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And the Challengers Awards finalists are … June 17, 2026 | 8:12 am CDT

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Woodworking Industry News

Event Coverage

And the Challengers Awards finalists are …

By

Larry Adams

June 17, 2026 | 8:12 am CDT

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Companies from around the world entered this year's IWF Challengers Distinguished Achievement Award, and from a field of eighty-four new products available from 65 IWF 2026 exhibiting companies, judges have named 20 IWF Challengers Award finalists.

The finalists will perform live demonstrations for the judges' review on the day before the show opens. Judges render final decisions to select winners based on demonstration outcomes. Seven winners will be announced on IWF 2026’s opening day, Tuesday, August 25. 

The finalists will be on display in The Challengers Award Gallery throughout the duration of the show.

The IWF Challengers Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes companies that demonstrate exemplary achievement in developing products, services, or manufacturing technologies and techniques that advance the industry. A panel of nine distinguished judges, all recognized professionals drawn from across the industry landscape, reviewed and analyzed each entry.

The IWF 2026 Challengers Distinguished Achievement Award Finalists are:

Bacci America Inc. | ICON | B7373

Con-Vey | Con-Vey's Patent-Pending Edge-Damming System for Plywood Panel Repair Lines | B8320

Edge Automation Inc | Edge Automation CabSort Vault: Eliminating Sorting Constraints in Cabinet Manufacturing through Label-Independent Identification, Intelligent Buffering, and Automated Kitting | A10741

Felder Group USA | creator 1250 | B5000 & B5010

Felder Group USA | F1000 performance | B5000 & B5010

Italiana Ferramenta S.r.l. | Symetra - Hanging system for integrated wall panels | C1758

Kouros Tools | Sand-R-Light PRO | A10129

Kouros Tools | Euro-Line | A10129

Kundig USA Inc. | KÜNDIG Regent, Biggest Planing and Sanding Machine for Glulam & Timber Elements | A10102

Mereen-Johnson LLC | Operator-free Robotic Dovetail System, RDT1020 | B5511 & A9728

Northtech Machine | Northtech's iGlueSRCD; Automatic Glue Applicator for Stile & Rail Cabinet Doors | B7335 & A9930

Omnirobotic Inc. | PSA-80 Pro robotic sander | A10309

Pillar Machine / Larick Machinery | OTF - (On-The-Fly) Bore and Dowel | B7729

Sano Handtrucks LLC | The Sano LiftKar: Elevating Cabinet Makers | A9941

SCM North America Accord 500 Edge: One Machining Center. Total Flexibility | B6953, B6973, B7153, B7173 & A9614

Stiles Machinery | Venjakob Ven Air Vortex: High Quality Coating with Reduced Filter Cost | A9840, B4835 & B4853

Stiles Machinery | ORRA Velocity Sorting Solution: A Structural Shift in Automated Assembly Sorting | A9840, B4835 & B4853

Vancouver Automation | PSP | A9923

Weinig USA | Weinig Scan Rip 310 | A9914, B5735 & B6035

Weinig USA | Holz-Her Glu Jet Redesign | A9914, B5735 & B6035  

A look back at the IWF 2024 Challengers Award winners From engineered woods to unique finishing systems and countersinking tooling systems to advanced gluer technology, some of the unique products showcased at the International Woodworking Fair were named winners of the prestigious 2024 IWF Challengers Distinguished Achievement Award.

The Challengers Award promotes the development of innovative new technology in woodworking machinery, supplies, and services for the furniture, kitchen cabinets, architectural woodwork, store fixture, upholstery, or specialty and general wood product industries.

Selected from a field of 20 finalists, the seven award-winning companies and products are: Current Composites Inc., Liberty Wood Liberty Wood is a compressed wood made from 1/16″ thick birch veneer and a phenol-based resin system, offering durability, dimensional stability, and an aesthetically pleasing finish. It can be customized in thickness, color, and shape, and is machinable, resistant to water and humidity, with minimal swelling and shrinking. Its natural beauty is enhanced by sanding and polishing, with no need for additional coatings, making it suitable for various applications.

Make it Snappy Tools, iCARB Indexable Carbide Countersinks The iCARB series of countersinks features solid carbide cutters that can be indexed to a fresh edge and be replaced when needed. This revolutionary new design provides industry-leading performance with unmatched durability and service life. The tool’s superior wear resistance makes it perfect for use in the toughest and hardest of hardwoods and other abrasive materials.

Northtech Machine, LLC, iGlue by Northtech The Northtech iGlue is a new gluer that quickly and accurately applies glue to dovetail and similar joinery. A part is placed in the machine and the iGlue scans and applies glue all in one pass, in seconds, with no required setups, no mess, and no wasted glue. The machine has auto thickness compensation and can apply glue to either the mortise or tenon at the rate of over 100 dovetails/minute. The iGlue works with standard PVA white glue and can be used for any material.

Timber Wolf Forest Products, Fast-Snap by Timber Wolf The Fast Snap product line is “revolutionizing how to decorate and change the look of your kitchen with minimal cost and tremendous flexibility.” The cutting-edge application of wood and metal using a magnetic connection is available in five different corbels, six posts, and seven unique designs of metal inlays available in four finishes.

Total Finishing Solutions, LLC, VD Simple Dynamic The VD Simple Dynamic series for streamlined, effective finishing. Perfect fusion of simplicity and advanced technology. Different from traditional spraying systems, the dynamic spraying concept allows a perfectly linear application trajectory avoiding the overlapping of the spraying coats

Total Finishing Solutions, LLC, Walcom TRUE LIGHT 2.0 The Walcon True Light 2.0 is a tool designed to change the way to paint. It can be mounted on spray guns for painting to directly illuminate the surface to be painted. Thanks to the high-resolution color rendering of the selected LEDs, the light will be as close as possible to sunlight, thus guaranteeing the best painting results both in terms of base color check and optimum lighting even in darker areas.

Unilin Panels, Unilin Master Oak Unilin’s Master Oak product is a sustainable alternative to oak that radiates natural charm and warmth and feels like a real oak panel or veneer. Master Oak combines the look and feel of natural oak with the matchless quality of melamine and HPL: it is scratch-resistant, color fast, and easy to maintain.

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Automation and New Technology

About the author

Larry Adams

| Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).

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