November 2022
Grant Westfield, manufacturer of Multipanel, has invested in technology from Biesse, a company that designs and manufactures systems and machines for machining wood and other materials. The state-of-the-art machinery is used to etch decorative grout lines into Multipanel’s new Tile Collection wall panels, resulting in an industry leading tile-effect panel, without the need for grout.
Biesse’s ‘Rover B’ machine engraves a 2.5mm decorative grout line in the laminate surface of the fully waterproof bathroom wall panel with laser precision. As Multipanel’s Tile-Effect wall panels feature a unique multi-layer high pressure laminate surface, Grant Westfield required machinery that would accurately cut through a few microns of surface material to create the etched decorative grout line.
The Rover B machine is specifically designed to achieve this level of precision even on textured surfaces. Using this technology, both the aesthetic and feel of tiles is achieved, creating an authentic tile-effect surface that’s perfect for bathroom walls.
Monument Grey (from The Tile Collection)
"As market leaders, we take pride in the quality of our manufacturing processes. We had a range of high-quality design-led decors available at Multipanel, but we wanted to offer customers the option of a Tile-effect décor, with all the benefits of choosing a wall panel over individual tiles."
David Gordon - Operations Director at Grant Westfield, the makers of Multipanel
Realistic grout line
Having investigated sawing and laser-cutting the grout lines, we knew, based on years of experience with laminates, that a CNC would be the better solution. Wanting to take a multi-layer laminate sheet and etch through the top layer to create a grout line, is why we chose Biesse’s Rover B machine to produce our Tile Collection.
We also wanted to automate the machine, to optimise efficiency and enable single person operation. Biesse added on a synchro component, which is a loading and unloading device that transforms the Rover machining centre into an automatic cell and enables it to machine a stack of panels autonomously without the need for an operator. This was a first in the UK for a Biesse CNC machine.
"The Multipanel Tile collection is the first tile-effect wall panel to be both Made in Britain and Forest Stewardship Council® certified (FSC® C128180). The response from customers has been phenomenal. Multipanel is routinely specified in the housing and hospitality sectors, but the launch of our Tile Collection was to tap into demand for a tile aesthetic with all the benefits of wall panels, from ease of installation to ease of maintenance."
John Mortimer - Managing Director at Grant Westfield