Butfering 43" Widebelt pictures

[Gregory Stahl]

This post is a follow up to comments I made in another wide belt thread.

Here are some pictures of my Butfering 43" wide belt sander to give an idea of the build quality. I chose the Butfering as it offered more options and control than other sanders in its price range. I was primarily considering the SCMI Sandya S300 as an alternate. There is one of these on eBay if you want to look at some pictures of the SCMI machine, as well as video on youtube.

The price of the Butfering was below the SCMI price, and included delivery and on-site set-up and training.

Looking over the SCMI info, I just noticed the Butfering has variable belt speed of 2.5 - 13 m/min; whereas, the SCMI offered on ebay and on the youtube videos has only two speeds. The Butfering uses a Homag VFD to accomplish this, and a picture is included.

Also, the Butfering has a touch screen to operate the sander, and utilizes a PLC to operate the machine. This allows configuration programs that can be brought up quickly.

I want to note the excellent manuals included with this machine. They are not the low quality manuals you get with other brands of european equipment. This one is good, but my Altendorf manual is better (it is in color). Stiles includes a digital copy of the manual with the machines.

I just wanted to share this machine as I believe it is very aggressively priced for a machine of this size and capability.

There is a lot of steel on this sander. Mine weighs around 3100-lbs, maybe a little more.

Greg


image9.JPG
image1-1.JPG Siemens European made main motor.
image5.JPG right side of sanding head and pneumatics. Mine has a steel drum, it is about 6.5" in diameter.
image3.JPG closer picture of sander drum.
image4.JPG pneumatics for oscillation, air cushion for platen and belt tension.
image1-2.JPG very thick steel in this machine.
image2-1.JPG jack screws and steel frame on right side of machine.

continued on next post.

[Gregory Stahl]

image2-2.JPG large sanding head made out of thick steel.
image3-1.JPG jack screws and main pneumatics on left side of machine.
image4-1.JPG close up--these are mounted in heavier steel than many machines.
image5-1.JPG Homag VFD, or I assume it is at-least.
image6.JPG High quality PLC. parts can be bought individually on line from many sources.
image7.JPG transformers, motor contactors and other components.
image10.JPG manual
image11.JPG page example - detailed pictures throughout.

[David Kumm]

Greg, any pictures of the platen? Dave

[Gregory Stahl]

I didn't grab any tonight. I can get one tomorrow.

[J.R. Rutter]

Looks like a nice machine. Thanks for sharing the detail pics.

[Bruce Page]

I would like to see an overall picture. It looks like a beautiful machine.

[Gregory Stahl]

Here is an overall picture of the front. Sorry my shop is so filthy.

image1-3.jpg

[Gregory Stahl]

Here are some pics of the platen. The platen is 3 1/8" wide. The last picture is upside down looking into the sander where the platen goes. The picture keeps getting flipped whenever I upload it--I gave up. It is the air cushion the platen pushes against. We are looking up at it.


image3-2.jpg
image2-3.jpg
image5-2.jpg
image4-2.jpg

[Mike Heidrick]

That is sweet!!!

I'll take any of your toss away scmi sandya models though if you are too good for them LOL!!

[peter gagliardi]

Looks like a solid machine for sure. Some day, when i grow up i keep telling myself.

[Gregory Stahl]

This is the touch screen to control the sander. This is a single head sander. The sanding head has a button under it with a "o" on it. This is the power button to turn the main sanding motor on. The upside down "t" below it is for the platen. Push the button and it turns to a "o" for drum only. The platen raises out of the way.

The numbers on the left are for the sanding thickness. It is currently set at 18.6 mm. The space below is what it is programmed to be set at. I have a blank program loaded, so it is 0.0. Also, this is the reason for the !!!!!!!! at the top. The two buttons below are to increase and decrease the thickness without typing a number.

The caliper at the top is to use the auto height sensor on the feed table. I don't use this feature, I prefer to keep a caliper nearby.

The box with the p is the grit of sand paper loaded in the sander.

To the bottom right, there is a power button for the feed belt, and to the right is where you enter the speed in m/min.

I don't have the air compressor on, so the "check pressure" alarm is on at the bottom.

image6-1.jpg

[Gregory Stahl]

That is sweet!!!

I'll take any of your toss away scmi sandya models though if you are too good for them LOL!!

Sorry--sold my SCMI to another cabinet shop!

[Martin Wasner]

Cool! A new widebelt is a thing of joy. I got my new one a bit over a year ago and I figure it saved me at least $3k in on machine time labor over my old widebelt which was about a four times slower of a process. Nevermind the labor savings in finish sanding time. The scratch is infinitely better over my old sander as well.

Congrats, maintain it and don't abuse it. The guys next door to me have a Butfering widebelt, they have had problems with theirs, but I think it's ask self inflicted. There's tunes when my shop has been quiet and I can hear theirs running and I just cringe listening to them hog material hard.

[David Kumm]

I can't access the platen pics but the machine sure looks to have a lot of features for a Euro machine at that price point. Well done. Dave

[Gregory Stahl]

Cool! A new widebelt is a thing of joy. I got my new one a bit over a year ago and I figure it saved me at least $3k in on machine time labor over my old widebelt which was about a four times slower of a process. Nevermind the labor savings in finish sanding time. The scratch is infinitely better over my old sander as well.

Congrats, maintain it and don't abuse it. The guys next door to me have a Butfering widebelt, they have had problems with theirs, but I think it's ask self inflicted. There's tunes when my shop has been quiet and I can hear theirs running and I just cringe listening to them hog material hard.

Hi Martin,

I have had this wide belt for about 19-months so far, not so much as a hiccup. You are right on about the scratch pattern. I rarely use the platen with this machine--the quality is so high right off the drum!

What machine did you buy?

Greg