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TECH UPDATE
Automated Grading Technology
Tech Update Editor: Helem Johnson
Please fill
in our Reader Request Form located at the bottom for more information
on these products.
ScanWare Inc
ScanWare Inc's fully automated BoardMaster-NT system for dry lumber
sorting can handle several tens of grade and dimension 
combinations,
the company says. Grade rules can be specified individually for top and
bottom faces, as well as for side faces, and each dimension and grade can
be tagged with its own specific price table. In addition, correction terms
by length can be applied. Various customer grades can be mixed with
standard grades to optimize production. The board optimization analyzer
(BOA) software is designed to help analyze results for individual boards
and find out which defects are critical for the grading solution. Using
real board images taken from actual production, various simulations can be
performed, resulting in data that show how changes in grade rules and
price table affect grade distributions and the value yield. The
BoardMaster-NT system scans each face and edge with three line array
colour cameras. Each of the 12 cameras has more than 5,000 pixels and
takes more than 1,000 frames per second. Computing capacity allows
production rates of more than three boards per second in continuous duty.
Reader Service Card #360
CAE Inc
The Linear High Grader (LHG) is the latest offering in planermill 
optimization
from CAE's Wood Products Group. The LHG evaluates wane, skip, twist, crook
and bow and allows graders more time to evaluate the lumber for
non-geometric defects. Using laser-profiling sensors, the LHG evaluates
board profiles every 0.3" at 2,200 ft/min. CAE plans to unveil its
LHG equipped with integrated X-ray Lumber Gauge (XLG) technology at the
upcoming Wood Technology Show in Portland, Oregon. Available as an option,
the non-contact and microwave technologies will allow the user to evaluate
MSR lumber within the same LHG machine centre. Reader Service Card #361
Gemofor
Gemofor's simple grading stations offer efficiency and performance, two
qualities that make the systems capable of 180 lugs per minute. The
equipment features two integrated components, the board turner and the
grading station itself. The board turner allows a perfect, steady rotation
in a clockwise direction, easing the reading of the board on all four
faces and enabling the graders to be able to make a better judgement and
thus generate a better grading analysis. In addition, the system can be
adjusted easily to any board width from 2x3 to 2x10. The grading station
is designed to share the flow of production from two to four independent
stations, substantially reducing the linear chain speed and allowing
graders to read more accurately. The simplicity of the system gives
perfect control of the board, the company says, no matter what the chain
speed. The board is kept consistently between lugs in order to assure
control, minimize shutdown and obtain production targets. Reader Service
Card #362
Northern Milltech Inc
Northern Milltech Inc's new inline moisture measuring system, the
non-contact MC-Pro 2500, uses digital pulses through the wood rather than
conventional analog tank technology to determine moisture content. This
not only makes faster readings possible, but ensures the detection of
sudden moisture content changes at high speeds. Readings are displayed
along the length of the piece, rather than just the peak and the average.
Vertical board movement is measured using an infrared displacement sensor
so board movement in the field is no longer an issue. NMI's proprietary
method of background suppression eliminates the need for any calibration.
Coupled with remote reporting and kiln tracking systems, the MC-Pro 2500
is a move toward total moisture content management and control. Reader
Service Card #363
Coe Manufacturing
The D*TEC Sawmill Edger and Trimmer grade optimizing systems from Coe
Manufacturing offer sawmills and planermills scanning and optimization
advantages. Image processing hardware and software identify and classify
knots, knot holes/black knots, pockets, splits, decay and stain and
determine the size and location of each defect. Based on biological and
profile data and userentered grade rules, the systems compute the highest
value solutions. In the past, high-grade products were graded out at the
planermill. By grade scanning in the sawmill, grade recovery at the
planermill has increased dramatically, the company says. The technology
has recently been enhanced for applications in the planermill as well.
