A Quick Look At Changes In Modern Manufacturing Processes For Wooden Sash Windows

| Saturday, March 3, 2012
By Andrew Brentford


The modern manufacturing processes for wooden sash windows are a far cry from even just the recent past. During the last century, mass production required days of retooling if new specifications were introduced. Of course, even those time consuming factory procedures were an enormous improvement on the time it took to make window sashes by hand

There was a time when master craftsmen would teach one or perhaps a few apprentices. Each apprentice would then practice the skills required to properly construct a wooden sash. Each sash was handmade and required hours of work.

Today, a cutting edge, modern factory can change sash specifications in a matter of minutes. Just a few key strokes can reprogram dozens of robotic stations to perform the same tasks that would have required hours to set up in factories only few decades old. Now employees learn computer programs rather than how to sharpen a cutting tool.

Mass production is nothing new to sash manufacturing. As early as 1900 the idea of mass producing sash parts in a factory was well established. From there the mechanization of mass production increased rapidly until robots handle the majority of actions in some plants.

While the need for individually produced wooden windows has decreased, it has not disappeared. Historical reproductions are in high demand. The National Registry of Historic Homes frowns on the use of modern materials and often requires the skills of an artisan.

Changing a sash profile is one of the most time consuming issues that modernization has be able to reduce. Instead of closing down a manufacturing line for days, a computerized program can shift the movable cutting knives in a modern plant in minutes. The entire production line can be ready in just a few hours or sometimes even less.

The facilities for construction have evolved over time as well. Vast automated factories can cover acres of ground. The efficiency of these behemoths is greater as well, lessening the need for waste handling. With robotics and other modern processes, as-needed shipping is becoming the norm. Gone are the guild halls when it comes to quality control.

Modern manufacturing processes for wooden sash windows have improved the availability and decreased the cost of production. Efficiency and flexibility are at new all time highs. And while the craftsman will always have his niche, the production line is here for the needs of millions.




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