Millwide Insider #49

THE MAGAZINE FROM USNR | ISSUE 49

Insider

Smart investing DEVILS TOWER ADOPTS TWO THUMBS UP FOR TECHNOLOGY FOR SHOP, GRADING WITH THG MOULDING PRODUCTION

KIWI LUMBER RETROFITS COMPARISON PROCESS WITH STAGED SHOPPING – WHY INVESTMENTS THG?

ATLAS DENSITY GRADER CLOSING THE GAP TARGETS SORTING, WITH MILLTRAK 3D DRYING, PLANING

Contents

Millwide Insider ISSUE 49

NEW PRODUCTS, NEW PROCESSES While the market has cooled in some regions, USNR’s enthusiasm for developing new products and refining existing ones definitely has not. In this issue we bring you new refinements in our automated grading systems to grade for Shop and Moulding in dry lumber. We also announce an exciting new development in sorting lumber prior to drying, with the Atlas Density Grader. And we inform you about other investments we’ve made to improve our products and facilities to streamline our process, and to benefit yours.

Devils Tower Forest Products − Dry mill grading for Shop products ............ 3 The desire to automate the grading process to improve recovery for its Shop products, and the scarcity of qualified graders led Neiman Enterprises to invest in USNR’s Transverse High Grader (THG) for its operation at Devils Tower Forest Products, Hulett, Wyoming. With USNR’s experience grading for Shop and Moulding in the green mill, the company was confident the THG could do the same for its dry mill Shop products.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel.: +1.250.833.3028 subscriptions@usnr.com EDITOR Colleen Schonheiter colleen.schonheiter@usnr.com

USNR Woodland, WA: +1.360.225.8267 Mon. - Fri. 5:00 am - 5:00 pm PT 24/7 Service: +1.360.225.8267 www.usnr.com

Kiwi Lumber − Phased investing ........................................................................... 8

© 2020 USNR, LLC

The Masterton mill has been undergoing capital investments and retrofits for several years, and the injection of modern technology is paying off. The mill has spent a lot of time and money updating its sawmill, and it is now reaping the rewards through vastly improved recoveries and

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conversions, and reductions in downtime.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 1981 Schurman Way,

Atlas Density Grader − New product release ................................................... 13 The Atlas Density Grader revolutionizes the way we sort lumber for drying. It is proven to reduce energy consumption and drying time, while increasing grade yield, length yield, and planer throughput. Check it out.

Woodland, WA 98674 USA Canada Post: Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: USNR c/o Colleen Schonheiter, 3550 - 45th Street Southeast,

USNR Sweden − New beginnings at Söderhamn facility ............................... 18

Salmon Arm, BC V1E 1X1 Canada

The facility in Söderhamn, Sweden, needed an overhaul to raise both productivity and the spirit of the employees. Take a look inside and learn how we’ve improved our processes.

Veneer Lathe Upgrades − Economical performance enhancements...........24 USNR’s Coe-brand lathe systems are designed to run for decades, and indeed they do. The key to maintaining peak performance is upgrading for recovery improvements and maintenance reduction.

Complimentary subscription For your complimentary subscription to our Millwide Insider magazine e-mail subscriptions@usnr.com to join our mailing list, or go to www.usnr.com/en/page/Newsletters.

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Devils Tower Forest Products

Dry mill grading for Shop products IMPROVED RECOVERY, INCREASED PRODUCTION The desire to automate the grading process to improve recovery for its Shop products, and the scarcity of qualified graders led Neiman Enterprises to invest in USNR’s Transverse High Grader (THG) for its operation at Devils Tower Forest Products, Hulett, Wyoming. With USNR’s experience grading for Shop and Moulding in the green mill, the company was confident the THG could do the same for its dry mill Shop products.

It’s doing a great job on the Shop. Our grade recoveries are up, and on some widths it is significant.

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DEVILS TOWER FOREST PRODUCTS — DRY MILL GRADING FOR SHOP PRODUCTS

The Grade Projector is mounted on a frame above the outfeed of the THG. It projects information onto the surface of the boards, and tracks that projecton with the board as it passes by a check grader.

With all the heavy Shop material it was taking a toll on our aging graders. We felt we would get better grading accuracy and trim decisions with an automated system.

Devils Tower, founded in 1958, is one of 4 wood processing operations now owned by Neiman Enterprises.

Its sister mills include Rushmore Forest Products in Hill City, SD (added in 1998); Spearfish Forest Products and Spearfish Pellet in Spearfish, SD (2008); and Montrose Forest Products in Montrose, CO (2012). Neiman Enterprises is a fourth-generation family business that began with its first mill in 1936.