Reader Service Card #364
USNR
USNR pioneered the field of automated grading by introducing the T-3 Grade
Defect Scanner in the 1980s. The company now produces Grader Helper
applications to fit a variety of geometric grading needs throughout the
industry, which reduce costs and the subjectivity of pure visual-based
systems. USNR is expanding its current product line by investing in
research and development projects to increase the opportunity automated
grading represents for both sawmills and manufacturers, the company says.
Reader Service Card #365
Epsimage Inc
Epsimage Inc offers wood equipment manufacturers fasttrack access to X-ray
inspection technology. The company develops custom X-ray solutions and
provides intelligent X-ray detectors that take care of the X-ray specific
aspects. Its customers may develop their own application software for the
intelligent detector to extract the wood features from the acquired
images. An Epsimage first detector is able to sustain inspection
throughputs of more than 40 ft/sec and may be used to detect the size and
position of knots and other defects below the wood surface. Reader Service
Card #366
Eldeco Industries Ltd
The DART MSR machine from Eldeco Industries uses the mechanical 
bend
method to grade lumber. Available in two models, the machine grades lumber
either "on edge" or "on flat", after the planer. The
compact machines hold calibration and accuracy almost indefinitely, the
company says, and are easy to clear of a lumber jam. Data logging is
compatible with Forintek Toolkit requirements and offers the latest in
touch screen technology. Reader Service Card #367
Comact Inc
Comact Inc is in the process of developing new grading technology 
that
will redefine grading for the entire industry, the company says. Expected
to be available in June 2002, the soon-to-be-released Comact GradExpert (CGE)
will offer precise and constant grading, piece after piece, with no more
pieces lost to grading rules thanks to its infallible eye, Comact says.
The CGE will use a combination of 3-D scanner readings and colour camera
detection of the slightest defect, in the transversal mode. Reader Service
Card #368
Perceptron
Perceptron introduces a transverse dry lumber dimensional grading and
optimization system, the Machine Vision Grader. Like a conventional
trimmer optimizer, it is located just in front of the dry 
trimmer
and performs the tasks of a green trimmer optimizer and more, the company
says. A transverse location enables accurate measurements to be taken
while the wood moves in a stable, relaxed fashion, allowing warp
characteristics such as bow, twist, crook and cup to be measured. The
difference in pencil wane and an eased edge on the wood can also be
measured as a result of an enhanced laser measurement system that collects
dense, full coverage scans with essentially no gaps in the data, the
company says. The system accepts a biological grade-currently read from a
grade mark reader-grades boards for dimensional defects, compares the
biological defect input along with any special cutting instructions from
the human grader, computes the value of trim blocks and then optimizes all
this information into the most valuable answer. It then makes cosmetic
trims that improve the appearance of the piece. Reader Service Card #369
Metriguard
With in-line production speeds above 2,500 fpm, the Metriguard Model 7200
HCLT refines and improves MSR production systems with a faster and more
powerful PC data system. The newly redesigned 
PCDS2
software features a new wood temperature compensation option as well as a
simpler menu screen, more on-screen data summary graphics and more
powerful report and data prcessing capabilities. The Metriguard Model 2800
DME is a comprehensive veneer tester for the laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
industry and features a new thickness measurement option and
temperature-compensated measurements of ultrasonic propagation time (UPT),
density and moisture content. These measurements are combined to determine
the modulus of elasticity for each sheet, resulting in better sorting and
higher LVL yields. Other Metriguard veneer testers can be field upgraded
to the Model 2800 DME. Reader Service Card #370
PLC Inc
The PLC-Syst-M grading optimization system from PLC Inc precisely
evaluates wane, knot, check, split, shake, hole, skip, white speck,
honeycomb, pitch or bark pockets, width and thickness deviation, as well
as bow, crook, cup and twist. The four-side analysis system integrates
Baumer laser head technology providing running length resolution every
0.25" on 2,000 ft/min; transverse resolution of 0.01"; depth
resolution of 0.01"; and length reading precision of 0.03". Key
advantages include optimized trimming decisions based on wane and default
analysis, complete reporting, better grading with a direct impact on
overtrim and overquality in lower grade lumber and reduced operator
responsibility. It offers a mathematical model to determine the pith of
the log from which the board has been cut, based on the knot location
co-ordinates, and a transverse system to measure board warp (bow, crook,
cup and twist). It has the capacity to integrate MSR and moisture systems
and is equipped with algorithms permitting optimization of end trimming.
