What do classrooms, industrial facilities, and hospitals all have in common? They each utilize casework solutions. CiF Lab Solutions has been manufacturing premium wood laboratory casework since 1969. The manufacturer serves a variety of markets from K-12 colleges/ universities to research and development facilities, STEM labs, pharmaceutical and commercial.
Serving the United States and Canada, CiF uses Microvellum and WEB-CAB software to optimize their design and streamline their product operations. The casework manufacturer’s use of advanced software and technology has allowed it to advance more quickly than its competitors. “We started basically around 50 years ago with one table saw and there was definitely a lot of passion there. Today, we are in a different stage where we are really stable and focusing a lot on quality and trying to deliver the best products,” explained Adrian Florea, manufacturing engineering manager at CiF Lab Solutions.
Casework Manufacturing Using Advanced Technology
The company has been using specialized software for over ten years and Florea considers it their best investment. “The software is coming from our engineering department to the warehouse,” Floria noted as he discussed the software and how it can be used in the CiF warehouse. “So right now, there’s a five-by-five panel on the screen which is on the saw in the warehouse right now and the software will have cut strips for Baltic Birch drawer boxes. As soon as the product is cut it’s going to be marked with an “X” which just means complete. We also use software to generate labeling, one label for a group of parts which is going to be CNC labeling,” noted Florea.
The product is then moved to the CNC area which consists of two machines with a flat loading surface: a Biesse and Drillteq from Homag. The Drillteq handles CiF’s larger casework products while the Biesse CNC machine
works on solid wood, mainly on the CiF table systems. When handling the wood casework on the cabinet’s doors and drawers, Florea explained “The process starts with spraying the cabinet edging and as soon as that process is complete, all the parts are ready to be painted on the finishing line. The finishing line has a sanding machine and after the sanding process, we continue to the finishing process, which is a colour application, wash coat application, roller wrap application and after they’re all done the parts go through the sealer and UV to secure the product and ready to handle.”
Wood casework solutions are not only durable but have long been the traditional material of choice for many laboratory cabinets, especially for educational organizations. This type of casework holds up well, and it’s also ideal for virtually any application that uses chemicals that corrode metals and is repairable. CiF launched its new Traditional Wood Series cabinet line that includes design details such as solid lumber, a full top frame, a much thicker edge banding, and shelving. The company’s Traditional Wood Series has become one of their most popular, especially in the educational sector, and is made from either red oak or white maple.
Ellie King is the Editor of Wood Industry / Le monde du bois magazine and weekly E-digest. She has years of experience in B2B writing and editing and is empowered by the opportunity to share the marvels, pitfalls and weekly news of Canada’s secondary wood industry with our readers.