digital manufacturing
& Innovation

Either starting from a sketch, a physical sample, or a concept, we support you during the entire design process of your wooden products.

Thanks to the latest CAD-CAM software, we can simulate even the most difficult drawings without disturbing the concept and the general feeling of the original project.

Our start-up meeting involves a visit in our virtual showroom for inspiration and brainstorming.

Then, starting from the design constraints analysis, we provide a full prospect of the investment required, an estimate of price, realistic prototypes of the final product, and a 3D design.

To ensure top-quality wooden components, it is essential that the raw material is carefully prepared. The drying process is especially important to guarantee ideal moisture content for a clean milling process, higher dimensional stability, and less probability of breakage.

The Minelli Group has in-house and state-of-the-art drying chambers.

Each chamber has a built-in control unit with heating, spraying, dehumidification, and an air circulation system, with the possibility of adjusting them according to the starting moisture content and type of wood to treat.

Depending on the object, moisture content must be reduced to a given humidity level, usually from 8% to 12%; however, there are some exceptions where lower or higher moisture content is needed.

A team of experts is assigned to this duty, as each batch has its own features that must be considered before processing.

Our in-house drying chamber allows us to treat batches of wood of the same size as the batch we need to manufacture. This means we can prepare just the needed material on demand, avoiding storing unused wood for very long.

This leads to higher productivity at a lower cost.

Most manufacturers use multipurpose production equipment to manufacture different types of products. If necessary, the Minelli Group can develop a dedicated production line for specific items to meet clients’ requirements and ensure accuracy, brief lead time, and higher volume.

We only use the latest generation of customized and made-for-purpose CNC machines with three and five axes that provide consistent dimensional and finishing results even at a very high production volume.

Many of our machines are unique and custom-made, as we developed them with external partners to produce specific objects.

We also created our own Manufacturing Execution System (MES), which makes our company fully connected. Thanks to our digital technology, the planning department can estimate progress of the production process at each stage: this is essential for accurate cost estimation in pilot, comprehensive management of overall lead time, and to be able to react timely to any inconvenience that may occur.

We have recently implemented new 3D metrology technology that lets us guarantee maximum precision for each production lot.

This system, which is based on blue light 3D scanning technology, enables our engineers to quickly generate 3D blueprints of physical objects with a high level of accuracy.

Before production, metrological instruments are used to set up the needed machinery so that it can produce the object according to the technical drawing.

Then, you make a prototype that will be scanned to verify if the machinery has been set up correctly.

Only when the wooden object has been completely scanned and the machine doesn’t find any problems can production start.

The process is fully automated, so the possibility of error is minimal, even nonexistent.

Thanks to cutting-edge technologies and design software, our experts can simulate the final product with a high level of accuracy and precision and provide a representative 3D prototype before production.

This is necessary to understand if the object corresponds to our clients’ ideas or if some modifications are required.

For this purpose, we have built and set up a dedicated prototyping division capable of producing a 1:1 sample of the final product.

The finishing phase is one of the most important aspects of the process.

Automatic systems as well as anthropomorphic laser robots—which can adapt to every shape with radial movements and different engraving depths—let us customize each product according to clients’ preferences and create the most complex and technical designs.

Our internal R&D department constantly observes the market to develop innovative finishing options according to market trends and customers’ preferences.

All our products are individually checked with a sophisticated automatic system of visual control of eight infrared video cameras that operate at 360° all around the object.

The core technology is an innovative tailor-made artificial intelligence algorithm that ensures continuous monitoring of the process with data collection and analysis, providing real-time visualization and dedicated reporting compliant with Industry 4.0 regulations.

The system is equipped with auto learn function: thanks to previous production experience and data saved over time, the system is able to adapt independently to further improve the efficiency of the line.

Some products have very complex shapes, and precise measurements can be very difficult. If made manually, the probability of error is high.

Thanks to our 3D laser technology and metrology software, the entire process is automated, faster, and more reliable:

First, the wooden object is completely scanned with a laser gun; then, the metrology software creates a three-dimensional representation that must be compared with the original technical drawing to verify that nominal dimensions and tolerances are correct.

Digitalized quality control processes guarantee the highest accuracy.

The finishing phase is one of the most important aspects of the process.

Automatic systems as well as anthropomorphic laser robots—which can adapt to every shape with radial movements and different engraving depths—let us customize each product according to clients’ preferences and create the most complex and technical designs.

Our internal R&D department constantly observes the market to develop innovative finishing options according to market trends and customers’ preferences.

Each item is automatically packed according to customer specifications in safe and clean warehouses, with discarded items reentering our production system to become other items, according to the circular economy model.

We can also provide customizable private stocking solutions to guarantee just in time delivery from our European and U.S. plants.

Logistics is digitalized and integrated too. We can access the information we need to make our supply chain processes agile and improved, ensuring an excellent customer experience.