Cotswold Doors

In order to offer their clients the best quality doors and frames, with quickest possible delivery times, Cotswold Doors have recently invested in a new Essepigi Faster high speed CNC frame machining line. This latest investment comes hot on the heels of an Essepigi Doormatic thru-feed door machining line that was installed last year. Both machines were supplied by JJ Smith. Cotswold supply on a nationwide basis to Healthcare, Education, Residential, Commercial, Student Accommodation and the Leisure Sector. The company is headed up by Dave Campbell, Simon Campbell and Jamie Wilkinson.

Jamie Wilkinson comments 'Following on from the Installation of the Essepigi Doormatic in early in 2019, it quickly became apparent that to keep pace with the door machining, which typically only takes us 60 seconds per door, we needed a quicker way to produce the frames. As we had already built up an excellent working relationship with JJ Smith over several years, we had no hesitation in contacting Paul Parker to discuss in more detail exactly what our requirements were". As a result of these discussions, an outline machine specification was suggested, with the final details to be agreed once Jamie & Simon had seen a similar model being tested at the Essepigi Factory in Pesaro, Italy.

The machine proposed was a Thru - Feed model 'Faster 2T' which as standard is equipped with 2 x CNC Milling heads for hinge and lock keep recessing. Cotswold also added the optional 2 + 2 extra CNC milling heads for pilot hole drilling and face fixing holes. The infeed system consists of cross transfer belts that deliver the frame component on to a lateral feed belt that then delivers it to the machining area. Once the process is completed the part is automatically transferred and ejected on to an outfeed table. Set up times are extremely quick when changing to different length frame parts, with the added benefit of parametric programming. Additional options include QR Scanner and optimising saw for cutting jambs / heads to length. To process a typical frame jamb with 3 hinges with pilot holes along with trenching rebates with screw holes takes only 40 seconds including loading / unloading, with counterplate and top rebate approx 30 seconds.

The Faster machine is just one of a complete range of specialist door and frame CNC machines that Essepegi produce, all of which are usually configured to suit customers individual production requirements. The Thrufeed Doormatic is probably the quickest machine on the market for the machining of internal doors, whilst the top of the range Evolution can machine a complete door including sizing / drop seal / top closer/ aperture etc in a fraction of the time it takes on a traditional flat bed CNC. Essepigi also supply machines to produce Mitre and Dowel frame joints or alternatively notched head and jamb construction.

The new frame machine has now been installed at Cotswold for several months and Simon Campbell comments 'Despite all of the problems earlier in the year associated with the lockdown, we still managed to keep some production going and offer a supply line to our customers. We are now back to full production and the new Essepigi frame line is already working to almost full capacity'. He adds 'We have found that working with Essepigi and JJ Smith hassle free, they listened to what we wanted to achieve and came up with a spec of machine that ticked all our boxes. JJ Smith Sales Director and Door Specialist Paul Parker concludes ‘It has been a pleasure to work with the guys at Cotswold Doors, they are very forward thinking and straight forward to deal with and no doubt will become one of the UK’s leading door and frame suppliers’. For further information on JJ Smith’s extensive range of door and frame machining solutions from Essepigi, Centauro and Comec please contact [email protected] / 0151 548 9000.