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SUPPLIER NEWSLINE

3-D Small Log Scanner
Cutler-Hammer Opcon announces a new laser-based 3-D log scanner, the Model 450 Line Scanner. The scanner head was designed specifically for high-speed,small-log 3-D scanning. Its scan rate of 100 scans per second nearly doubles that of other line scan scanners, says the company. A 500-mw laser easily sees dark areas on the log surface and virtually eliminates sensitivity to ambient light and the need for complex shrouding.

Each scan head measures just 2-1/2'' x 5'' x 15'' for a comparatively small profile. The unit utilizes Cutler-Hammer/Opcon’s independent scan head feature, introduced on the Opcon 400. This gives the systems integrator the flexibility to customize scanner frame designs to individual installations.

Complete 3-D profiles around the log are taken every 0.6'' along its length while traveling at 300' per minute. Modular design permits one to eight heads to be configured together. The only interface needed to the scan heads is a high-speed fibre optic link back to a plug-in card in the host computer.

A typical four-head scanning system will produce more than 1,000 data points from around the circumference of the log on every scan. The 450 eliminates the necessity for field calibration; one-time factory calibration is all that is required; this and the elimination of light shield shrouding means mill startups are quick and easy, says the manufacturer.

Baker Portable Band Sawmill
The Baker Bidirectional Band Sawmill is designed to break down 24" diameter x 12' logs, but additional frame lengths can be added in 5' increments. The all-hydraulic machine has several power options: 49-hp diesel, 24-hp gas, electric, or PTO drive. The unit features modular construction for easy transport and setup. Another big departure is that it is designed to cut in both directions — the sawhead starts at one end of the log, makes a cut to the other end, then spins 180� for the return pass. Between cuts, the head can be raised, lowered or rotated — end dogs hold each end of the log so it can be revolved.

Log rotation is programmable, as are the setworks. Other features include a kerf of less than 1/16', digital readout and easy-touch controls, adjustable guides, upper and lower travel limits, synchronous drive belt carriage feed and a high-travel cable track chase.

Board Thickness Profiler
Thin Kerf Technologies has introduced the BoardRunner, a small, hand-held thickness profiler — battery operated and not much bigger than a clothes iron — that can be used to quickly gather information needed to diagnose problems with sawing and feed systems.

Moved along the board (maximum 6'' width and 1'' thickness), the device measures up to 512 equally spaced intervals per board. The device has an onboard computer with LCD display. Data collected is downloaded into a PC (minimum 8 megabytes of RAM) for analysis of problems such as snake, snipe, washboarding, bevel and taper. The BoardRunner can download directly into a SI-CAM program.

Alberta Forestry Supply Sector Booming
A recent survey by the Forest Industry Suppliers Association of Alberta is the first attempt to quantify the forestry supply sector’s importance to the provincial economy. FISAA reports that 155 selected firms sur-veyed reported forestry sector sales of $322 million a year; the companies employ 2,550 people.

“We think the numbers are pretty impres-s ive for such a young sector,’’ reports FISAA president Reg Belyea. “We weren’t able to talk to all of the companies involved, but even so, this level of sales and employment susggests the supply sector is becoming a very important part of the economy.’’ Many of FISAA’s 280 members have serviced the energy sector for years, diversifying into forestry.

Morbark Model 4000
Morbarks’s E-Z Recycler Model 4000 is compact enough to be transported in a pickup truck. The machine is designed to handle material ranging from yard waste to construction material and demolition debris, as well as mill waste and pallets.

Dino Setter, Auto-Grinder
Western Woodlot Equipment has upgraded the Dino Grinder and introduced a new Dino Setter. Both machines are designed specifically for thin kerf band maintenance. The Dino Auto Grinder was previously available only in a hand-crank, semi-automatic configuration. It is adjustable for tooth pitches from 1/3" up to 1- 1/4" and gullet depth from 1/8'' up to 1/2".

With the upgrade, the machine now features a motor driven feed with automatic stop. With a magnet placed on the back of a blade, the grinder will shut off automatically when the magnet comes full circle. The Dino Setter is a semi-automatic setting machine for blades up to 2'' in width. A hand crank turns a shaft with cams which feed and clamp the blade as well as set both left and right teeth in one pass. Because the blade is clamped each time a tooth is set, accuracy is quite high, says the company. Blades can be set at a rate of 100 teeth per minute.

Windows LSIZE Program
Microridge Systems has redesigned the original DOS version of the LSIZE Program for lumber, plywood and panel-size control as a new 32-bit application for use with Windows 3.1, NT and 95. The new Windows LSIZE database and upgraded Portable LSIZE III, featuring the MicroPak portable computer, comprise the LSIZE SPC System.

The system offers seamless integration of data collection and analysis needs from the mill floor to long-term trend analysis. Some new features of Windows LSIZE include the ability to save years worth of size measurements in the database, display multiple charts of the screen simultaneous-ly, and export measurements for use in other products such as Microsoft Excel. The time series charts (X Bar & R, Standard Deviation, Taper & Wedging ) can show up to 25,000 points, and each point can rep resent a single subgroup (board, panel, etc.), a daily average, weekly average, or monthly average.

Histograms can display set and calculated limits along with the normal curve from collecting and analyzing measurements on the mill floor with the MicroPak to down-loading these measurements for long-term analysis.

GM/Chev 4X4 Posi-Lok
Whitey Inc. has announced a new cable-operated mechanism called 4X4 Posi-Lok that gives Chev and GM 4x4 owners (1988 and up) instant 4x4 control. The device, which can be installed in less than one hour, allows the driver to lock in the front axle disconnect system; it replaces the OEM thermal linear actuactor. With the device, when four-wheel drive is required, the driver simply engages the transfer case into 4x4 mode, then pulls the twist-lock cable. This will engage the split-axle clutch. The driver can now shift the transfer case lever from 4-HI to 2-HI and back again with no interruptions and no waiting for the 4x4 light to come on. Distributors in Canada are Husky Equipment (Vancouver) and Interior Offroad Equipment (Prince George).

New Selcom Laser Sensors
New 5000 and 6000 model Selcom Laser Sensors (SLS) are designed for high-speed applications in mills desiring to optimize yield and enhance quality without a large capital investment, says the company. Applications include use for on-line, in-process, high-speed dimensional gauging, positioning and profiling of lumber and other products such as veneer, particle board, plywood, chipboard, parquet, etc.

Based on the principal of laser triangu-lation, the SLS 5000 and 6000 project a spot illumination 16,000 times a second on the object being measured. It is insensitive to light, surface texture and plant environ-ments. The result is fast, automatic and continuous adjustment of the sensor during rapid changes in colour or wood surface, including the presence of bark, knots, cracks or depressions.

Vertical Fingerjoint System
The Jointmaster Model JM/S-20 from Industrial Woodworking Machine Co. is a low to medium production system comprising the JM/S-20 Shaper and the JM/P-1 Assembly Press. The system includes a semi-automatic single-head shaper with a 25-hp cutterhead spindle and a five-horse-power trim saw. It also includes a glue application system, crowder assembly and automatic assembly press.

The system is priced at less than US $100,000, says the manufacturer.

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