In 2012, WINTERSTEIGER acquired the automation specialist VAP Gruber Automations GmbH based in Mettmach, Austria. Founded by Josef Gruber in 2003, the company develops automation solutions for the wood, metals, and plastics industries.

Saw first, repair after

The machines for repairing wood surfaces developed by VAP were and remain of particular interest to WINTERSTEIGER. These "timber cosmetics systems" can be used to repair knotholes and cracks in engineered flooring, solid wood flooring, and multilayer boards, and perfectly complement WINTERSTEIGER's range of sawing machines for thin-cutting wood. Once the wooden blocks are cut, the defects are filled with a special filling material. The TRC Woodpatch can even be used to repair boards such as formwork panels with patches or plugs made from the user's own wood strips during the process.

The "brain" of the system is the 3D scanner. It begins by scanning the surface to calculate exactly how much filling material will be needed to repair the defect before passing this data on with extreme precision to the injection unit – and all in a matter of seconds.