2018 International Forest Industries IFI June July 2018 Digital | Page 32

“In the near future, the
production capacity of laminated
timber products will grow even
further, and therefore the use of
lumber in post processing will
likely increase. The installed
sawing capacities will exceed the
amount of raw material usage.
“Log prices are steadily rising
and pushing manufacturers to
invest in equipment that provides
better financial return, especially
the hardware and software
scanning systems. Companies
that have not invested or are not
going to do this in the near future,
have already finished or stopped
production.
“A steady growth of wages, 5%
per year, and low interest rates will
make all investments attractive
that reduce the number of
employees per unit of production.”
A board is scanned at the Catech edger, utilizing the BioLuma sensors
together with sweep sawing
technology and the Catech edger
optimizer, guarantee a high
recovery level.
Catech Edgers
Catech edgers have long been the
top-of-the-line trademark for high
speed softwood edging. Scanning
and measurement technologies
have evolved throughout the
years, and now USNR’s BioLuma
technology has been implemented.
The standard scanner heads in
Catech systems are now BioLuma
2900L.
The scanners feature laser
scanning at a resolution of 0.3 in
(8 mm) at a scan rate of 2500 Hz
over the full length of the board. As
an option, the system can be fitted
with vision scanning for full value
optimization.
Recently, the first two Catech
systems with BioLuma technology
have been installed, one in
Fiskarheden Sawmill, Sweden, and
one in Viiratsi.
Why Catech?
Margo Jaska, Technical Manager
at AS Viiratsi Saeveski explains
why they chose the Catech edger
for their new sawline: “The edger
was chosen mainly because of the
capacity – with a peak capacity
of up to 70 boards/minute, and
an average speed of 55 boards/
minute.
“Other vendors in Europe
did not have an edger with such
capacity.”
BioLuma 2900L geometric
profile scanners with USNR’s
optimization package were chosen
based on the precision and
reliability that are proven out over
many installations.
Smooth installation
The performance of the machinery
once it’s up and running, is
only one of many parameters
to consider in the process of
buying new equipment. A smooth
installation and commissioning
process is important as well.
Jaska was concise in his
description of the the Catech
installation process: “The
installation process went
unnoticed. That is a good
sign of assembly quality and
professionalism of the startup/
installation crew.”
About Nordwood
NORDWOOD is a single trademark
for three sawmills under which they
market the production of AS Viiratsi
Saeveski, AS Viru-Nigula Saeveski
and AS Aegviidu Puit. They produce
the sawn timber from local nordic
pine and spruce logs. Their sawn
timber is used in Estonia as well as
in export markets in construction
works as well as raw material in
furniture, packaging and wood
industry. Approximately
250,000 m 3 of the sawn timber is
produced under the trademark of
NORDWOOD.
The parent companies of the
sawmills are RAIT AS and LEMEKS
AS who are based in the Estonian
capital. They have successfully
operated as wood industry groups
for more than 20 years and
they employ approximately 850
employees. The companies are
oriented to export and operate
in different markets in Europe,
Asia, Russia, Australia. The
most well-known trademarks of
the wood industry groups are
Raitwood, Parkwood, Palmako,
Imprest, Pinest, AP Mets, Lemeks,
Nordwood
Baltic opportunities
Interestingly, Ehrpais also
commented on his general view of
the market in Estonia and the Baltic
countries.
“The development of the
sawing industry at the local region
is ensured with the availability
of raw materials, and with fast
development of post processing,”
he said. “For example, in Estonia,
since 2012, the import of sawn
timber has been higher than the
export.
The edger was chosen mainly because of the
capacity – with a peak capacity of up to 70
boards/minute, and an average speed of 55
boards/minute
Margo Jaska, AS Viiratsi Saeveski
BioLuma sensors are mounted above and below the transfer
28 International Forest Industries | JUNE / JULY 2018