Stiles draws a crowd with its Weeke CNC

Stiles Machinery had the largest exhibit space at IWF 2012 with truckloads of machinery on display. But while visitors were climbing catwalks to get a better view, they were also consistently huddled around the Weeke BHX 055 CNC machining center, which performs routing, vertical drilling, horizontal drilling and groove-sawing operations.

The center, which debuted in 2010 and has since been redesigned, appeals to makers of custom closets and kitchen cabinets because of its small (6’ x 10’) footprint and simplicity of operation, according to product manager Jeff Conger.

“There’s so little setup in changeover required for machining different parts. Normal machines like this can take from three to 10 minutes to set up and change from one part to the next. This has virtually zero setup required. You basically press the panel up against a positioning stop, hit the foot pedal to lock it in and hit the start button,” says Conger.

The center gives shops of all sizes the flexibility to employ multiple router diameters or left- and right-tool rotations. It comes with WoodWop, the CNC programming system of the Homag Group, which gives a three-dimensional view of the workpiece. Routing, drilling and sawing operations are programmed by entering the machining parameters, which are then displayed in the 3-D view.

The center can process parts as small as 3” x 8” or as large as 3’ x 10’, one after another, according to Conger.

The center is available in three standard configurations, all for under $100,000. Weeke is part of the Homag Group and its products are distributed exclusively by Stiles Machinery in the U.S.

Contact: Stiles Machinery. Tel: 616-698-7500. www.stilesmachinery.com

This article originally appeared in the January 2013 issue.