Industrial machines
Industrial machines
The term industrial woodworking machines is here used to indicate large stationary machines that are used in large scale production of furniture.
There are many different types, sizes and qualities of woodworking machines. Here we look at them in general, to evaluate industrial production wtih smaller scale production.
Three machines, laser cutters, CNC mills and waterjet cutters are examined more in detail in separate posts, as they use novel and versatile technologies that are being more and more often used also by small scale producers.
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High energy Weighing hundreds of kg of steel, aluminum, copper and plastic, industrial woodworking machines have a high embodied energy.
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Alternatives tools Low Energy
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Low production cost Using industrial machinery at full scale of operations reduces unit costs significantly. Quick The whole point of using industrial machines is to increase production rates. |
High energy Energy use depends on the type of mahcine and scale of production, although it is usually higher than that of power tools for comparable jobs. Spraying and drying of paints and finishes are usually more energy consuming processes in furniture manufacturing (1)
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Alternatives tools Low Energy
High investment High investment costs make industrial machines only appropriate to mass production.
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Alternatives tools Low investment
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Long distance Because industrial machines can only be used for large scale production, local production is ruled out. The products need to be shipped over long distances. |
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Links
Eco info
Technical review of all environmental studies about furniture production, includes useful information about the ecological impact of woodworking machinery
Digital vs conventional fabrication from the sustainability viewpoint (resilience.org)
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Examples on Harvestmap.org
