ETP Transmission - 40 Years of Refined Woodwork

Less action, more precision

The business area of woodworking faced major growth during the 1980s and ETP Transmission had by then made further developments into “single screw solutions”, the same used in the company’s Hub-shaft connections (AI, BI, CI, EI-types). It allowed for a quick and easy assembly and disassembly of tools, making set-up times faster and maximizing productivity. Earlier solutions involved multiple screws with unreliable precision. The revolutionary new solution became increasingly popular. Today, it is used in multiple areas, from sawmills to flooring.

“I think the reason behind the success of the ‘single screw solution’ is the time saved. The woodworking industry handles material with multiple dimensions and needs a quick way of switching between tools. Also, the brain exercise of remembering what screw should be tightened in what order, is now non-existent”, Niclas Rosberg says.

Revolutionary CNC developments

Contributing to higher safety standards, ETP Transmission launched its CNC tool holder in 1988 with first-class safety features. With the construction of a safety guard, specifically designed for worker safety in open CNC woodworking machines. This innovative hydraulic product utilizes a bayonet mount with a shaft tool, complemented by a wing nut, which is applied at the backside of the product for added security. Before, open CNC machines could pose a risk for worker safety if a tool would break and be flung away. Niclas Rosberg takes pride in the groundbreaking safety features of the new CNC tool holder.

“It was important for us to find a solution that was safe. We created a bayonet mount, which requires pressure to release the tool that has been mounted, we call it a safety ring. This prevents the tool from accidentally falling out and diminishes the risks of getting injured, and we were the first company to develop such a solution”, Niclas Rosberg explains.

Breaking new ground within laminate floors

Beyond the safety benefits, the tool holders adapted for CNC machines, like the ETP HYDRO-GRIP®, also made it possible for industries to share their pre-made pressure and grind settings. Therefore, when one industry cuts and grinds floor panels, these can later be sent to the processing client who puts it in their processing machine and receives all the same settings from the grinding machine.

“This means that the relationship between grinding and processing floor panels is synchronized. Precision meets productivity and the results are brilliant due to the hydraulic repeatability within two-thousandths of a millimetre”, Niclas Rosberg says.

In later years, ETP developed adjustable tool holders like the ETP-CUBIT for 2-part tools to increase repeatability and production output within the laminated floor industry. The highly adjustable features of the ETP-CUBIT made the profiling and cutting of floor panels precise.

“Previously, industries had to adjust the tools along the way in order to achieve the most precise profiling, which resulted in a tremendous amount of wasted material. With the ETP-CUBIT, the precision for profiling and cutting was immediate. This solution did not only save valuable time and waste but was also a step towards a more automated workflow. Today, we are celebrating 40 years as a company and our business is still growing and the need for our hydraulic solutions for the woodworking industry remains”, Niclas Rosberg concludes.