Custom wood product manufacturing: why quality control is crucial

Consistently maintaining the highest quality and precision in custom wood product manufacturing for large-scale production is a challenge for many companies.

To ensure the same precision for each single item, accurate quality control is essential. Let’s discuss the topic in the following article.

Why precise custom wood product manufacturing is complicated

Wood is different from any other material, and managing it correctly can be very difficult without the right competency and tools. Wood, in fact, moves as its moisture content changes. When humidity is high, wood absorbs moisture and swells. When humidity drops, wood shrinks. It is a slow and gradual movement that may be imperceptible to the naked eye, but it can cause significant problems if not taken into account in custom wood product manufacturing.

Considering tolerances when manufacturing wooden products is therefore crucial. A primary concern of a competent wood maker is to understand the extent of the tolerances without negatively affecting precision of the final object.

The problem is that many wood makers also manage other materials, such as plastics or metals. If they adopt the same tolerances for all the raw materials, product fitting will be inaccurate and cause many problems.

A reliable manufacturer should implement sophisticated metrological systems for more accurate and precise quality control resulting in perfect, top-quality wooden objects.

If measurements are made manually, i.e., using manual callipers, rulers, or goniometers, the probability of error is higher.

A 3D laser technology and the metrology software make the entire process automated, faster, and more accurate.

It is a system based on blue light 3D scanning technology that enables engineers to generate 3D blueprints of physical objects with a high level of accuracy.

The process consists of three main phases:

• a blue light laser gun scans the product’s surface
• sophisticated metrology software converts the scan into a three-dimensional representation
• the 3D representation is compared with the original technical drawing to ensure that nominal dimensions and tolerances are correct

Especially wooden objects with complex shapes can be very complicated and time consuming to measure manually. The laser gun makes the entire process faster and more reliable.

Besides automation and sophisticated software, however, human control over production remains necessary to ensure greater precision and consistency.

Let’s discuss why quality control is essential for different types of custom wood products.

Bow risers

In archery, in addition to the skill of the archer, an accurate arrow launch comes from a perfect combination of:

• the stability of the riser
• the structural rigidity of the bow

A top-quality riser must be solid and have the right shape and weight to be accurate.

A competent EU/USA manufacturer performs numerous tests to ensure the quality of the riser. A Degree of Bending Test, Stress Test, and Breaking Load Test are necessary to verify the structure of the riser and its performance during the design phase. Then, after production, each riser must be tested for component anomalies or some unbonded areas. Finally, before shipment, risers must undergo final quality control before being approved and certified.

In the video below, you can learn more about the quality tests a reliable supplier must make:

Gunstocks

The ability of the shooter is important, but accuracy and precision when shooting also depends on how the stock is projected and designed.

Considering tolerances is especially important. Each type of wood has its own tolerances, and even half a millimetre can make a significant difference!

The manufacturer must guarantee:

• a gunstock’s long life (it cannot break after a few shots)
• constant shooting accuracy (MOA)
• right recoil absorption

The internal parts of the stock must be designed perfectly to hold the mechanics that must be aligned on the stock to ensure perfect assembly and let the barrel float freely during the shot.

The action, in fact, moves and vibrates with every shot within the stock; if the barrel can’t move properly after each shot, the bullet will always have a different trajectory and hit the target in a different way and perhaps even miss it (poor MOA).

Respecting wood tolerances is crucial for a perfect floating barrel that moves freely but in the right way.

A manufacturer that uses sophisticated metrology software and makes specific field tests to ensure the quality of the arm and the stock can guarantee perfectly made products.

Packaging components

The main objective of packaging is to protect the contents during transport, storage, and delivery to prevent damage, contamination, and product loss while preserving the quality of the cosmetic, fragrance, or spirit.

Caps and bottles are often made of different materials, e.g., wooden cap and glass bottle. If the cap is not handled perfectly, it will not fit and may cause many problems.

Moreover, some wood caps or packages may have very complex shapes and designs, and precise measurements can be very difficult. If made manually, mistakes that compromise the product’s functionality are quite possible.

A competent manufacturer must have the experience and technology to create state-of-the-art packaging components.

Besides 3D laser technology and sophisticated metrology software, packaging components should be individually checked with automatic systems of infrared video cameras and tailor-made artificial intelligence algorithms to ensure they are in line with clients’ specifications and expectations.

Oral care products

Oral care products, e.g., toothbrushes and interdentals, must be safe for people and cannot have splinters that could injure the mouth, lips, and fingers.

Strict quality controls are therefore necessary. Each item must be individually checked with sophisticated systems that operate at 360° all around the handle to verify:

• dimensional and functional aspect (size and shape)
• milling accuracy (missing parts, dents, splinters, breakage)
• morphological defects (open knots, heavy discoloration)

Each item should then be automatically packed according to customer specifications in a safe and clean environment to be completely safe for consumers.

Especially when producing a large number of wooden products and components, the manufacturer must be able to ensure consistent quality and cost-effectiveness.

If necessary, a leading woodworking company should have special tools and equipment and dedicated production lines according to what it needs to produce while choosing the most suitable machinery and processes to ensure maximum quality and performance.

The Minelli Group is known all over the world for the quality and precision of its wooden components as well as its ability to maintain the highest standards in compliance with tolerances and strict quality control. 

Thanks to our decennial experience in custom wood product manufacturing and our innovative machines and tools, we can guarantee perfect wooden components. 

If you have a project in mind, do not hesitate to contact us! Our experts will be glad to evaluate your plan and help shape your idea.