3. Conclusion

Wood processing has always been carried out with cutting tools, and will continue to be so for a long time to come. However, for applications that are admittedly marginal in terms of volume of activity, there are alternatives that offer numerous advantages. These include bending, stamping and laser or high-pressure water-jet machining.

Stamping and bending techniques are now fairly well established (even if our knowledge is still incomplete), and their development will essentially depend on the creativity of designers and the trends observed in furniture and joinery, for example. Easier feasibility and lower cost may encourage designers to create products using these techniques. As bending and stamping techniques are likely to evolve little, market development (if any) is likely to be slow.

In the case of laser and waterjet machining, applications...