St Albans - Zünd UK Ltd is experiencing a wave of new furniture designs created with its digital cutting tables.

Zünd cutting equipment is used in a wide variety of markets including sign-making and graphics, packaging, composites for aerospace and automotive applications, leather, textiles, and architecture design – and now recent testimonials from furniture designers and manufacturers are demonstrating its effectiveness within this field.

Girsberger, a designer and manufacturer of custom furniture solutions, dining and office seating located in Endingen, Germany, has overhauled its production workflow thanks to a Zünd G3 L-3200 cutting system. Suitable for woven mesh, leather and more, the machine has enabled Girsberger – a company with a 125-year history – to implement a streamlined, on-demand method.

"In the past, all cut parts for a specific chair model were pre-cut for an entire week's worth of production," says Production Manager Philipp Frank. "Now we cut parts independent of the model in one run, which has led to dramatic reductions in processing times. With the Zünd cutter, we are now a lot more flexible in our cutting and can adjust much faster to any changes. Our entire production has become noticeably leaner and more fluid."

Also based in Germany, König+Neurath has been manufacturing office furniture since 1925. A trend for single runs means cutting-edge digital production tools and a highly efficient production workflow are required to keep costs low for customers. A new Zünd Cutter G3 L-3200 was installed last year to do just that, replacing a multi-layer fabric cutter. The Zünd machine enables far more precise production and reduces material wastage, even on stretchy fabrics. Integrated material storage with digitised stock management also reduces set-up times.

"We have switched nearly all of our cutting tasks to the Zünd G3 cutter. The multi-layer cutter is now used only for the simplest of cuts which have no impact with regard to efficiency or waste," comments Thomas Selbach, Head of Production for Chairs at König+Neurath.

A Zünd G3 2XL-3200 with MindCUT software has also paid dividends at Integra, Inc., located in southern Wisconsin, USA.

"Prior to purchasing the Zünd cutter, we were manufacturing the old-fashioned way – manually – using hand-traced paper patterns and cutting stack materials with an 8" straight blade and a rotating hand cutter for single plies," explains Greg Scharnott, President of Integra.

By switching to the Zünd G3 for a wide range of upholstery materials, including leathers, vinyls and fabrics – each with different backers and stretch properties – the company has seen throughput, material yield and cut quality significantly improved. Integra has spent more than 30 years designing and manufacturing seating and tables for lounge and reception areas, and intends to make the Zünd a big part of its goal to double the size of its manufacturing facility over the next year.

"Zünd cutting tables are compatible with such an extensive range of materials that it's no surprise we're seeing more and more furniture manufacturers investing in the technology," comments Stuart Cole, Managing Director, Zünd UK Ltd.

"On wood, MDF, honeycomb cardboard, leather and textiles, Zünd systems have been shown to significantly increase the speed and efficiency of design and manufacturing processes, and the precision and quality of output."

Zünd demonstrated its double-beamed D3 cutting system, fitted with a projection system and state-of-the-art nesting program, at Interzum 2017 – the world's leading trade show for furniture production and interior design. Presentations of the Zünd D3 machine and new cradle feeder demonstrated the high levels of automation, speed and safety, as well as its efficient material handling systems and range of tools. Each Zünd cutting table is built in Switzerland in a modular configuration to enable users to invest in their perfect set-up from day one, and to make changes as their businesses evolve in the future.