Quality edge laminating around corners has always been a problem for custom woodworking shops. It’s hard to conceal the seams. Armando Celeiro, owner of Florida-based hotel and office furniture manufacturer Mica Case, believes he has found an answer to that problem. Celeiro recently purchased a post-forming machine developed and marketed by Tropical Benders, Inc. of Seminole, Florida. The post-forming machine allows laminate to be wrapped around the corners of a board, eliminating the black lines and edges of the typical square-edged laminating processes.
“We have a larger post-forming machine,” Celerio noted, “but this machine does almost exactly the same thing for much less money. It is very simple to operate, very well designed and well built. My people are extremely happy with it.”
“Designers love it,” said Mark Stiehler, the creator of the Tropical Benders, Inc. post-forming machine and also the owner of Comfort Wall Beds and Cabinetry, a Florida-based manufacturer of Murphy beds. “The post-forming process eliminates unsightly square edges. It gives cabinetry and drawer fronts, in particular, much cleaner lines. In addition, it seals completely and has no seams. When the process is complete it doesn’t look like typical laminate because it doesn’t have the edges.”
The machine is designed for double-edge radius 180-degree wrap edge, according to Stiehler. “Any VT grade laminate designed to be heated to 325 degrees can be shaped without distortion or damage. All machines come with a timer and a bottle of Tempilaq heat-indicating liquid. Paint the Tempilaq on and it changes color to let you know when the process is completed. Generally it takes forty-five seconds to use. We have sold machines to customers who have never used a post-forming machine before and they damaged just one piece in a two hundred and fifty piece run.”
Joe Livsey, who owns a small Florida shop specializing in custom work, echoed Celerio’s positive response to the Tropical Benders post-forming machine. “I wanted to expand into the post-forming side of things,” Livsey said. “When I started to look into it, I found the available machines were an enormous amount of money. I got in touch with Mark, looked at his machine and how fast it was to operate, and I was very impressed. I bought my machine in January and it has paid for half of the cost already.”
The post-forming machine was designed to be an affordable solution to the post-forming process, according to Stiehler. Machines that perform similar post-forming functions can run upwards of $40,000. The machine from Tropical Benders runs from $5,200 to just under $9,000 depending on the model and size.
The machines are currently offered in two models: the 2000 and the 2002. Each comes in 8-, 10- and 12-foot lengths. The 2000 model has a manual hand-cranking clamping system with adjustable board thickness from 3/8” to 41/2”. The 2002 is fully pneumatic with pre-set board thicknesses. It has a dual-switch-controlled clamping system with an added safety feature requiring both switches to be engaged within a ten-second span in order for the machine to operate. Machines are constructed with a solid steel frame, galvanized steel through and laminated plywood decking. All machines come with a two-year limited warranty.
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