Felder at IWF Atlanta 2026: More safety on sliding table saws for woodworking businesses of every size
The Award-Winning Safety System That Protects Business Continuity
July 6, 2026 +++ Table saws are the backbone of every professional woodworking shop and company. They are also, statistically, the single most dangerous machine on the floor. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), table saws and sliding table saws caused an average of about 30,600 medically treated injuries every year in the United States from 2004 to 2021. These figures speak volumes to any business owner: one accident doesn't just hurt a person. It disrupts production, triggers insurance claims, and can permanently remove a skilled operator from the workforce.
At IWF Atlanta (August 25–28, Booth 5000/5010), Felder Group addresses this reality head-on — and celebrates 70 years of precision engineering at the same time. Taking center stage as one of the premier highlights of the event: the innovate PCS® (Preventive Contact System). PCS® provides maximum workplace safety in every machining situation. The system for sliding table saws is available for a wide range of machine classes – now also for the Felder K700 series in the mid-price segment for small and medium-sized woodworking businesses.
The CPSC's figures paint a clear picture of the industry's safety issues and the resulting challenges for employers. An experienced operator sidelined for weeks — or permanently — means lost production capacity, recruitment pressure, retraining time, and in many cases, the loss of irreplaceable craft knowledge. In an industry already navigating a serious skilled labor shortage, that is a risk no business can afford to take lightly.
PCS® — the practical automated safety system
Felder developed PCS® in cooperation with TU Vienna, and patented the system worldwide. In 2021, it won the AWFS Visionary Award. And in 2022, it took home the IWF Challengers Award — at this very show, in Atlanta.
The core principle: PCS® monitors the danger zone around the saw blade 1,000 times per second — up to 16 times more frequently than competing systems — and detects the capacitive signature of human tissue before it makes contact with the blade. To do so, the system uses the saw blade itself as the sensor, measuring capacitive field changes in the surrounding environment. The moment a hand, arm or any other body part enters the danger zone, the entire saw unit — blade, shaft and drive — is driven below the machine table in milliseconds by an electromagnetic repulsion impulse. This defuses the hazardous situation within milliseconds, even before contact.
Unlike optical systems, sawdust and workshop contamination do not affect detection accuracy. Before each machine start, PCS® runs an automatic self-diagnostic — so operators always know the system is ready before the first cut of the day.
But where PCS® fundamentally differs from every other blade-safety system on the market is what happens after a trigger event. Competing systems — including brake-cartridge-based technologies — damage the saw blade or machine parts and require expensive, time-consuming replacements before the saw can run again. PCS® leaves the blade and machine fully intact. The operator resets the system with the push of a button and the woodwork can continue immediately. There is no unplanned downtime and also no service technician is needed.
That principle of non-interference extends to the entire working process. PCS® requires no hand registration, no special workholding and no changed cutting sequences. Operators work exactly as they always have. As a consequence, a less experienced team member can use the table saw safely from day one, without a learning or adaptation period as far as the safety system is concerned. That has another direct impact on one of the industry's most pressing challenges: the skilled labor shortage. When a machine is safe enough for a less experienced operator to use productively from the start, the pool of viable candidates for table saw work grows significantly. Businesses are no longer dependent on finding the rare fully trained specialist — they can develop talent in-house, as the machine itself provides a reliable safety baseline. PCS® does not replace skilled craftsmanship. But it means that a shortage of it no longer has to stop production.
K 700 Series with PCS® — Broadest Safety Coverage in the Industry
Felder now offers PCS® across a wider range of machine classes than any other manufacturer in the world. From the premium Format4 kappa 550 down to the Felder K 700. The Format4 kappa series represents the upper tier of Felder's sliding table saw lineup — engineered for high-volume production environments where precision, repeatability and throughput are key. The kappa 550 in particular is the machine of choice for furniture manufacturers, window builders and solid wood processors who push their sliding table saws hard, every day.
The Felder K700 series represents Felder's professional mid-market sliding table saw for shops that demand precision without the budget and workload of large companies. It is built to the same quality standards as the flagship Format4 line, including the X-Roll sliding table with a 10-year function guarantee and the Easy Glide pivot segment guide with a 6-year guarantee. For shops stepping up from entry-level equipment, the K 700 with PCS® delivers a measurable and immediate improvement in both output quality and operational safety.
Meet Felder at IWF Atlanta — See PCS® Live
IWF Atlanta is the most important woodworking trade show in North America, and Felder's presence at the trade show has consistently delivered milestone moments. This year, Felder returns with the broadest table saw safety lineup in its history and is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
"The trust that our customers in the trades, commerce and industry have placed in us for seven decades is the most important confirmation of our path and our greatest motivation for the future," says Hansjörg Felder, CEO of the Felder Group.
At Booth 5000/5010 visitors can watch a live PCS® trigger demonstration — explore the K700 series and the Format4 kappa range in person, and discuss jubilee edition packages with Felder specialists on site.
About Felder Group
Headquartered in Austria, the Felder Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of woodworking machinery for the trades, commercial and industrial sectors. Under the brands Felder, Format4, Hammer and Mayer, the company covers the full spectrum of woodworking requirements — from classic bench-top machines to high-end CNC solutions. Approximately 800 employees work at the headquarters; more than 250 sales and service locations serve customers in 84 countries worldwide.
Sales, service, and support for these premium Austrian products are proudly managed by FELDER GROUP USA. From our New Castle, Delaware headquarters and various key locations across the country, we provide unmatched nationwide coverage.
Continuous investment in research and development and an exceptionally high degree of in-house manufacturing secure Felder's position as a technology leader in the industry.
More information on PCS®: www.felder-group.com/en-us/pcs
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