Today the company is a leading inland producer of Black Hills pine boards and pattern stock.

Devils Tower Forest Products operates a sawmill and planer mill, producing high quality 5/4 and 6/4 products, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, 1x10, and 1x12 lumber, and shavings that are mostly marketed domestically.

Annual production is in the range of 40 mmbf, and the operation employs 85 people.

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Tom Shaffer is general manager for Neiman Enterprises. He explained the reasoning behind the move to an automated grading system at Devils Tower. “We couldn’t get people interested in wanting to learn how to grade. With all the heavy Shop material it was taking a toll on our aging graders. We felt we would get better grading accuracy and trim decisions with an automated system, and we could redeploy our team.”

The mill was running 3 graders on the line and continually needed to train more graders for back up, so automating the grading process made good sense.

Shop products are a significant part of the mill’s output, with about 40% designated Shop products and the balance is 1” Board products.

Grading for Shop was a major requirement for any system the mill chose. Tom said that he had confidence in the THG technology, especially with USNR’s experience

Projections Grade projector

For Shop products, the clear cuttings are projected as solid rectangles.

Projected symbols are customizable so customers can create symbols their facility is used to using.

using the same technology on Shop and Moulding products in the sawmill. “You’re doing that in the green end – ripping and splitting for grade. We were comfortable USNR would make it work for us in our planer mill.” He also noted that the company employs USNR equipment throughout its 4 mills, and is familiar with the level of service and support they could expect.

Unique application, new developments The system at Devils Tower is required to grade differently than typical because of the product mix, which demanded additional development work to meet all the criteria. With USNR’s Deep Learning technology employed, the system readily recognizes defects including knots, rot, pitch, pitch streaks, pitch pockets, bark pockets, bird’s eye, pith, and blue stain.

Another significant aspect of this application is the use of a second set of belts to transport the boards through the scan frame, for occlusionless scanning. Combined with off-set sensors mounted below the flow, all 4 surfaces of the board are completely scanned with no obstructions. Shop grading is focused on finding sections of clear wood, so it was critical to obtain complete data from all surfaces. This new belt and scanning configuration allows the entire bottom surfaces to be exposed for scanning and data collection.

Just downstream from the scanner, the Grade Projector displays all grade decisions onto the boards for Shop as well as Board products.

Recovery is up!

Now that the system has been running for several months, mill management is satisfied with its performance. Ron Bears, Dry End

We are processing more lumber through the system in less time, and with greater recovery.

Supervisor, said, “It’s doing a great job on the Shop. The raw material for the 1” Board products changes week to week, so as the appearance of our boards changes we see things we didn’t see before. That requires some adjustment. The Shop products have a more consistent look, so we don’t have to single out varying characteristics on those products.”

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DEVILS TOWER FOREST PRODUCTS — DRY MILL GRADING FOR SHOP PRODUCTS

Offset sensors O Offset belts O

Offset pairs of belts transport boards through the scan frame, and with staggered pairs of sensors mounted below the flow the system scans all four surfaces of each board. This new “occlusionless” transport and scanning configuration leaves no data gaps, ensuring that no defects get missed.

We’ve moved our head grader into quality control. As a certified grader he operates and maintains the grading system, and adjusts grade parameters as needed.

Ron described how they’ve redeployed the graders. “We’ve moved our head grader into quality control. As a certified grader he operates and maintains the grading system, and adjusts grade parameters as needed. He also does pack checks to ensure the system is performing to meet grade criteria to agency requirements. Then we have two newer grading staff who handle pre-grading ahead of the machine to spot a couple of machine defects like roller check.”

When asked about results, Tom said, “I don’t know our exact numbers but I do know our grade recoveries are up, and on some widths it is significant.” Ron added that he thought grade recovery was up in the range of more than 10%, depending on the product.

In addition to improvement in recovery, Ron said that it has

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allowed the mill to run faster. “We were wearing down the graders at production speeds. Now we are able to run faster. We are processing more lumber through the system in less time, and with greater recovery.”

Ron was involved with the project on a daily basis, and remarked that it went smoothly. “The installation and start-up took about 3 weeks.

The biggest challenge was training for Mike Bears (Ron’s brother) who is the head grader. He had to learn to operate and maintain the grading machine and its bank of computers, and learn to set it up to grade both Shop and Board products.”

Training for Mike Bears and other mill personnel took place at USNR’s Salmon Arm, BC training facility with a hands-on 3-day course. Then onsite training was done once the system was installed, for in-depth knowledge on system setup, adjusting

Above: 6/4 3-Shop solution showing 2 No. 1 Sash cuttings, and a Jamb (top and bottom scans of the same board).

The number in brackets shows the scale size of the lumber.

