With promotions on CNCs and furniture design software, NIKA Machine Tools celebrates 10 years of Industry 4.0

Smart phones, information stored in the cloud, high-speed internet - it all seems normal and we can't imagine everyday life without them. In woodworking, the same level of performance means CNCs, high-performance software, robotic arms, networking. We are witnessing impressive industrial development. The changes are so great and so rapid that they are equivalent to a revolution. It's actually the fourth level of a revolution that started hundreds of years ago. The level 4 industrial revolution, which began 10 years ago, brought CNCs and design software into factories, has irreversibly transformed the way manufacturing is done. This period when woodworking reinvented itself with the help of machines is celebrated by NIKA Machinery with promotional offers.

The road to level 4. The beginnings of the industrial revolution

The fourth wave of the industrial revolution is also known as Industry 4.0. It started as the idea of an initiative group in Germany and went from a government program to a worldwide revolution. It quickly spread around the world changing it on an industrial, social and even political level. Compared to previous industrial revolutions, the speed at which change is now happening is dizzying.

The first industrial revolution took place in the second half of the 18th century. The introduction of water and steam as an energy source led to a shift from manual to mechanized production. The new machines made it easier to work in woodworking, textiles, agriculture and mining, and led to the emergence of a middle class in society.

It took almost 100 years to take it to the next level. Electric current, invented in the second half of the 19th century, allowed more machines to be used in industry and mass production to emerge. It's also known as the technological revolution. The railroads, the telegraph, and so information moved faster. Much more efficient machines than steam-powered ones led to significant economic growth and increased productivity, but also to unemployment due to the replacement of human labor by machines.

The third level is situated around 1970 and is determined by the appearance of the first computer. It is called the digital revolution and is characterized by the introduction of automation in factories. This is when computers are being perfected and communication technologies are being developed.

Industry 4.0 - changes at all levels

And here we are now, just 10 years after a group of visionaries in Germany came up with the national transformation strategy called the Digital Agenda, already in the second wave of the 4.0 revolution. Digital Agenda envisaged 3 levels of growth and productivity. The first level focused on digitization, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud storage, robotization.

The second wave, which started in 2016 and is expected to last until 2025, focuses on artificial intelligence, 6G communication and the discovery of new energy sources. From 2025, the last wave, which sounds more like a science fiction movie, will begin: neurotechnology, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, cybersecurity. The signs are already there - all these themes are already being talked about - so the future is likely to come with much more innovative themes.

The transformation is so big and radical that it is estimated that 65% of the children starting school now will have a 'job' that has not yet been invented. It is in fact what has already happened to those now working in social media, digital publishing or online commerce. Such jobs didn't exist when they started school.

This advanced digitization and automation will lead to the disappearance of repetitive jobs - which will be taken over by robots - and humans will move to the next level, having to coordinate robots. Work will become less manual, physically easier but far more complex. That means we will work less but be more productive. We will work from home or from the coffee shop even when we have to put robots to work. We'll be smarter and freer. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Although more traditionalist than other fields, woodworking is also being revolutionized. High-performance software for furniture design and specialized numerically controlled machines for all kinds of machining are no longer a novelty. Trade fairs like Ligna and Interzum are beginning to look more and more like science fiction movies. And this seems to be just the beginning.

Design software that helps you optimize material consumption and costs

What could be more representative of Industry 4.0 than powerful software. Software that enables manufacturers to automate processes and fully integrate design into the production process, whether it is a workshop or a large factory. Such software is Cabinet Vision, one of Nika Utilaje's offers to celebrate 10 years of Industry 4.0.

Cabinet Vision can produce custom furniture fixtures and room designs, realistic renderings, material optimization, price and production cost quotations, cutting lists and bills of materials. It can automatically create ready-to-work files for Nesting or point-to-point CNCs, CNC saws, drilling and inserting machines, circular slicers and other types of CNC machines.

Nika Utilaje is the exclusive representative of Cabinet Vision in Romania. In their 25 years of experience in the field of woodworking machinery and derived panels, the company's representatives have understood the expectations of furniture manufacturers. Thus, they are sure that Cabinet Vision software satisfies all these expectations, managing to fully integrate the design in the production process.

More about the Cabinet Vision software and the Nika Utilaje offer here.

The CNC - the flagship machine of the 4.0 industrial revolution in woodworking

Nika's offer does not stop at software, but is extended to machines. The brand chosen for this promotion is Masterwood and the machine - TF 100 2.0 CNC automatic drilling machine. The offer covers 2 variants of the CNC:

• Hobbing+Milling: the standard version of the machine, plus the electro-spindle milling unit;
• Complete: the standard Complete variant, plus the electro-spindle milling unit, tool magazine and aggregate preparation.

Masterwood - the Italian brand that manufactures woodworking machinery - has more than 50 years of experience behind it. NIKA Utilaje is the official representative in Romania. Over the years, many manufacturers have been convinced of the qualities of Masterwood machines, remaining loyal to the brand when they decided they needed others.

Find the features of the drill described in full on the website and details of the offer, here.

A laudable initiative

We are used to seeing such celebrations of world-changing stories or events at foreign companies or international trade fairs. It is gratifying to see a Romanian firm appreciating an event that has transformed the industry worldwide. It's a change that is very well reflected in the equipment of Romanian factories in recent years. The demand for CNCs is growing and we see that those who, a year or two ago, were buying simple woodworking machines, are rapidly moving to the next level.

NIKA Utilaje, with its 25 years of experience on the Romanian market, prides itself on being able to offer solutions tailored to the needs of each customer. Partnering with recognized brands such as Masterwood and Cabinet Vision allows the company to come up with solutions that bring the benefits of the 4.0 industrial revolution to any workshop or factory, making everything truly simpler.