The 33rd REHAU Edgeband Symposium shows the state of the art and the future of the edgeband

Edgeband technology holds enormous importance for the interior industry. The formula is simple: no perfect edgeband, no perfect component. The specialists who ensure this does not happen come together once a year with the interior industry and interior fitters at REHAU's Edgeband Symposium. This year, IMA Schelling Group GmbH hosted the event in Lübbecke, where around 140 participants were interested about the latest trends and techniques in furniture edgebands.

Dr. Uwe Krämer, Director Engineering Edgeband REHAU, as well as Mr. Simon Waterbär, Director Sales IMA Schelling, and Martin Krügers, Director Service IMA Schelling, welcomed the guests to the IMA Schelling Group premises. They had come to learn about new machine technologies, material solutions, surfaces and edgebands. "The fact that we are coming together for the 33rd time shows how great the need for exchange and information is in the industry," says Dr. Uwe Krämer. "For us and our partners in the machine and tool industry, it is the perfect platform to present the latest developments to the interior industry. For the industry partners, in turn, the forum is an opportunity to offer its customers unique interior solutions with perfect components." As in past years, the Edgeband Symposium started with the hands-on part in the production halls. There, visitors were able to experience live on the machines how innovations of RAUKANTEX and RAUVISIO are turned into unique designs. Afterwards, the group went to Barre's Brauwelt, where the live demonstrations were underpinned with a theoretical part. Apart from presentations by REHAU, the agenda included exciting talks by the host IMA Schelling Group GmbH, Leitz GmbH & Co. KG and Veriset AG.

The customer is in the spotlight

75 years - REHAU’s presentation started with the mention of a historic date. REHAU was founded in 1948 and has since developed from a three man company into a globally successful group. One thing has remained the same over the decades: customer satisfaction is REHAU's top priority. "Enhancing Lives" is the motto - and the edgeband is an expression of this philosophy.

News from the timber and tool industry

The presentation by Dennis Reddig, Product Manager Edge Processing at the IMA Schelling Group, was next on the agenda. He provided interesting insights into modern wood processing: how soft-forming with thick edgeband material optimizes the fusion of design and function, how universal processing units can be used to increase the efficiency of complex processing and how we will be able to address the enormous variety of edgebands in the future using automated edgeband handling. Christian Wimmer of Leitz GmbH then took over the microphone and reported on news from the tool industry. Here too, the focus was on finding solutions to meet the needs of customers - in this case, the challenges of processing new glass laminates, noble matt and anti-fingerprint surfaces and zero-joint technologies.

RAUKANTEX pro in use at Veriset AG - the largest Swiss kitchen manufacturer

The next presentation gave a glimpse of how the RAUKANTEX pro laser edgeband is used in kitchen construction. Christian Kramis, Head of Production & Logistics at the Swiss family business, explained the steps of creating the perfect component at Veriset. The production site in Root near Lucerne is home to one of the most modern assembly manufacturing lines on the global kitchen market. Over 80 pieces of furniture per hour in batches of 1 can be produced. The processes are controlled digitally - including the edging, which has been done with RAUKANTEX pro, the perfect zero joint, since 2011. It is applied using a diode laser, a process which, according to Christian Kramis, achieves the best results. Various tests, including a water bath, are run to check and ensure the outstanding quality. The key to success are the employees and their consistent training to ensure that the right know-how is available for the technologies at hand. After a detailed presentation of how the digital edging process works at Veriset, Christian Kramis explained why an event like the Edgeband Symposium will remain important in the future: even though it may seem that a certain degree of perfection has been achieved with the zero joint, the edgeband will always continue to evolve. He is looking forward to further joint development work to solve outstanding problems.

Sustainability & Innovation at RAUKANTEX

In the next part of the event, Matthias Hacker, Senior Engineer Edgeband REHAU, transitioned to the key topic of sustainability, which also has a long history at REHAU and is now a major factor along the entire supply chain. The integrated sustainability approach ranges from the choice of raw materials to the new RAUKANTEX eco and evo edgebands and the new ReTurn recycling concept. After Matthias Hacker had explained how customers from industry and carpenters can participate in these concepts, the presentation continued with further innovations from the world of RAUKANTEX: which functional layer of the RAUKANTEX pro zero joint edgeband is suitable for which application? What results can be achieved using 45° bevel processing with the trendy RAUVISIO crystal surface? And how do RAUKANTEX folding and RAUKANTEX folding premium allow for handleless fronts? In short, it was all about how the different variants of RAUKANTEX always form the perfect basis for any interior idea.

Savings potential with digitalization

The fact that REHAU focuses on service in addition to the product itself was the subject of another presentation: the REHAU #edgeisdigital concept. The digital services that companies can use in different ways offer considerable potential for savings in terms of time, machine availability, missing parts and stock levels. In the practical section, herpa tech GmbH had demonstrated live how #edgeisdigital can be integrated into processes. The company from Löhne offers hardware and software solutions that form the interface between the respective machinery and the data supplied by REHAU.

Inspiration, innovation and alternative materials

After this technical introduction, Lisa Dressler, Product Engineer Surfaces at REHAU, talked about current trends in surface materials, which are reflected in the new products of the RAUVISIO collection: with the new RAUVISIO cube surface, interiors can be designed with a stylishly cool concrete look. The material is similar in feel and appearance to the popular building material - but has clear processing advantages. Thanks to natural air voids, RAUVISIO cube offers a look that picks up on the rough industrial aesthetic. The product will be available in the RAUVISIO surface program from Q3/24.

With the new compact panel RAUVISIO noir compact, REHAU is expanding the range of applications for the elegant, noble matt RAUVISIO noir surface. RAUVISIO noir compact is the first choice for damp and wet areas as well as areas subject to particularly heavy use, offering greater flexibility and application options.

Exchanging ideas at the traditional “Kantenschmaus”

It takes time to digest so much specific content - and the traditional dinner closing out the event provided the perfect setting. Over local beer and delicious food served at Barre's Brauwelt, participants had a chance to discuss whether and how the new products could be of interest to them and their specific requirements. Dr. Uwe Krämer thanked all speakers and partners and, as in past years, his summary of the event was entirely positive: "Every year it is exciting to see how much creativity is sparked in interior production by such a small part. And that it is not just us remaining innovative and continuing to develop the edgeband, but that other companies are also driven by this spirit. The Edgeband Symposium documents this dynamic in edging technology as the only event of its kind. I can't wait to see what innovations we will see in 2025."

Anyone who was unable to attend this year can find out more about the products, innovations and services on the landing page.

On www.rehau.com/edgebandsymposium-ima-2024 all topics of the symposium are available online for download.