Cranking out the lumber at Idaho Forest Group

Start up              3Q 2014

Scanning speed  130 m/min

Wood species     Softwood for NLGA dimension and boards

 

Automatic detection of
x Under bark shape
x Species
x Knot position, diameter, and quality (sound/black)
x Heartwood / sapwood border
x Pith position and deviation
x Density and weight measurement
x Growth ring width
x Pitch
x Rot (severe)
x External cracks
x Internal splits / shake
x Ring shake
x Slope of grain, Spiral grain
x Compression wood
x Foreign objects (Metal/Stones)

Produkt: CT Log, Logeye, Interopt
Land: Lewiston, Idaho, USA
Partner: Springer

Idaho Forest Group’s new Lewiston, Idaho upgrade cranking out 1.8 million lumber meters (six million board feet) a week —with room for more production.

It was the forest industry’s version of the kid in the candy store as Idaho Forest Group recently unveiled its new Lewiston, Idaho HewSaw SL250. The key companion equipment to the HewSaw, a Microtec CT Log scanner, is no small part of the new mill set-up, scanning each log at a blazing three rotations per second. The scanner conveyor speed of 160 meters per minute (525 ft/min) makes the log scanner 100 times faster than your regular medical scanner. Microtec representative Norvin Laudon explained that the goal is to see all the defects in each log, evaluating knots, cracks and wane, which can affect total log quality.

“The goal is to unlock the shape of the log,” said Laudon. “Usually bucking and debarking come first, but they don’t debark at the Idaho Forest Group mill until later in the process. With the bark on, there is less checking and bluing. You get to see the real shape of the wood with the scanner. There are some logs you never want to reach your sawmill because maybe they are rotten, twisted or off-species.” Right now, the scanner is only used for sorting and bucking, with future plans for optimization in sawing. As it creates a total three-dimensional profile for each log, the scanner focuses on features and properties of wood species common to the Intermountain West.

“One of the owners told me it’s always been his dream to saw from the inside out,” said Laudon, acknowledging that the first cut is critical, although sometimes it’s not worth cutting at all. 

In the current configuration, logs come into the mill and are first run through the CT scanner before heading to the chop saw and merchandizer, and then on to separate lines for the HewSaw, large logs, rejects and flare reduction. In the near future, a Microtec Logeye 300 will be operational to X-ray logs further before sending them to the sorting bins. Currently Idaho Forest Group has thirty sorts, with each having four sub-sorts, creating 120 destination sorts. Further plans call for a second Logeye 300 to be installed before the saw to further determine cutting options. 

As Georgia sawmill owner Jack Jordan opened this year’s Small Log Conference, he echoed the thoughts of many who attended the tour: “They’re going to set the standard.”

by Barbara Coyner, Logging and Sawmilling Journal May 2015

 

Lewiston, Idaho, USA

Log in feed into CT Log 360° X-ray Scanner

Full digital log reconstruction and virtual grading for bucking and sawing optimization

Sorting and Storage of Bucked logs

Automatic bucking and sawing optimization for dimension and board grading, in bark

Bucking optimization for logs by dimension, quality or highest value cutting pattern