The solid surface sheets are then run through a three-headed Time-savers widebelt sander, followed by a Quick Wood Pro 1100 buffer. The material is then laminated to particle board with a laminate backer sheet in a process similar to that of a laminate countertop operation.

Before edge processing, the slab cores are produced on an automatic core building machine designed and built by Sta-Care's maintenance department. In one continuous flow, the operator can square the core, add build-down strips, expansion joints, and hinge tape for the V-groover.

The slabs are then sent to the company's V-Tech V-grooving machine for edge processing. The V-Tch machine V-grooves the underside of the edge, glues it, bends it and clamps it to form the front edge of the slab. This machine was also built by the maintenance department.

The slabs are then sent to the company's custom fabrication departments in Pana or Pardeeville where they are customized (cut-to-size, mitred, capped, etc.) per order. Slabs are also sold to independent fabricators located outside Sta-Care's market area.

"Edge processing," says Sta-Care vice president Travis Aldridge, "takes about 12 minutes per top, almost an hour less than it took before the company built its V-Tech machine.

"We, ourselves, have put a lot of work into our lines, so we have a very good understanding of what it takes to keep the lines operations efficiently," says Travis. "We have maintenance people right here on staff that not only repair our machines and improve them as well. They know intimately everything about each piece of equipment out there; that is invaluable."


A production employee measures for accuracy after a countertop
comes off one of two laminate machine lines at Sta-Care

Laminated countertops
Though the company is working hard to market its Visioneer solid surface, the heart of Sta-Care's operation is its laminate countertop operation. The company produces over 22,000 lineal ft. of laminate tops per week (about 150 residential kitchens per day, plus commercial jobs).

"About 70 percent of the company's laminate countertops sales are residential, selling to dealers, lumber-yards and home centers," says John Aldridge, Sta-Care vice president of sales and marketing. "About 20 percent of the laminate countertop sales is commercial, selling mostly to cabinet maunfacturers who do a lot of clinics, university laboratories, hospitals and high schools; and the remaining 10 percent includes the sale of laminate slabs. The commercial side of our business has come on very strong over the past 10 years."

Sta-Care invertories over 700 different laminates from Wisonart, Formica, and Pionite. Normal turnaround for a custom top in any of those colors is four working days. Nevamar laminates are supplied by a distributor four times per week delivery basis, allowing Sta-Care to maintain its four-day turnaround on Nevamar countertops.

Laminate counterops are manufactured at the Portage facility on two postforming lines, which include Midwest Automation spray machines, nip-roller, postformers and cove machines.

The company has five maintenance personnel on-staff, who are supervised by Travis. The company renovates much of its own equipment. The company typically purchases used machinery, and makes adjustments and improvements to the machines to suit the company's needs.

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