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In the field of interior and furniture, the pursuit of comfort has always been based on the anthropometric dimensions of the user. When optimizing the dimensions of the bed for the needs of today’s population, we start from the forecasted values of the relevant body dimensions, i.e. height and weight. Based on previous research, we can conclude that the anthropometric dimensions of the adult Slovak population after reaching the age of adulthood have increased statistically significantly by approx. 4.5–5% since the last measurements in 1987, from the point of view of the body growth process. In connection with the aforementioned findings, it is necessary for furniture companies producing bed furniture to adjust their calculation procedures for price formation depending on the needs of users, in order to forecast their financial situation. The goal of the work is to determine the cost increase for bariatric respondents, based on the determined dimensions of the wooden bed compared to a standard manufactured bed, and to determine the calculation formula for single-piece production. The results show that increasing the dimensions of the bed will increase the total costs by approximately 70%.

The study's objective was to assess the particle-size distribution and formulate an empirical model for the content of the finest dust created during the sanding of unmodified and thermally modified pine wood. The experimental design included unmodified and two options of thermally modified pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood samples, four feed speeds (3; 6; 9; 12 m·min−1), and three grit sizes of sanding belts (P60; P80; P100). The wood dust samples underwent sieve analysis to determine the particle-size distribution and laser analysis to determine the content of the finest particles. The sanding of thermally modified wood produced a higher amount of fine dust compared to unmodified wood. The content of fine dust increased with decreasing feed speed, while larger grit sizes resulted in increased production of fine dust. The average mass share of dust < 2.5, < 4, and < 10 µm was significantly lower when sanding the unmodified wood than thermally modified wood. The influence of feed speed, grit size, and material type on dust creation suggests that thermal modification is a factor in increasing the content of the potentially harmful finest particles (respirable fraction). The presented empirical model can help minimize health risks during the sanding of thermally modified pine wood by adjusting the sanding parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wooden furniture design necessitates the integration of both technological requirements and aesthetic considerations. To guide designers in achieving this balance, this article explores how established design principles, such as proportions and preferred numerical sequences, can inform decision-making for both technological and aesthetic aspects. The goal is to demonstrate how these principles can be integrated with modern CAD tools. In reviewing the scientific literature, this study compiled and compared mathematical and non-mathematical models that support dimensional decision-making. These models included ancient canons (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman) alongside those of Leonardo da Vinci, Palladio, Dürer, Le Corbusier, Zeising, McCallum, and Brock. Additionally, the article examines numeral systems used in modern technology, such as Renard's series and convenient numbers. It is proposed that designers should experiment with geometric design templates to achieve balanced proportions. All geometric design principles contribute to aesthetics, creativity and effectiveness in design. The literature identifies two groups of dimensional design templates: organic, inspired by the human body or the Fibonacci sequence, and inorganic, based on numerical order. It's impossible to pinpoint a single "optimal algorithm" to support dimensional decisions in design. Specific geometric design principles serve as valuable tools, not the ultimate answer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycelium-based composites (MBCs) are biomaterials with scientifically proven potential to improve sustainability in construction. Although mycelium-based products are not entirely new, their use in engineering presents challenges due to the inherent properties of this fungal material. This study investigated professional architects' and interior designers' perceptions of MBCs, focusing on familiarity, aesthetic appeal, and willingness to use. The first phase of the survey explored respondents' views on material-related ecological design principles. In the second phase, respondents evaluated ten small architectural objects crafted from MBCs, focusing on form, detail, and visual appeal. The last phase of the survey measured their interest in using mycelium in their design work. The results revealed that MBCs were relatively unknown among the surveyed professionals; only every second respondent knew this material. Despite this, 90% found MBCs visually appealing after seeing the examples. Interestingly, the natural, unprocessed appearance of the material was assessed as less aesthetically pleasing, with thermal treatment improving its perceived value. Architects were more receptive to using MBCs in their professional projects for customers than for personal use. This observation points to a 'double standard': professional architects are more open to using MBCs in projects not intended for their own use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work analysed bed lamella dimensional characteristics for beds of bariatric users. Dimensions of the Slovak bariatric population were defined in the years 2020 to 2022 and used to design the length and thickness of bed lamellae. The thickness of lamellae made of spruce and beech wood (grade C24 and D50) was determined from the weight of the bariatric population while meeting the requirements of EN 1995. The bending deflection was calculated by a linear FEM model that was verified with the experimentally measured deflection of ungraded spruce and beech wood lamellae. The difference in deflection was 2.7% and 1.4% for spruce and beech, respectively. The minimal thickness of the lamella was always determined based on the allowable deflection limit criterion. The stress of the lamellae was below 70% of the allowable stresses of the spruce wood lamella (C24) and 37% in the case of beech wood lamella (D50). A non-linear dependence of the minimum lamella thickness on the weight of the bariatric respondent was presented. Designing a bed lamella loaded in bending is more effective by increasing the thickness of the spruce wood lamella than by using a beech wood lamella with a higher modulus of elasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An upholstery frame is an element of upholstery furniture, which is heavily loaded with forces. Critical to the quality of the frame is the load capacity of the connections of its structure elements. Moreover an important issue is the repeatability of the suitable strength in the whole production batch. Tested wooden frame joints were made with glue and staples. The goal of our study was to compare the strength of the joints made by a man and by a robot in industrial mass production. The laboratory test was done on an universal testing machine which measure the stress–strain characteristics showing the yield behaviour of test samples. The results show that a “robotic technology” gives slightly higher strength values than the manual production. It was also observed that the force value distributions in compared two series of samples have different nature in the both technologies. Based on the observation of the technologies and based on the analysis of the research results, it was found that the reason for this is the greater constancy of technological parameters in robotic production (in the described case, the bigger variability of the strength of connections made by man was caused by the different exposure time of the adhesive to drying, while in “robotic” production gluing, was done in the same throughout the long production series).

