Halving fire door production times with Project Doors CNC

As demand for certified fire doors continues to rise across the UK construction sector, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to produce more, faster, without compromising quality or adding labour.

For many, standard CNC processes are becoming a bottleneck. Masterwood GB’s dedicated Project Doors CNC has been developed specifically to address these challenges, offering a purpose-built, automated solution that significantly reduces production times while improving consistency and ease of operation.

According to Kris Alexander, Director at Masterwood GB, speed was the key driver behind the machine’s development.

“Timing is the main reason customers look at Project Doors,” he explains. “On average, to manufacture a fire door on a standard CNC, you’re looking at up to nine minutes. Project Doors cuts that time almost in half.”

Designed specifically for door production

Unlike general-purpose machining centres, Project Doors has been engineered exclusively for door and window processing, particularly the precise requirements of fire door manufacture.

Equipped with a powerful 12 kW electrospindle, the machine is built to handle demanding machining operations with ease, from hinge recesses and lock mortises to slots, profiling, decorations and all hardware preparation.

“Project Doors is a high-spec machine that’s perfect for anyone making fire doors,” says Kris. “It offers maximum flexibility and can be integrated just as easily into a small working cell as it can into a large automated production line.”

Automation that tackles the labour gap

With skilled labour increasingly hard to find, automation is becoming essential for manufacturers looking to scale efficiently. Project Doors offers a fully automated workflow, including automated infeed, barcode scanning, and even robotic outfeed options.

“You can automate the whole process,” Kris explains. “Infeed, barcode scanner, and outfeed with a robot arm if required. It reduces manual handling and can remove the need for an additional operator.”

The machine also features twin upper routers, allowing simultaneous operations without tool changes.

“Having two routers means the machine can designate left and right operations, for example lock mortises on one side and hinges on the other. That avoids tool changes completely, which significantly speeds up the process and brings more automation into the factory.”

Accuracy without compromise

When manufacturing fire doors, precision is critical for both performance and compliance. Project Doors delivers the consistency manufacturers need, producing components with a finish that requires little to no rework.

“The quality is the best, ready to go,” says Kris. “Fire door manufacturing demands perfect accuracy, and Project Doors delivers that consistently.”

Simple software, fast adoption

Despite its advanced capabilities, Masterwood has ensured the system remains straightforward to operate. The machine runs on Masterwood’s intuitive Masterworks software, allowing operators to quickly programme jobs without specialist CNC knowledge.

“It’s very easy to use,” Kris adds. “Customers can use the original Masterworks software with no problem. It’s particularly simple for programming doors, so even operators new to CNC can get up to speed quickly.”

Backed by nationwide support

As with all Masterwood machinery, Project Doors is supported by comprehensive aftersales care, including a warranty and proactive service plans.

“Customers get a year’s warranty as standard, and we run a full service plan,” says Kris. “We’ve got nine engineers based across the UK and Ireland, so support is always close by. After sales care is something we really pride ourselves on.”

Built for the future

For manufacturers looking to increase output, overcome labour challenges and maintain the highest quality standards, a dedicated solution like Project Doors can be transformative.

As Kris concludes: “It’s all about making the process faster, more automated and more reliable. Project Doors gives manufacturers the tools to do exactly that.”

For more information or a demonstration of Masterwood’s machinery and software, contact Masterwood.

01293 402700

[email protected]