Right: 6/4 Moulding solution showing, and a 1’ Scale off due to excessive wane (wane is shaded on the surfaces).

The number in brackets shows the scale size of the lumber.

parameters for the variety of products, day to day operation and maintenance, troubleshooting, etc.

Shifting mindset Going from a manual to an automated grading process requires a shift in mindset from performing a familiar, though arduous task with well-known criteria, to letting a machine perform the same function at a high rate of speed. It requires trust that the system is recognizing every minute detail about each board’s

characteristics, and then classifying it accurately.

Results are offsetting any prior misgivings.

With this new investment paying off in more ways than one, Tom says, “We’re not bottlenecked, we’re balanced almost perfectly.” And with 4 mills under the Neiman umbrella, there are always new challenges to tackle somewhere else.

Deep Learning  increases the speed and accuracy of defect detection  significantly reduces the time required for startup and commissioning of auto-grading systems  enables the accurate identification of defects unique to a species, region, or grade, that would otherwise be difficult and time-consuming to identify using conventional methods  delivers more value and recovery through advanced optimization

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Kiwi Lumber

Phased investing RECOVERY AND CONVERSION UP, DOWNTIME REDUCED Projects come in all shapes and sizes, and often the market dictates the best course of action. One must also take into account existing bottlenecks and restraints, and production lost to downtime. Kiwi Lumber’s mill at Masterton, New Zealand faced these issues and took them on one by one in a phased plan to modernize the sawmill.

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We are happy with the results we are getting.

The gains we’ve achieved in recoveries are ongoing, and they’re good.

The Masterton mill has been undergoing capital investments and retrofits for several years, and the injection of modern technology is paying off.

The mill has spent a lot of time and money updating its sawmill, and it is now reaping the rewards through vastly improved recoveries and conversion, and reductions in downtime.

One area that needed updating was the front end of the mill, with the first phase in this area replacing an aging primary breakdown line with a sharp chain infeed and newer quad bandmills. The second and most recent phase involved the implementation of a log positioning infeed, new scanning and optimization, and new log decks. Previously, over two separate projects the mill outfitted the edger and trimmer lines with USNR’s BioVision sawmill grade scanning systems, allowing the mill to expand its product line. (Read more about these projects in our magazine issue #43). Throughout this extensive modernization, USNR and Skookum Technology (USNR’s agent in the region) have provided the majority of engineering, equipment supply, installation, and commissioning.

Kiwi Lumber is a privately-owned company with three thriving sawmills located in the North Island of New Zealand. The Dannevirke and

Putaruru mills are dedicated to processing pruned logs to maximize grade recovery of high-value clear lumber. Masterton is a structural mill that produces framing timber for mostly domestic construction, as well as a wide range of treated landscaping products.

We realized if we phased them it would be more manageable for keeping product flowing to our customers, and for minimizing downtime disruption.

The new, fully automated line is now in full operation.

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KIWI LUMBER — PHASED INVESTING

Operator, Hayley, has a bird’s eye view of the line from the new control room.

NEW LINE LAYOUT

Log optimization scanners Auto rotation conveyor

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Ring turner

Phasing in Duncan Oakley, Mill Manager for the Masterton operation, explained, “This project was part of a larger plan we undertook to replace the old line, install quad bandmills, and we always wanted to go with a positioning infeed system. We decided it was too big a project to do all in one go, both for capital outlay and resourcing aspects. We realized if we phased them it would be more manageable for keeping product flowing to our customers, and for minimizing downtime disruption.”

The old line was optimized, but Duncan described it as “scan and pray”. The scan provided data for log rotation, but positioning was completely manual. “We weren’t offsetting the position of the log at all. The operator would do his best utilizing a couple of joy sticks to try to make the turn the optimizer called for, but it was difficult to get any accuracy.” Duncan explained the motive for the investment. “Our primary target was gains in recovery and in conversion.”

The scope of the project went back as far as the log decks. Duncan explains, “From the chipper canter back to the debarker, ever ything is new.” The supply begins with the new log decks feeding the autorotation conveyor. The logs are

Positioning infeed

scanned, then turned with USNR’s ring turner before being positioned ahead of the canter heads and quad bandmills.

The Masterton mill along with its sister operations, rely exclusively on USNR optimization. As Duncan remarked, the company has a lot of confidence in USNR as a technology partner. “USNR is well positioned to support us in New Zealand.” He explained that USNR’s technical support has proven effective and reliable, and that support from Skookum Technology on the ground in New Zealand is very good.

