SL4 FF No. 1, the world’s first V-Perfect welder!
Interview with Lazzaro Simoncini, owner of INFISTIL
It is an honour and a great satisfaction to say that the world’s first seamless welding machine, the SL4 FF No. 1, was purchased by us at Infistil in 2013.
At the time, a GRAF agent approached us with the new welding machine, believing that we were the right company with the technical expertise to use it while it was still a prototype in the final stages of development.
Since November 2012, we have been involved in the final stages of refining the prototype, on which the first welds were made. The windows produced back then are still installed and functioning at some of our clients’ locations! We take great pride in this.
The reason we decided to invest in this cutting-edge technology, which has never been tried by anyone else, is that our company has always been a pioneer in seeking out new technologies for growth in the window and door industry. We focus on innovations to develop new products, open new markets, and enhance the final quality.
I won’t hide our concerns at the time about making such a leap, because when you choose to adopt a new, revolutionary technology that has never been tried before, there’s a real risk of making misjudgments. In this case, those misjudgments could have jeopardised the durability of our product, our windows, and consequently undermined the good name and success of our company.
Infistil was founded in 1967, and in the 1980s we were among the first in Italy to transform PVC as extruders, so we are quite well-known in the Italian market. When the news broke that we were the first in the world to use GRAF’s groundbreaking seamless technology, our competitors joined in a chorus of skepticism about our choice. I also remember the attempts to dissuade potential customers by creating and spreading doubts about the reliability of the welds made with the new technology.
It soon became clear to everyone that we could prove exactly the opposite: the windows were more than solid, and the aesthetic appeal of the product was unmatched. Simply unbeatable.
Until that point, PVC had been relegated to the role of the “poor cousin”, primarily used for its cost-effectiveness due to its limited aesthetic qualities. The V-Perfect technology, along with other innovations, has literally transformed the world of PVC, turning it into a product with an appealing design and allowing it to rightfully enter a market that was previously dominated by wood and aluminium.
Unfortunately, we no longer have the “legendary” FF No. 1. We had to part ways with it due to the evolution of our business, which recently led us to replace it with an FF EVO, the next model from GRAF Synergy. The No. 1 has been sold to another company that continues to use it at full capacity, just like we did. A quick calculation suggests that, to date, that machine has completed at least 140,000 to 150,000 welding cycles!
After 11 years of V-Perfect welding, I can say that while I was initially hesitant about making that bold choice, the results have proven me right, and I am even more convinced of my decision now.
And the story continues… the second part will be online soon.
In the photo, Lazzaro Simoncini