CNC shapes the future, T4 Design gets more capacity, efficiency and design options

The precision of the interlocking jigsaw pieces – with a consistent 2mm gap – is made possible by t4's investment in CNC machinery.

'You couldn't achieve that level of repeatable precision by manual methods,' says production director Paul Gibson. 'We've always been IT-led and the most recent installation of Intermac's largest five-axis CNC machining centre is a continuation of that.

'Our confidence in placing the order was based on the positive experience of our two existing Intermac machines and of the backup service from the company's UK office. The new Master 45 takes us another significant step forward. We're still experimenting with its full capability, but we already use it for mitring, bevelling and, using the fifth axis, Cerium polishing. The quality of finish is superb.'

Bluewater project

Established in 1998, t4 Design came to prominence almost immediately, when in the same year it won the contract to produce a 2.1m diameter blue-tinted laminated clock face with sandblasted star constellation chart, for the exterior 'Astronomical' clock installed at the Bluewater retail complex in Kent.

The attendant publicity gave a boost to the company, on which it has built its rapid expansion. Supplying glass merchants, architectural metalworkers, shopfitters and furniture manufacturers, as well as clockmakers, the product range runs from balustrades, stair treads, flooring and doors to tabletops, shelving and signage, including coloured glass, sandblasting techniques and decorative laminates. From the beginning, the factory had its own toughening plant. Designed by technical director Steve Jones and built by t4 engineers, it will soon be supplemented with a second plant.

'Everything is done in-house,' says Paul. 'That not only means we can maintain the quality expected by customers, but also enables us to offer fast turnaround. If a piece of toughened glass breaks we can quickly feed a replacement into the batch currently going through the plant, whereas if you buy the glass in you're in the hands of the supplier.'

Range of services

The bulk of t4's work covers 6-25mm processed glass, and a new laminating facility further extends the capacity for bespoke projects such as flooring, toughened laminates and decorative laminates. Float laminates are shaped and polished on the CNC machinery after lamination to ensure high quality edgework. With stocks of float, low iron, tinted and mirror glass, the company is able to offer an extensive range of services and products to all of the market sectors it supplies.

CNC equipment is now used for all processing, including cutting, enabling t4 to achieve the ever-tighter tolerances, higher quality edge finishing and faster delivery demanded by customers. The technology also allows the company to produce features such as circular cutouts with polished edges, which could not be done by hand, and this has resulted in new business.

'The Master 45 has extended our machining capability and increased capacity both for our own work and for contract processing,' says Paul. 'It has also improved production efficiency – for example, larger items can be polished all round in one cycle compared with having to turn the piece and run it four times through the straight line edger.'

For t4's designer Gary Jones and sales director Kenny Oldham (who also heads the company's IT developments), the Master 45 is an equally valuable tool. Together with other specialised equipment currently being installed, it has enabled t4 to push back the barriers on creative designs – and the company will soon be announcing several exciting developments to spur the imagination of architects and designers in all customer markets.