Major project This second phase on the primary line was a major project for Masterton. “This was the biggest project we’ve ever taken on at one time. We put a whole new front end on the mill. At its peak we had about 60 tradespeople on site, operating with two shifts throughout the installation and start-up.” Duncan explained that a new control room was also constructed. Overall the mill was down for about 3 weeks in total, with the 4th week in commissioning.

One feature of the new line is the System Quality Inspector (SQI).

“We’re happy with that; it’s a live check on a continuous basis.”

Quad bandmills Canters

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KIWI LUMBER — PHASED INVESTING

This line has the capability to reciprocate the pieces back through the quad bandmills for a second pass.

The SQI provides a real-time measurement system and trending reports comparing the optimizer ’s predicted solutions with the actual machine output. The SQI system allows for faster initial system tuning, feedback on overall system performance, and is a long-term tool to predict maintenance requirements.

Another feature of the line is the capability to reciprocate the pieces back through the quad bandmills for a second pass. Duncan says they utilize this feature on about 10% of the logs.

Ongoing gains “We are happy with the results we are getting. The gains we’ve achieved in recoveries are ongoing, and they’re good.” Duncan said that with the old log decks they were getting a lot of downtime as a result of reliability issues. “Now downtime is significantly reduced. And with

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the new log breakdown technology, we’ve increased our recoveries.”

With so many projects in recent past, Duncan says he wants to spend some time to take advantage of all the new technologies they’ve implemented.

“With all of the investment we’ve done across the mill we want to get the best out of the new equipment and technology. There are further gains to be had just spending time improving what we are doing. With so many projects in quick succession we need to fine-tune our process and get those extra percentages of benefit.”

Duncan also talked about the need for a different caliber of personnel to operate the new systems. “With all the projects we’ve done we needed to have greater expertise on site in terms of optimization and automation, and to shift away from manual tasks. We’ve also invested in our staff and upskilled our people. It’s one thing to have

the technology, but you also have to make sure you have the skills to reap the benefits ongoing.”

With all of the investment we’ve done across the mill we want to get the best out of the new equipment.

There are further gains to be had just spending time improving what we are doing.

Atlas Density Grader

Smarter sorting, smarter drying LESS TIME AND ENERGY, MORE YIELD AND VALUE USNR brings you new, smarter solutions for processing green lumber that will save you time, energy, and money. The Atlas Density Grader revolutionizes the way we sort lumber for drying. This new system is proven to reduce energy consumption and drying time while increasing grade yield, length yield, and planer throughput.

With the Atlas Density Grader you can easily sort your lumber by moisture content in the green mill, before you send your stacks to the kiln for drying.

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ATLAS DENSITY GRADER — SMARTER SORTING, SMARTER DRYING

System operating at 200 LPM, 1x4” to 4x6”, 8’ to 10’ capacity, this Atlas system has processed a quarter billion boards over 2 years with no failures.

Sorting for density

How it works

With the Atlas Density Grader you can easily sort your lumber by moisture content in the green mill, before you send your stacks to the kiln for drying.

This reliable and affordable system uses a smart sensor that integrates with the mill PLC and sorter systems to deliver over 250,000 accurate and repeatable weight and density measurements per second. Atlas weighs the whole board up to 50,000 times per second at each weigh bridge, so the reported density is the average for the whole board and not just a localized density like other systems. By adding extra weigh bridges, the system can accommodate applications from 6’ studs to 28’ lumber lengths.

Wide moisture variations exist in live trees from base to crown, and from sapwood to heartwood. Frozen, wet, twisted, and bowed boards can be sorted accurately to their moisture content (MC), and sent to the dryer in batches that require the same drying recipe. Moisture content parameters are adjustable to meet your specific requirements.

The Atlas Density Grader allows you to sort out the variations in moisture content so you can create intelligent recipes for drying, optimize kiln time and energy, and maximize the quality of your dried lumber.

There are currently 4 systems operating in North America.

Some users have even replaced radiation-based sorting systems, along with the lead aprons, X-ray technicians, and mill radiation permits!

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Atlas works on high-speed sytems operating at 240+ LPM. Weight results are paired with scanned volume measurements resulting in reliable density values for the whole board.

Atlas sytems have no temperature or surface moisture limitations. Infrared, microwave, and X-ray density systems must be adjusted for temperature changes and will not work with frozen surfaces or cores!

Ice crystals in frozen boards contain locked and unmovable water molecules which infrared and radiation based systems cannot detect reliably (within safe power levels).

While capacitance systems work well for dry board moisture readings in planer mill kiln dried (KD) lumber, the reliability decreases past 30% moisture content in green mills because the free water on the surface and between cells in green boards conducts the signal on top of the board or cells rather than through the wood fibers. Bowed, warped, and crooked boards give poor density/moisture readings in capacitance, microwave, X-ray, and radiation based systems. Atlas is an elegant solution immune to those issues, and proven to increase value.

