What a panorama of light, sound and whirring machinery there was at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, August 6–9, 2014 when AWISA came to town. Wood Review Editors Linda Nathan, Philip Ashley, Richard Vaughan and Robert Howard all paid a visit to check out the latest on offer for industrial trade users.
Check out our short video for snapshot of some of the action! Click on the photos at the bottom of this page for bigger view, or hover over them for more details.
Not open to the general public, this is a show that caters to the wood trades — cabinet and kitchen makers, joiners and shopfitters, as well as architects and designers who have an interest in the latest materials and technology that may give an edge to their design work. But it’s not a show about ‘wood’ as such; nowadays industry capitalises mostly on the dimensional stability and large-scale supplies of panel products; composite and veneered boards, and the growing range of non-wood materials that boast an ever-growing range of designer colours and looks.
The machinery and tooling displayed at AWISA is therefore geared towards commercial users. There is industrial ‘hands-on’ machinery, much of it computerised. But much of the display is taken up with large scale panel handling and processing CNC (computer numerically controlled) routing machinery. For the uninitiated this makes great theatre, watching panel boards mechanically suction lifted by robotically controlled arms and then traced over by machining heads that seemingly of their own volition dart right, left, back, forth and up and down to apply a succession of tooling options.
Computer (CAD) software drives the optimised sizing, cutting, grooving, boring and even labelling of panel sections. Command centre monitors flash with numbers and codes moving through programmed sequences. Other CNC routing machines capable of 2D and 3D shaping demonstrated their capabilities by creating samples with intricate shaping and detailing.
Most of the CNC machines are large-scale but demand is growing for smaller workshop options. In addition to the extensive and well priced Robland range, Beyond Tools showed the iCarver and the Redsail flatbed laser cutting machine which is reportedly getting a lot of attention from secondary schools. On top of its industrial range Gregory Machinery featured running demos of the new release Laguna Smartshop CNC. Leda Machinery showed its new range of CNC routers, panel saws and ‘ever-reliable’ KDT edgebanders.
At a show like this the larger, often global companies take pride in hosting large and impressive displays, often with huge entry pylons and banners held aloft. There can be free bags of goodies for the trade, and some companies go one step further by offering free coffee and food. The Polytec stand was certainly one good place to be, colourful with candy striped décor made from its own panel product. Guests had no problem feeling encouraged to mingle and network while enjoying espresso and snacks on the house. Hafele, supplier of sleek cabinet hardware and fittings, also had a popular and inviting red-lit coffee lounge for its clients to socialise and talk shop in.
Up to now the Australian Woodworking Industry Suppliers Association has only ever held its biennial trade show in Sydney. The verdict on Brisbane compared to Sydney seemed favourable. Matthew Gabbett of Gabbett Machinery commented, ‘We weren’t expecting it to be as busy as Sydney but it turns out everybody’s here and all the big players are here as well.’ Phil Marcelis of Promac commented that Brisbane was ‘bigger than anticipated. The first day, was probably busier than I’ve ever experienced’.
Contact the organisers via awisa.com