Upgrades by Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods Producing State-of-the-Art, High-Tech Sawmill
INOVEC StereoScan 3D Head Rig Carriage Scanning System Results in Gains in Accuracy and Production

By Jack Petree
Contributing Editor

...continued from first page...

That leads to the second part of Nordeck’s approach, the idea that drives his determination to fully upgrade his mill as quickly as can be economically accomplished. "I’ve come to realize that a mill pays for optimization even if it is not installed. The payment is more hidden, but it is still there because the mill has lost opportunity on every log it processes if it is not optimizing. If you’re running a mill that’s not getting the yield it should be getting, you cannot be as efficient and profitable as you should be." A dollar lost because a board does not have the value in it that it could have had is a dollar of opportunity wasted, Nordeck said. That is every much of a drain on a mill’s resources as any cash expenditures.

In 1998 Nordeck saw an optimization opportunity that looked so good that he felt he had to act upon it quickly. On an information gathering trip to INOVEC’s Eugene, Oregon research and development facility, he saw something he thought might revolutionize head rig sawing. It was the newly developed INOVEC scanning system, called the StereoScan 3D Log Scanner. It was still in the prototype stage at the time, but Nordeck decided the technology warranted immediate action. After seeing the results obtained in some very large mill operations that had reserved the first systems to be produced, Nordeck’s instincts were proven correct. He arranged for StereoScan to be installed on his own head rig as an upgrade to the already existing INOVEC YieldMaster optimization.

StereoScan is a "marriage of laser and advanced camera scanning technology" that produces a high density image of a log as the log is actually heading towards the saw, explained Jeff Franklin, INOVEC’s vice president of marketing. Small adjustments to the log are made on the fly as the log approaches the saw so that an accurate, consistent opening face is produced. The high density image is produced with a system of dual cameras located in each scan head. The system projects laser lines vertically onto the log at 12-inch intervals which are read by multiple cameras for accuracy. An instant scan is performed when the log is set on the rig so that the log is positioned and ready to move to the saw without hesitation. As the log travels to the saw, the system continues to scan at a rate of 60 times per second, and minute adjustments in taper and face depth are made just before the log reaches the saw. The system provides increased recovery as the result of improved opening face accuracy on rough logs, accurate wane rule optimization of face boards, and vertical axis scan information for vertical sweep, ovality, and offset optimization. What those benefits mean for the mill are increased value recovery and higher production rates, said Nordeck.

Interestingly, when the StereoScan was installed, Nordeck was not really focusing on production increases. His main interest was spending more time with a log while it was on the carriage so that the sawyer could maximize value with specialized cuts or improved cuts. Nevertheless, in addition to the value optimization that Thompson was looking for, the mill also received the benefit of production increases with the StereoScan.

Thompson Appalachian’s chief maintenance supervisor, Mike Cooper, reported that while the mill had a previous goal of achieving 5,000 feet per hour, Doyle scale, in red oak, it has been achieving as much as 6,000 feet per hour. In poplar the mill is seeing 7-7,500 feet per hour with as high as 8,000 feet being recorded; in the past, 6,500 feet had been the norm. The production gains come with an added benefit of improved accuracy. "We went from 70 percent opening face accuracy to averaging in the high 90s," Mike reported. The improved accuracy is vital, Nordeck pointed out. "If you’ve missed the opening face," he said. "you’ve missed that log. The opportunity in that whole log is reduced."

Nordeck was equally impressed by the ease of the installation of the new StereoScan system into his mill. The entire changeover was done on a Saturday, and the mill was up and running efficiently on Monday. There was virtually no learning curve with the new equipment. The quick changeover was made possible because INOVEC’s new and improved packages are based on the old systems, so a mill does not start over every time it installs an upgrade.

To Nordeck, the INOVEC Stereo Scan represents a major advance in scanning technology that has given his mill an enhanced ability to meet its goals. And he is more enthused about the new technology than he has been about most of the other equipment installed in his mill.

"I’m passionate about stewardship of the resource and about improving the ability of this mill to both improve the yield and value of the fiber we are entrusted with," he said. "As we improve, we do something good for the environment, and we do a better job of securing the futures of all the wonderful people and their families who work here. I think that’s important."

*    *    *

Read Timberline Magazine at www.timberlinemag.com. This article here at their site.

Inovec Home | Inovec Success Stories | Page 1 of this story

(c) Copyright 2001, Industrial Reporting, Inc., reproduced here by permission. This article may not be reproduced without written consent of Industrial Reporting, Inc. 10244 Timber Ridge Rd. Ashland, VA 23005 Phone: (804) 550-0323 or FAX (804) 740-2826.