Sorting strategies If you want to maximize your lumber drying throughput and minimize your costs, here are some strategies you can employ utilizing the Atlas Density Grader technology.

Features  Whole board density rather than spot/strip density samples  It’s fast. Density values are sent to PLC by the time the next board enters the Atlas density measuring zone  It’s flexible. It integrates with all types of board sorting systems  Self-calibrating weigh bridge for temperature variation correction  No moving parts or hold downs required to get a proper reading  Low maintenance  no moving parts

Benefits

 Sorting dry boards with dry boards (<50-60% MC) allows drying two adjacent lengths in the same package. Dry kiln time is typically fairly short.

 Less maintenance than other systems. No calibration, once set up

 Drying wet boards (<130% MC) allows for higher BTU input for a longer duration.

 Reduces kiln energy / steam consumption by drying all low-density boards separate from highdensity boards

 Assign dual or triple bins only for the highest value or production volume dimensions. This results in a larger payback.

 Reduces kiln drying time which increases kiln capacity per hour

 Different species tend to have different MC. Going from non-segregated Douglas Fir and Hemlock/Fir kiln loads to 2 density/moisture segregated sorts, the kiln time reduction can be in the range of 20-25%.  Separating the production into 3 density/moisture sorts may reduce the standard deviation to approximately 2% or better for each sort.

 Increases grade yields by drying segregated densities rather than mixed densities, resulting in fewer overdrying defects (warp, crook, bow, and twist) and wets from kilns  Increases length yield  over-drying causes end splits  Increases throughput in planer/planer mill due to less warp and board breakups

 Better knowledge of green moisture distribution allows you to tune the kiln schedules by season, by dimension, by species, and by harvesting region.

Weigh bridge style sensor used in the Atlas Density Grader

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ATLAS DENSITY GRADER — SMARTER SORTING, SMARTER DRYING

CUSTOMER CONFIRMED RESULTS Premium yield

Kiln hours

Trim loss 72%

52 hr

9%

9%

70%

47 hr 67% 36 hr 30 hr 60%

With Atlas With Atlas

With Atlas

With Atlas 3% 2% With Atlas

Hemlock

Hemlock

Douglas Fir

Douglas Fir

10’ Doug. Fir

With Atlas 8’ Doug. Fir

Increased kiln throughput

Increased planer throughput

Kilns become available for new loads faster, potentially eliminating the need for additional kilns.

Fewer defects that cause breakups and jams in the planer, result in increased throughput and improved flow throughout the dry mill.

Increased lumber grade yield Fewer drying defects result in grade “migration” to higher grades, 10-15% depending on species.

Increased length yields

To learn more about this new system, please contact us today. Installation is over a weekend, so it is quick, easy, and economical to implement.

Atlas-separated kiln loads reduce drying defects like end splits, shakes, drying induced warp, twist, and crook, resulting in up to 80% reduced trim loss.

The graph displays moisture content range for 726,000 boards of 2x4 SPF. It’s easy to see how wide a variation there is, and to imagine the result of over- or under-drying on unsorted boards headed for the kiln.

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USNR Sweden

New beginnings at USNR’s Söderhamn facility EMPLOYEES WORK CLOSER TOGETHER, NEW WORKFLOWS ARE IMPLEMENTED The facility in Söderhamn, Sweden, needed an overhaul to raise both productivity and the spirit of the employees. Let’s take a look inside to see the operational improvements, and to hear what the employees have to say.

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The communication between colleagues works much better now. It’s much brighter, air quality is better, and productivity has improved.

Employee feedback

Jennie Stenbacka, Accountant It became bright, nice and more open. A much nicer working environment.

Some of the employees gather for “fika” in the new lunchroom. The room is large enough to accommodate all employees when required for company-wide meetings.

The Söderhamn manufacturing facility was originally built when labor costs were low and before computerized design and production were common.

Therefore, the office space was originally planned for a much bigger workforce than the organization of today. This led to a structure where groups of people were divided by three stories and in many different areas of the vast facility.

To get the Söderhamn staff working more closely together as a team, it was decided that the employees should be concentrated to two floors in the same part of the building.

This has now been accomplished, with a much closer-knit working environment. One of the goals for the reconstruction of the Söderhamn site was to bridge the physical and mental distance between office employees and the shop workers.

One of the signs of this philosophy are the new windows that have been installed in the wall between the

offices and the workshop. Another expression of this new philosophy is the new lunchroom.

Fika One of the core concepts in Swedish social and work life is “fika”. This means that you take a short break a couple of times every day to get together to have a cup of coffee and chat. Before the renovation, every department had its own place for fika. Now, the entire workforce meets at 9 am and 2:30 pm in the new lunchroom, where most of the employees also gather for lunch.

