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Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Innovative plate for sanding the slats of wooden blinds

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: TOIT20170302001
Publication Date: 2 March 2017

Summary

An Italy-based product research and development SME has developed a patent-pending sanding plate for wooden blinds which, thanks to its particular shape and features, is able to receive the rounded edge of a single slat of wooden blinds, preventing it from being faceted during the sanding operations. The SME is seeking licensing/manufacturing agreements with companies having, respectively, the marketing and manufacturing ability to deliver this technology to the professional or hobbyist markets.

Description

The Italian SME was set up in 2016 and its field of activity is the experimental research and development in the field of engineering.

The SME’s Sole Director is an engineer who is also the inventor of a patent-pending sanding plate for wooden blinds.

This new sanding plate has to be mounted on an orbital sander and is equipped, at its bottom or operating face, with a detent or contrast element having a “C” shaped curved end which is able to receive the rounded edge of a single slat of wooden blinds, preventing it from being faceted during the sanding operations. There is not any another wood sander on the market with these technical features.

In fact, the traditional system for sanding slats of wooden blinds facets the round part of the slats even before the sanding process is finished. This entails the need to round off again the front surface not only on the upper part but also on the lower part and this leads to a waste of time and to bad final results. Furthermore, it is necessary to sand the lateral part of the upright supporting the slats which is so narrow as to prevent the use of any tool so that this process has to be carried out manually. The new sanding plate allows to overcome these drawbacks. 

This invention, for which a prototype is available, is economically viable and can be produced in two different types: 



- a professional line, in a pneumatic version, which can be sold to professional users;

- a hobbyist / do-it-yourself line, in an electrical version, which can be sold to hobbyists through worldwide retail chains.



The SME is currently looking to license its innovative product to licensees having  the marketing ability to deliver this new technology to the professional or hobbyist/do-it-yourself markets. The SME is also seeking manufacturers in order to have its innovative product manufactured.

Advantages and Innovations

The main advantages and innovations are the following: 

- the easy fixing system of the “C”- shaped sanding plate fits to any type of existing wood sander;

- the plate can be applied to both electrical and pneumatic sanders;

- the sanding plate can be used both for wood shutters and plane surfaces;

- the asymmetrical position of the gripping handles allows to stabilize hand pressure and transversal movements;

- better sanding results in terms of efficiency and accuracy than other wood sanders already on the market;

- reduction (around 50%) of sanding time.

Stage Of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Stage Of Development Comment

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Requested partner

The SME is currently looking for licensees. In particular, the SME is seeking companies in the industrial sector of power tools interested in using the SME's patent rights in return for a fee or share of royalties. Apart from the manufacturing ability, the licensees should also have the marketing ability to deliver this new technology to the professional or hobbyist/do-it-yourself markets. 

Finally, the SME is also interested in outsourcing the production of its innovative product to skilled and quality-conscious manufacturers.