A robotization of assembly is the real implementation of Industry 4.0 in the furniture industry. The robotization objective is to obtain favorable values of production process parameters (performance, productivity, quality) and to improve human wellbeing at work. Our aim was to present and compare the quality parameters of a selected furniture production process, performed in a very long series, containing more than 30 thousand products. The analysis included the results of the long-term measurements of the quality level of upholstery frames produced by the modified and improved, on the basis of operational conclusions, robotized line for the serial production of upholstery frames and by the simultaneously used nonrobotic line for assembly of frames of the same construction. The results obtained show that robotized assembly leads to a much lower percentage of defective products than in the case of the nonrobotic technology, the causes and types of defects in the products are also different, and it is easier to prevent these defects and remove them. The cognitive findings identified problems and challenges, not found in traditional technologies, caused by the using of manufacturing robots in furniture production.

The particle size distribution of woodworking residues influences the quality of the biofuels made of these materials. Hence, it is essential to investigate the fractional composition of raw materials for pellet production. Tested materials originated from ten parquet manufacturing facilities located in western Poland. The research material consisted of uncontaminated oak (Quercus spp.) wood particles. The tested material had a moisture content ranging from 8.8% to 11.4% and a density of 210.7 ± 1.79 kg/m3. A sieve analysis method segregated the tested material into four distinct size fractions (<1.0 mm, 1.0-2.5 mm, 2.5-5.0 mm, and >5 mm). The average mass shares in these fractions were 53.72 ±0.51%, 35.14 ±0.27%, 9.59 ±0.36%, and 1.55% ±0.11%, respectively. The particle size distributions of wood particles generated in all the facilities demonstrate remarkable similarity. No substantial differences were observed in terms of tilt angle and calorific value. Factors such as variations in raw material species, geographical origins, density, humidity, and technological processes appear to have minimal influence on the sieve-size distributions of the generated sawdust. All these solid wood processing residues can undergo processing into high-quality solid biofuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human factor is still an irreplaceable element bearing a competitive advantage in the changed conditions of the wood-processing industry created by Industrial Revolution 4.0. Their sophisticated use and motivation result in the company's higher performance potential, and satisfaction is reflected in higher employee loyalty. The study aims to evaluate the level of motivation of employees working in the wood-processing industry in selected Central European countries (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine) from the point of view of groups of motivation factors and then to compare them between countries in terms of gender and age. Differences in the mean values of the compared groups were tested, taking into account the confidence interval. The research was conducted at the beginning of 2021 when Ukraine has not been in a military conflict yet. The result of our findings is the knowledge that the most important motivation factors for Slovak employees in the wood-processing industry are those related to finance and employer-employee relationships. Czech employees also prefer the same motivation factors but place less emphasis on them. Employees of the wood-processing industry in Ukraine prefer motivation factors related to finance and career aspiration. From the point of view of motivation, the input qualitative parameters of rawwood material and its assessment in forest stands are also important. In globalization, the findings of our study can serve as insights for managers within the wood-processing industry. These insights can be particularly beneficial in enhancing the quality of human resource management, with a particular emphasis on bolstering employee motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wood industry faces challenges due to rising prices and limited wood availability, putting pressure on material efficiency in wood processing. This justifies the analysis of the relationship between efficiency and economy in pine wood processing. The study aimed to measure the impact of variations in the thickness of logs, changes in the technology of their further processing, and changes in prices of raw materials and products on the material efficiency in the context of large-scale production of furniture elements made of pinewood. The raw material input consisted of three categories of log sizes, from which the specialized purpose lumber was produced. The lumber was then processed into semi-finished furniture elements with three technologies: without detecting natural wood defects, with human detection, and with automatic detection. The study was conducted in Poland from 2020 to 2022. The material efficiencies in every stage of the analyzed wood processing and the cost efficiencies were calculated and analyzed based on the results obtained under real industrial conditions. The main findings are as follows: (1) when comparing the logs in the three tested diameter ranges (14–23 cm, 23–30 cm, and more than 30 cm), it can be observed that the overall material efficiency of sawing is in the range of 70%–85% and increases with the thickness of the log; (2) the share of 38 mm specialized sawn timber in the total amount of sawn timber was 41%–58% and increased with increasing log diameter; (3) the economic efficiency of the technological process is 170%–290%, based on the log size and the technology of further processing employed. The determining factor affecting cost efficiencies is unexpected changes in raw material prices and product demand in 2022. The findings suggest that while improvements in processing technology can boost efficiency, they cannot fully offset the rise in raw wood material prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]