Hampus Karlsson, Production Worker Super! Much nicer to sit in the new lunchroom during the breaks. There’s more of a team spirit now.

Entrance Before the renovation visitors could find it challenging to find their way into the building. An unmanned reception desk with a telephone was what met them. Now visitors are greeted with a new bright and welcoming reception area, and staff are near at hand who speak not only Swedish and English, but also German and Russian.

Staffan Brundin, Project Manager We have come closer and the communication between colleagues works much better. Also the air quality has improved.

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USNR SWEDEN — NEW BEGINNINGS AT SÖDERHAMN FACILITY

The Söderhamn facility, 2020

Challenges It was decided that the ceiling in the offices needed to be raised, exposing the structural beams.

A major challenge in doing so was to redesign all the wiring for electricity and communication that was hidden above the ceilings. Both the electrical wiring and the visible piping for the new air conditioning system needed to be installed with aesthetic considerations. It now has a more contemporary look and feel, and provides a pleasant and bright working environment.

To make room for the office staff on a smaller footprint, the walls dividing the offices were removed and the new office areas were designed in an open landscape manner. After the first six months in the new environment most employees are happy with the new configuration, and ease of collaboration.

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New machinery and workflow, reduced lead time Three machine centers have been relocated from other USNR facilities: a lathe, a 5-axis maching center, and a plasma cutting machine. All are CNC-controlled.

Production Manager Håkan Nordlund is pleased with the capabilities that new machines bring.

“The lathe has boosted production capabilities significantly for parts like shafts, both in terms of precision and lead time. The lathe runs two shifts, adding more productivity to the shop,” Håkan explains.

This high-precision lathe also creates very smooth surfaces, rendering additional surface grinding operations redundant.

There are several CNC-controlled machining centers in the shop but the 5-axis opens up new possibilities

Söderhamn Facility Facts History Built in 1978 when the Swedish operations were a part of Kockums. The original plan was to produce forest machinery such as skidders and forwarders in this factory.

Employees 120 employees: 80 shop personnel 10 service technicians 30 office staff

Floor space 12,000 sqm (129,000 sqft) ( just about 3 acres)

The lathe has boosted production capabilities significantly for parts like shafts, both in terms of precision and lead time. The lathe runs two shifts, adding more productivity to the shop.

The CNC-controlled lathe

and has made a significant difference.

Some parts, like the 12 inch reducer discs, are now produced in that single machine, where previously several separate machines and processes were required. Components used for the Cambio debarkers are also produced in this single machine center, resulting in improved precision and reduced lead time.

The plasma cutter is currently being installed, and will serve as a back-up machine during busy periods.

New workflows have also been implemented for both production and shipping and these combined efforts have reduced the lead time for parts as much as 60% on average.

A rotor for the Cambio 800 debarker in the 5-axis machining center

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USNR SWEDEN — NEW BEGINNINGS AT SÖDERHAMN FACILITY

Left to right: Project Manager Anders Olsson, Aftermarket Manager Bert-Ove Sundin and USNR-Europe CEO Johan Johansson are in discussions in the main meeting room. Large windows face the shop to the left, and the offices to the right.

Health initiative Not only the premises, but also the employees at Söderhamn, and at the other facilities in Sweden, have been considered in this refit of the operation. During 2019, a health initiative was launched to improve the staff’s health and raise awareness for the importance of physical exercise. Each employee was offered a meeting with a health coach to asses their well-being and was given an individual work-out plan. And the company’s gym has been expanded and updated with new equipment.

Employees are very pleased with the company’s commitment to their health both for their productivity and a general sense of well being.

To watch a video of our Söderhamn facility, scan the QR code, or go to https://www.usnr.com/en/content/ se-soderhamn

Account Manager Eric Blomstrand catches his breath after stretching a bungy cord ten times in the snow as part of the health initiative.

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Multi-Point Diverter System Delivers dramatic production increases The Ventek-brand Multi-Point Diverter System (MPDS) uses data from the New Vision Nv4g veneer defect scanner to precisely track and sort trash into the haul back, and divert fishtail/randoms onto the trays.

The MPDS allows many mills to abandon complicated and maintenance-intensive tipples, belts, divert rods and the cumbersome transitions to multiple trays, by loading each tray from discrete divert points.

Customers realize significant recovery and productivity gains in many areas including improved random recovery, reduced sheet-width variance, downtime reduction, manpower reduction, and increased production. Contact us to put this advanced technology to work in your mill.

Millwide. Worldwide.