The user-friendly, manmachine interfaces are assembled on a Windows NT
platform and provide visualization of scanned products, classification and
operation parameter adjustments and diagnostic devices. Reader Service
Card #371
Autolog Inc
The linear planer optimizer from Autolog offers full optimization for
wane, twist, crook, skip and bow and the quickest payback in the industry,
the company says. With a 3-D Windows NT interface and 
realtime/real-shape
solutions, the machine offers on-line simulation, trimmer solutions with
grading specifications and custom built solutions, depending on mechanical
configurations. It can be closely coupled to the planer. With speeds of up
to 2,000 ft/min, if offers true shape scanning on all four faces and width
and thickness precision to 0.010". Other features include: real-time
optimization according to product price and mill configuration and product
definition by thickness, width, length, grade, composite wane rules and
price. The system is designed to optimize using MSR and moisture input
data. The controller, optimizer, simulator and report manager are
accessible from the main menu and all systems in the mill are accessible
from one remote station via a network. Configurable, exportable and
compatible production reports can be achieved with a database such as
Access, Excel or Lotus. Reader Service Card #372
Barr-Mullin Inc
Barr-Mullin's CellScan was developed solely for scanning lumber and grades
hardwoods and softwoods by inspecting the actual wood 
cells
and, at production speeds, determines all features present on wet, dry,
surfaced or unsurfaced boards. Using BMI's proprietary pulsating laser,
CellScan sees 23 different signals emitted by wood cells and identifies
all features present on a board as well as defects based on specific rules
on all four sides at any location. It detects all features down to 6mm on
boards up to 22" wide, optimizing each board for the highest grade
and dollar recovery. Driven by one computer operating in real time,
CellScan optimizes lumber based on company rules in cutting moulding,
dimension and finger-joint stock. Reader Service Card #373
ATS Automation Inc
ATS Automation offers a high-speed transverse scanner system for grade
sorting trim blocks for the finger-joint remanufacturing industry. The
system uses newtechnology laser distance measuring detectors that are
fast, accurate and reasonably priced. The scanning computer measures the
profile of the trim blocks and sorts them by shape, width and
wane-rule-based grades. The optional grader operator inputs visual-grade
overrides, if required, while the associated drop sorter's diverters
direct the blocks to bins for trimming, edging and both studgrade (50 per
cent wane) and squareedged J-grade blocks in 2x3, 2x4 and 2x6 sizes. The
scanner laser detectors have a resolution of about +/- 0.002", which
results in a block measuring accuracy of about 0.005". Readings are
taken every 0.030" across the width of the block at an operating rate
of 150 blocks per minute. Scan densities of both 1" and 2" are
available. Reports are printed automatically at the end of each shift and
may be exported via an Ethernet connection. Reader Service Card #374
Tree-D Inc
Tree-D Inc provides equipment that retrofits full 3-D optimization
capabilities to existing chip-n-saw and sharp-chain infeed systems without
the expense of double length infeed and the associated costs of relocating
upstream log handling equipment. It achieves full 3-D optimization on
short logs and "virtual" 3-D optimization on long logs. The only
requirements, the company says, are a slightly longer bed, two Tree-D
Laser Tech T261Q quad head ring scanners and Tree-D's optimization
software package. The compact 3-D retrofit can be installed with minimal
re-engineering of existing mill equipment, the company says. The system
eliminates "off line"-style shadow scanning problems by mounting
scanners to the infeed bed that has been extended or replaced to achieve
the required minimum length of four feet longer than the longest log. One
of the quad ring scanners is placed a minimum of two feet down stream from
the infeed tail sprocket, while the second is placed at one-half the
maximum log length downstream from the first scanner. Reader Service Card
#375
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