Using nanotechnology to protect wood

Visitors to LIGNA+ HANNOVER 2007 – 14 to 18 May – can learn about the protective effects of intelligent nanotechnology at the Karl Ahmerkamp Vechta GmbH stand, where the company will be showcasing its ASS system for wood protection.

This new development is based on a reactive, multivalent metal complex (zircon complex) that establishes a chemical bond to the wood substrate, pigments and special binding agents. This makes the surface of the wood water repellent and provides durable protection against weathering, dirt and surface mold. Besides providing long-lasting protection, the ASS system also makes retreating wooden surfaces particularly straightforward. All that needs to be done before reapplying the system is to ensure surfaces are free of dust. In other words, sanding and stripping are things of the past.
Prize-winning timber construction

One of the most high-profile awards for timber-construction architecture and innovative wood products, the German Timber Construction Award 2007, is to be presented at LIGNA+ HANNOVER 2007. The awards ceremony is being held at 12 noon on 15 May 2007 at the stand of the Association of Carpenters in Lower Saxony in Hall 17. After the awards ceremony, the winning entries will be unveiled to the public for the first time.

Competing for the 20,000 Euro prize fund are architects, structural engineers, owner-builders, carpenters, and timber construction firms. Awards will be presented to projects in the categories timber-construction architecture and innovative building products.

The German Timber Construction Award 2007 is being organized by the Association of German Master Carpenters (BDZ) in cooperation with the German Federal Foundation for the Environment, the German Timber Promotion Fund and Deutsche Messe Hannover.
Pro’s set the woodchips flying

Athletes from the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® SERIES – the international series of competitions in lumberjack sports – will be putting their chopping and sawing skills to the test at LIGNA+ HANNOVER 2007. A two-day training camp for Germany’s peak athletes will set the scene in the run-up to an event designed to sort the men from the boys. On 15 and 16 May, the athletes will perfect their chopping and sawing skills in front of trade fair visitors.

This season’s first International Cup will be played out in Germany on Thursday 17 May. Athletes will be competing in the chopping disciplines Underhand Chop and Standing Block Chop, and in the sawing disciplines STIHL Stock Saw, Single Buck, Springboard and the Hot Saw, a 62 horsepower automatic saw off in fine style on Thursday 17 May at 11.30 a.m. at the northern end of Hall 18. 

The tree will be taken on a tour of the entire LIGNA exhibition area in a horse-drawn carriage and with musical entertainment courtesy of the band "Hot Pepper". The LIGNA+ Exhibitors’ Committee, the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association within VDMA e.V. and Deutsche Messe will together plant a Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) on the strip alongside Pavilion 36, midway between Halls 16 and 26.  The new tree will then be “christened” with a freshly pulled Pilsner.

Traditional tree planting at LIGNA+:
Thursday, 17 May 2007, 11.30 a.m., meeting at the northern end of Hall 18

Unforgettable tables

A table is a table. But does it always have to look like one? Or can it take on an altogether different form? At LIGNA+ HANNOVER 2007, the German Association of Carpentry and Joinery (BHKH) will be revealing what happened when woodworking students from various vocational training institutions in Lower Saxony answered these questions with their own designs.  

Particularly original interpretations of the table genre will be presented under the banner of “FantasTisch”. The works created by the future woodworking specialists virtually reinvent this item of furniture. Indeed, there are hardly any limits to the newcomers’ creativity. The only stipulation was that the public must be allowed to touch the tables.
Wondrous jackets

“Do not touch” is the instruction most people face when admiring works of art. But visitors will find it particularly difficult not to break this rule when they come across the “coat sculptures” that Will Schropp is brining to Hannover for LIGNA+.

The sculptures look deceptively similar to jackets and coats hanging on hooks. In truth, they are works of art fashioned from wood by an extremely talented artist. But if you look carefully enough, you can see that this is the case without needing to touch them.