+1.360.225.8267

www.usnr.com

Veneer Lathe Upgrades

Carriage planetary screw actuator

Quick green end improvements LOW COST UPGRADES ADD DECADES OF SERVICE LIFE USNRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coe-brand lathe systems are designed to run for decades, and indeed they do. The key to maintaining peak performance is upgrading for recovery improvements and maintenance reduction. Here are some quick improvements you can make in your green end to improve performance and keep your lathe running for decades longer.

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The core drive was dropped into the slot.

They hooked up controls, made adjustments, and it has been running consistently ever since. ď&#x20AC;­ Scott Weatherford, Atco Wood Products

1. Roller bar

6. Hydraulic power unit

The direct drive roller bar is a specially-designed fluted roll that permits large lathe spindles to remain in the block longer, improving recovery and production especially from low-quality blocks. It delivers torque to the block surface, reducing spinouts and plug-ups.

USNR’s new hydraulic power unit is an energy efficient upgrade for mills that have several smaller units, or older designs with unsupported parts. The upgrade replaces the hydraulic power unit including reservoir, pumps, and motors.

2. Cast steel knife bar

Scan the QR code to see the carriage roller screw actuation, or go to: www.usnr.com/en/product/ carriageplanetaryscrewactuator/videos

Cast iron knife bars can be upgraded to cast steel which is stronger and more robust, providing much greater stability. The new electronic gearbox design allows for faster roundup and transitions to the target peel rate, quickly achieving the first salvageable veneer.

Cast steel knife bars can be repaired while cast iron cannot.

3. Lathe charger Existing charger frames can be upgraded with a whole new frame to rejuvenate the line and increase reliability. USNR’s computerized Lathe Charger chucks and rotates the block to maximize veneer recovery. This fast and accurate positioning contributes to production speeds up to 18 cycles per minute. Decades of lathe charger experience have resulted in an easy-to-maintain design with few moving parts.

4. Core drive The core drive is another easily upgradeable area that benefits the entire process. It provides stability to the diminishing core and imparts peripheral drive to the block as it is being peeled. The combination of stability and drive reduces spinouts and improves veneer quality. It also assists core ejection from the spindles, reducing time to “chuck” the next block.

Read about a recent installation: https://www. usnr.com/en/content/mi-46-atco-core-drive

Cast steel knife bar and roller bar assembly

5. Carriage planetary screw actuator The lathe carriage roller screw features a direct-coupled, modular AC servo motor and planetary screw drive that replaces hydraulic cylinder and ball screw technologies. Its threaded rollers retract the lathe carriage at a sustained rate of 20” per second, eliminating position errors and the complexities associated with older positioning techniques.

It offers a larger load transfer contact surface which significantly increases burden capacity and longer life.

Lathe core drive

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New Projects Boise Cascade  Lathe Charger Boise Cascade has been investing in updating its green end at several of its operations over the past few years, and is now updating its lathe at Thorsby, AL. The existing COEbrand lathe was installed circa 1980, and while it has provided excellent performance it is now in need of retrofits.

The lathe’s charger will receive a new M790 pendulum and charger frame. This retrofit is designed to eliminate ongoing maintenance requirements, and improve reliability of the lathe charging process. The new equipment is scheduled to be installed in Q4 2020.

Collums Lumber  Tilt Hoist Collums Lumber is replacing an outdated tilt hoist with USNR’s Continuous Tilt Hoist with advanced features that will remove operator intervention and dramatically reduce the maintenance requirement.

This tilt hoist will come with a new feature for automatic leveling. The automated leveling feature uses a distance range sensor array mounted to a support frame on the tilt hoist, and is designed to allow automated adjustment of the leveling mechanism for more precise, reliable operation.

This removes operator intervention and eliminates a high maintenance point in the unstacking process. This automated leveling feature is installed and operating at several mills.

Downie Timber  Deep Learning and Edger Line Downie Timber of Revelstoke, BC is investing to upgrade its edger line with BioVision technology. At its two-line sawmill the company processes primarily Western Red Cedar, and also Douglas Fir, Spruce, and Hemlock. Its high-value products demand exacting technology solutions to ensure the utmost in recovery.

The company’s goal with the edger line investment is to improve grade recovery, edging accuracy, and

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Transverse High Grader (THG) with Deep Learning technology, readily detects and classifies a wide variety of defects.

production throughput. The new equipment starts downstream from the existing unscrambler, with new backlog table, flitch loader, scanner transfer, tipple drop out, and Model 625 edger positioning infeed. A new scan frame will be fitted with 22 BioLuma 2900LVG vision sensors.

The new optimization platform will use Deep Learning technology to improve recovery and increase uptime. The edger line will utilize the MillTrak lumber flow management system to maximize material flow to the edger. The new equipment will be commissioned in September.

