Machinery Makers: Up the Ante on Screens
By Drew Vass
If you’ve traveled to any door and window trade shows recently, then chances are you’ve noticed that competition is heating up for screens and screen-making equipment. New options for both flexible and security screens encourage companies to tap into new, value-adding propositions.
“With newly available technologies and innovative outsourcing plans, there’s plenty of untapped potential in screen offerings,” says Adam Wilson, vice president of sales and business development, North American Fenestration, for Quanex Corp. “Door and window manufacturers have the opportunity to make an impact on value for customers and for their operations.”
At the same time, “There are a number of reasons why making screens can be a headache for the average door and window manufacturer,” Wilson suggests. “Quality control of screens production can be difficult to maintain, as manual processes depend on highly skilled workers performing critical parts of production consistently.”
Some door and window manufacturers opt to outsource screen production to a third-party provider to forego those headaches. Others choose in-house production, where speed and automation are key amid labor shortages. Machinery companies have made this possible with options that cut out time and labor.
Haffner, for instance, offers machines that cut and install mesh and spline at a rate of one per minute. Spadix Technologies offers another option with Meridian, a machine that allows operators to place frames and draw across screen material, then, at the press of a button, process up to 600 screens per eight-hour shift.
But it isn’t all about speed.
Looking Out for Workers
Machinery manufacturers have also worked to make things easier and more user-friendly for workers. Wakefield developed its screen tables to help with labor shortages, but the company also aims to eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome. WinPro updated its semi-automatic Screen Express and Screen Express SS machines with a Swing Arm Operator Station to provide easy access for frame loading and unloading.
Delivering More for Less
Other improvements key in on material costs, by helping to prevent waste. GED, for instance, offers a Screen Frame Maker that minimizes materials waste by utilizing roll-forming pre-painted coiled aluminum. The design lowers costs by 15-40% compared to pre-cut alternatives, according to the company.
Along Comes a Game Changer
But perhaps the most radical change in screen machinery recently arrived via a collaboration between Erdman Automation and FlexScreen.
“Since I first introduced the FlexScreen prototype, window manufacturers have shown great interest in making it themselves,” says FlexScreen president and CEO, Joe Altieri. And in 2023, with the help of Erdman, Altieri’s company answered.
Here’s a look at the competition.
Minimizing Waste to Maximize Savings
GED’s Screen Frame Machine allows fabricators to streamline operations by efficiently roll-forming pre-painted coiled aluminum into custom screen bars. The unique system reduces labor while also eliminating assembly errors and minimizing material waste. Computer-controlled roll forming and cutting processes and automatic sequencing reduce labor, while eliminating the need for regrouping bar pieces for assembly and handling. Pre-slit coiled aluminum also reduces scrap and material costs. System software provides an easy-to-use production interface that includes simple troubleshooting.
The machine offers a cost-effective in-house solution with 15-40% lower material costs compared to pre-cut alternatives.
www.gedusa.com
Fast, One-Person Operation
Haffner’s SAC-845 and SAC-855 Automated Screen Mesh and Spline Insertion Machine for windows and patio doors cuts and installs mesh and spline into 24-inch by 36-inch window frames in just 35 seconds. With just one operator, manufacturers can produce approximately 60 screens per hour, company officials say.
The larger SAC-855 automates screen assembly for patio doors, accommodating up to 48-inch by 96-inch sizes, but it can also be adjusted to work on smaller window frames. Both machines require a minimum frame size of 15 inches by 15 inches.
The SAC-845 has a total footprint of 10 by 15 feet, including a safety zone. The larger SAC-855 is 20 by 10 feet.
www.haffnerna.us
Just Pull and Press
For those seeking full automation, the Meridian, four-sided screening machine by Spadix Technologies cuts labor down to a single worker. The operator places a frame, draws across the material, and with the press of a button the frame is automatically sized and screened via automatic size-detection and clamping. Spline is automatically inserted and trimmed in a single operation.
The unit processes up to 600 screens per eight-hour shift.
www.spadixtechnologies.com
Protecting Operators
Officials for Wakefield Equipment say their screen table adds ease to a labor-intensive process. It also eliminates potential carpal tunnel syndrome.
Self-locking squaring discs keep the screen rail in place while an insertion wheel has a pneumatic trigger.
Some of the machine’s other advantages include increased production, less operator fatigue, simple operation and consistent quality.
www.wakefieldequipment.com
Let There Be Swing
Winpro took things a step further with its Screen Express and Screen Express SS, adding a Swing Arm Operator Station. The feature makes both machines more user-friendly and easier to operate by providing users with simple access while performing screen frame loading and unloading. A swing arm offers all the functionality of the pedestal unit without the need for additional floor space, ensuring a compact footprint.
Both the Express and Express SS are semi-automatic screening machines, offering wireless freedom via a barcode scanning option and a redesigned cloth cut cylinder to ensure operations benefit from the latest in technology and performance.
www.formtekgroup.com
Flex for Yourself
At the urging of its customers, FlexScreen partnered with Erdman Automation Corp. to create an exclusive, automated manufacturing line, allowing window manufacturers to produce the company’s screens in-house. According to the company, the new machine requires less space and fewer workers to operate than other screen making methods.
The line produces screens at a rate of four per minute, while allowing manufacturers to produce FlexScreen for “significantly less” than they would fabricating traditional aluminum screens, according to company information.
www.erdmanautomation.com
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