FG Trading gets Quick and seamless with Neptun

FG Trading has a knack for discovering and introducing inventive solutions to the South African market and their recent investment into supplying the Neptun Quick series is no exception. Designed to transform the way in which glass is processed for shower screens, doors, partitions and similar frameless glass applications, the Quick series is fast, automated and efficient.

Stuart Fraser, Managing Director of FG Trading tells ‘Architect and Specificator, “Up until now, the only other way to achieve such a high level of quality automatically was by using a horizontal CNC, which meant the glass had to be manipulated from a vertical position to a horizontal position and back again. With the Quick series, the line is vertical so the glass goes in one end and isn’t touched until it comes out the other end.”

The Neptun Quick series is available in a number of different modules which can be mixed and matched according to client specifications and budgets. The Quickmill and the Quickdrill deliver the drilling, milling and polishing of cut-outs, QuickFlow is the programming layer which brings the machines together and directs the entire process, and these systems can be integrated with the Neptun washing machine, dryer and a straight-line edger to completely optimise and streamline production.

“The Quick line has been met with a lot of local success. We have already installed the entire solution – from drill to dryer – in a number of South African organisations and they are extremely impressed with the results,” adds Stuart.

A clever solution

“The primary feature of this line is that it is vertical and the glass is completed to incredibly high quality standards without excessive handling,” says Stuart. “On a complete line, when the glass is loaded onto the input conveyor it is automatically controlled and handled right up to the point where it needs to enter the tempering furnace when ordinarily this would have meant handling a piece of glass through three to four different stations, manually.

This significantly reduces the risk of breakage or damage and allows for the operator to easily handle high volumes. Another advantage is that the cut-outs are such that the risk of breakage in the tempering furnace as a result of poor edge quality is non-existent.”

Alongside improvements in handling levels and quality, the series is cost-effective. Machines can be purchased as individual units and their modular nature allows for them to operate as a line or independent of one another, which not only allows for functional control, but also fits within limited budgets.

Of course, the line has another ace up its sleeve beyond automation and control – speed. A cut such as the Mickey Mouse cut-out (also known as bunny ears) takes 84 seconds with the Quick line, from start to finished, polished and dried product. Normally this would take an average of 10-15 minutes using equipment available on the market today.

A new chapter

“We chose to represent Neptun for three reasons,” says Stuart. “The first is their reputation for being able to produce high quality glass processing machinery which is borne out of the fact that the owners are the well-known Bavelloni family, which has been synonymous with best of the best glass processing machinery over the last 30 years. The second is the unique nature of the vertical range of CNC machinery which allows for mix and match modular growth and complete vertical processing. Finally, the line is more affordable than most and yet it is one of the fastest and most efficient.”

The segment has traditionally not been as well catered for in terms of product ranges and diversity, making the Neptun series a strong contender for first place in quality and functionality. FG Trading has seen impressive results with clients who have invested in the Quick line, as well as others they have brought into South Africa such as the Rock Straight-Line Edgers and LV Top and Superinox vertical washing machines.

The Rock Straight-Line Edgers from Neptun were introduced locally and have been met with critical customer approval,” says Stuart. “It can polish glass to an incredibly high level at 5m per minute, whereas the average solution available here today can only polish at around 1.5-2m per minute. This is usually a bottleneck area so the speed is most definitely an advantage.”

FG Trading is also the provider of Neptun washing machines, both the top of the range Superinox and the LV Top, which can achieve speeds of up to 8m per minute and are constructed from high-grade stainless steel to extend their life span, and incorporate energy-efficient control systems.

Source: Architect & Specificator, July/August 2016

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