Nesting technology and Cabineo: a winning combination

The company was founded by master carpenter Marcel Oberson in Tour-de-Trême in 1979, before relocating 10 years later to larger premises in the Riaz industrial park. Since 2012, the company has been led by Patrice Oberson, son of the founder and also a master carpenter by trade, with support from his son Loïc, who invited us to visit for this report. He explained to us how the carpentry and joinery business has constantly evolved and optimised its production processes over the years.

The Cabineo CNC connector has found its place. 

In the interest of remaining competitive and optimising its processes, the company acquired a new CNC machine capable of nesting in 2021. Investing in a profit H80 machining centre from Format4. The profit H80 panel milling, drilling and cutting centre introduces furniture production 4.0 to the fit-out and cabinet-making workshops of the future. Standard furniture complete with all holes, grooves and connections can be produced in one pass with just the click of a mouse. CAD/CAM data is transferred to the workshop using the PointLine program.

“We needed to improve our production time by optimising our machining process, so we chose nesting technology," explains Loïc. “Our CNC nesting machining centre reduces our production times by eliminating steps and minimising material consumption. When we decided to use this technology, we rethought our entire manufacturing concept with the new Cabineo joining technique. Now only the surface has to be drilled.

Before we bought it, we tested the CNC-capable Cabineo carcase connector from Lamello." On two similarly built cabinets, the company used two different joining techniques at the time - one with screws and dowels, the other with Cabineo. The result was clear: using Cabineo with nesting technology is the ideal combination. “We only found advantages in nesting production with Cabineo. It allows us to stay competitive while keeping manufacturing in Switzerland.” This marked a shift in the company's approach to cabinet-making and a review of its working practices. 

Time savings and flexibility: the benefits of Cabineo 

“Cabineo’s flexibility and simplicity in terms of machining and the time we saved during assembly won us over,” adds Loïc. One advantage of the monobloc design is that it can be used with all CNC machines, as only the surface needs to be machined. It can be installed in the drilling or milling workshop or directly on site. The pre-fitted screw in the connector is screwed into a 5 mm hole in the adjoining part using a cordless combi drill. When installing furniture on site, the parts can be delivered flat with the Cabineo already fitted, meaning installers don’t need to worry about using any other components (glue, dowels, etc.). And once on site, there’s no need for an entire team to handle and assemble any large parts, as the installation can be done with ease and minimum staff.

“I’d be really annoyed if Cabineo wasn’t available,” the carpenter from the French-speaking region of Switzerland tells us. It’s fair to say that Lamello’s CNC connectors constantly inspires him, as it allows him to try out new ideas, such as the use of off-cuts from machining to produce plinths assembled with Cabineo connectors.

A former inn renovated into a living space for children

In addition to the Cabineo drilling system, Oberson also uses the Lamello P-System. “We mainly use the Tenso and Clamex connectors, as well as Divario, depending on the project,” Loïc tells us. “Depending on the type of cabinet, I like to combine different connectors. And when it comes to optimisation, of course we prefer those that require the least machining.” 

During our visit, we had the opportunity to see one of the company’s sites, a former inn with apartments that has been completely renovated into a nursery. For this project, the company opted to combine several Lamello connectors: the cloakroom and sleep room furniture were mainly assembled using the Cabineo drilling system and the partitions with Divario. “We used Cabineo as much as possible for the structure and assembly because the machining is very fast. For harder-to-access areas where it can sometimes be difficult to screw in the Cabineo, we opted for the Divario connector for slide-in insertion.” 

This connector makes it possible to insert shelves or partitions into already assembled cabinets. In addition, it results in an extremely solid and stable assembly of the parts, which is essential for this type of structure intended for children, where the furniture is used daily and must be durable. “We know how reliable Lamello products are,” adds Loïc. “As soon as a new Lamello product is released, I try it out – it gives me ideas on how to use it.”

To assemble the furniture, all panels were delivered flat ready to put together. “When assembling parts, mistakes are very area,” explains Loïc. “We’ve defined a machining standard that means that, for the production of shelving (fixed shelves), the Cabineo is always machined from below so as to be invisible and, for the partitions, the Cabineo is on the right.” This allowed the sleep room consisting of 130 parts to be set up in three days, and the cloakroom, which has 108 parts, to be set up in 2.5 days, all by just one person, who was also new to Lamello’s assembly techniques.

At the end of our interview, a smiling Loïc tells us, “The Cabineo is a great invention. With this connector, Lamello proves once again that it can turn its creative ideas into successful products. Using Cabineo is something worth thinking about!”