Harrigan Lumber  Transverse High Grader Harrigan Lumber of Monroeville, AL is updating its line with the Transverse High Grader (THG) system, featuring Deep Learning technology. The mill produces dimensional lumber products from Southern Yellow Pine.

Harrigan joins over 150 other mills worldwide that have installed USNR’s vision grading systems, many of those now equipped with Deep Learning technology. The Harrigan THG is scheduled to be installed in Q3 of 2020.

Holzwerk Schilling  Catech Edger Sawboxes Last summer, a new scanner frame fitted with BioLuma 2900L sensors was installed, combined with the latest USNR optimization program.

The next phase will see a new saw box for the edger and an additional twin blade split saw box installed.

Both 7100 model saw boxes feature the new overhead saw blade design.

The installation of this next phase will take place in August 2020.

from USNR. But in order to handle the increased flow of sideboards from the saw line, Norra Timber has now taken the next step and signed a contract with USNR for another Catech system with a capacity of 57 boards per minute.

sawn timber, 280 000 m3 of value added timber products, and 77 000 m3 of CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber).

This edger system will be equipped with USNR’s BioLuma 2900L sensors, offering the highest resolution profile scanning on the market.

Together with the USNR optimization platform and the newly developed top arbor climb cut sawbox 7100D, Sävar ’s edger line will be the most modern of its kind. The new system is expected to be in full operation in November.

Estonian Tori Sawmill and USNR have signed a contract for a complete Cambio debarking line. The delivery will take place in late spring 2020.

StoraEnso  Cambio Debarking Line

Norra Timber  Catech Edger Line

StoraEnso Bad St. Leonhard and USNR have signed a contract for a debarking line for the customer ’s sawmill in Austria.

In 2016, a Catech 4000TS edger line was installed from USNR, the following year it was followed up with a brand new band saw line, also

The order comprises a CIM 750 infeed, a Cambio 800 debarker and a CamTrail outfeed. The mill has an annual capacity of 350 000 m3 of

Tori Sawmill  Debarking Line

Thanks to our long experience with processing both hardwood and softwood, USNR has been trusted with the delivery of a complete debarking line to Tori Sawmill in Pärnu, Estonia. The mill is focused on processing hardwood species like aspen, alder and birch, however the new line will also be used with spruce and pine.

This order comprises a CIM 501 debarker infeed, a Cambio 460 debarker and a CamTrail outfeed.

Though originally designed for softwood, the Cambio debarkers have proven to be as reliable and productive for hardwood as they are renowned for softwood.

CIM 501 debarker infeed, Cambio 460 debarker, CamTrail outfeed

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PO Box 310 Woodland, WA 98674

Profile Ken McKelvie is an Applications Technician based in BC

Customers who have sent lumber to USNR for testing with the Transverse or Lineal High Graders, or the Edger or Trimmer BioVision systems have likely met Ken and seen him in action.

Ken joined USNR in 2015. He has always had a keen interest in wood products and processing, having grown up in Quesnel, BC which is in the heart of BC’s major forest processing region.

In his current role at USNR, Ken says he has the best job in the company. “I get to work with the latest and greatest of technology, and work with the smartest people in our industry. We all share the same goal  to offer the very best in equipment, technology, and expertise to the industry.”

Before joining USNR, Ken achieved a diploma in wood processing technology from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, and then went to work in a lumber mill. In all he’s been employed at 4 wood processing plants producing lumber, plywood, and laminated veneer lumber.

At USNR Ken is responsible for testing customers’ lumber  both green and dry, at facilities in Salmon Arm and in Söderhamn, Sweden.

Ken is very much a people-person, and enjoys traveling and sharing his knowledge about the technology with new and existing customers.

Upcoming Events 2020

Ken and wife Laurie, have two active teenage boys. Ken is high energy, as you will know if you’ve seen him work.

He plays just as hard. He enjoys dirt biking, snowmobiling, hockey, snow skiing, camping, boating, fishing, and is coach for his hockey team. He also loves to spend time with family and friends. Any hours left in his day, Ken tackles household renovations, and a variety of mechanical work on his project truck.

24 JUN: MLB, Halifax, NS 1416 JUN: ILMA, Osoyoos, BC 1718 JUN: Global Softwood, Vancouver, BC 912 JUL: MLMA, Biloxi, MS 1922 JUL: SLMA, Sea Island, GA 1214 AUG: STI, New Orleans, LA 1920 AUG: WoodTech, Rotorua, NZ 2526 AUG: WoodTech, Melbourne, AU 2528 AUG: IWF, Atlanta, GA