risks on the road. This machine, for which we chose a Spanish manufacturer, required a very important work: we had to dig deep for over two meters, and it is about 20 meters long. We really believe that it is the right choice.
And next year we are planning a new showroom. We believe that we should never sit on our laurels, but it is necessary to continue, raise the bar, always set new goals to be achieved. This is our philosophy…”.
To quote an Italian song, “always burn, never extinguish”, so, never stop…
“Never! A new showroom, a renewed website, a new machine tool are just some of the investments we have made and will continue to make in the near future. We are deeply convinced that we cannot and should not stop, that it is necessary to move forward, raise the bar, continue to improve environments, products, our image. We are approaching our forty-fifth anniversary, but we are working and we are committed to getting to the fiftieth, sixtieth and beyond.
What do we expect in the future? It depends on many factors. Let’s be honest: the pandemic was an unpredictable factor, as well as the uncertainty that resulted, between supplies, conflicts, materials, increase in energy costs. We have clear ideas, we know where we want to go, which steps we will make. We are ready for everything. What if another external factor comes up? We will be ready to reach to any possible market situation. As I said, we are aware of our strengths, and we are ready to face the future.
by Francesco Inverso
