New Gear Equipment Sawmilling
Portland II and Technibois Review

LUMBER HANDLING

All new fence, kiln presses & more

A brand new sawmill machinery supplier has emerged in Normandin, QC, from the ashes of Gemofor, and was at Technibois to show its new wares. JA Mecanique is a team of veteran equipment designers and manufacturers that offers a growing range of equipment, including trimmers, unscramblers, residual conveyors, and more. Examples include:

• JA-Fence, an optimized live fence that boasts a rugged design, simple maintenance, and a compact size for retrofits. It positions boards up to 24 inches with a precision of +/- 1/32” without rollers or mechanical synchronization. The completely pneumatic system fits all existing transfers.

• JA-Press is a unique automatic system that maintains pressure on top lumber tiers in the dry kiln (hardwood or softwood) to minimize warping. The flexible tray-type system can be installed in most existing kilns, and one has already been working at an AbitibiBowater mill for over a year.

• JA5, an inspired tool organization system to improve maintenance producti-vity, worker morale and pride, and give any mill a more professional air. JA Mecanique told CWP that the popularity of this line has surprised even them, and is used by both mills and forestry contractors.  www.jamecanique.ca

MILL SCANNING

Snapshot scanning from Joe

The JS-20 X3 Scan Head from JoeScan is billed as a high-performance, three-laser scanner specifically designed for high-density, snapshot scanning applications. It is based on the proven JS-20 platform, developed to make scanning systems easier to install and maintain. Like the JS-20, the X3 needs only a 24VDC and Ethernet connection to run, and can be installed in any orientation in minutes with the optional Mount Kit. Each X3 scan head creates three scan zones that are six inches apart and up to 48 inches wide, for up to 90 profile measurements per head per second on each laser line. JoeScan says this can provide a high-density lineal scan in as little as six inches of travel.  www.joescan.com

AUTOMATED WRAPPING

Solving the back end

As Pelliko’s Louis Pacaud tells it, the only place in the planer mill that has not been significantly streamlined and automated in the past few years is the lumber wrapping station. That may change. “Now there is a real, robust machine to do the job, and people are interested,” the veteran sawmiller supplier says when asked about attendee interest at Wood Technology 2008 around his company’s Pelliko wrapper. Louis was on hand to promote Pelliko’s “Wrap and save without any capital investment” program, designed to introduce planer mills to the benefits of a system that wraps a bundle a minute without any operator or fasteners. The agreement requires mills to buy the cross-laminated stretch film, but also comes with a price protection formula to allow for accurate long-term budgeting. There are currently four machines working across central and eastern Canada, with another four under contract ready to be installed.  www.pelliko.com

SAWFILING

Every mill needs a guide

Or at least a good guide dresser, and the filing room specialists at YGE Equipment had a new one on display at Technibois. YGE says its Model 301 dresser is the first in which cutting inserts are the only parts that will wear, as all carriage motion is guided by linear bearings and powered by ball screws. The 301 uses rough and finishing inserts on each cutting head for what the supplier says is incredible speed and a mirror finish. The ball screws driving cutting head displacement do not exceed 0.00025” of backlash, while a polycarbonate guard is included for safety. Setup is quick and accurate thanks to a digital display and interface.  www.ygeonline.com 

MILL OPTIMIZATION

Kiwi technology now in Canada

Falcon Engineering is a sawmilling technology company from Inglewood, New Zealand, that was showing its wares in Portland. The gear is being handled on this side of the Pacific by Scan-Gear, the technology and distribution company headed by veterans Mike Freeman and Ike Antilla. Among its sawmill products are D-Split, a density sorting system that uses load cells to sort lumber ahead of kiln drying. It integrates into existing lug chain and mill equipment with no additional space required. Falcon also offers an in-line MSR grader for transverse systems that can double as a moisture (density) sorting system for drying. The A-Grader integrates into existing lateral lug chain and mill equipment to measure the stiffness of green or dry lumber.  www.falconengineering.co.nz

BOARD MARKING

The right Concept for lumber barcodes

The optimization, control and integration specialists at Concept Systems who brought us the BoardHound lumber tracking system (visit the archives at  www.canadianwoodproducts.ca for a story on that system) have teamed up with Grade Tech Systems Inc. to offer a line of BoardMark Applicators. These are designed to simplify bar code applications, using patent-pending technology to print codes on board ends directly or using pre-printed barcodes, either right on line, or at the packaging area. BoardMark-DP uses UV curable ink to print directly on the board, with no labels required, reducing cost and waste. The BoardMark-LB directly applies pre-printed barcode labels to boards, and on surfaces that include splits or rough cut ends. Best of all, no staples are used.   www.conceptsystemsinc.com

POWER TRANSMISSION

Now chain with a brain

Smartlink is a new system from chain supplier Renold Canada that can eliminate the guess work when it comes to how your critical chains are performing. The inexpensive add on is a plastic-encased microprocessor that measures the forces affecting the chain link as it passes through your system. Controlled by a handheld remote control, it can serve a range of functions, from warning of overload conditions to providing extensive information on the performance or changing conditions in your chain systems. Renold technical rep Richard Bowen told CWP he sees the inexpensive device as a real value-added service they can offer chain clients to get the most from their systems. www.renoldcanada.com 

DISTRIBUTION NEWS

Cardinal gets Schutte hammers; PLC gets Finscan scanners

Several suppliers dropped by the CWP booth at Technibois to tell us about new partnerships they’d formed to bring new technology to Canadian sawmillers.

• François Brazeau of PLC (of lug loader fame) shared the news that his company will be the North American sales and service agent for FinScan’s BoardMaster graderless colour grading systems. Many of the systems are already working here, and PLC will be able to give the network enhanced support. www.plcinc.ca

• Cardinal Equipment will now be representing SchutteBuffalo hammer mills in Canada, a line of slow-speed, ram-fed wood grinders billed as more durable yet less expensive than other options.  www.cardinalsaw.com

SAWFILING

Cut Technolgies and Camco join forces in east

Cut Technologies has formed a partnership with Camco to distribute its Carbide and APF saw tips in eastern Canada. Camco is a leading manufacturer of high-performance carbide and APF saw tips, designed to minimize grinding time and increase saw performance. Cut Technologies says the addition of Camco's high-performance saw tips to its Cougar line of sawing products will provide a single source of industry-leading saws and filing room gear. Cut Technologies is already a US distributor for Camco.   www.cuttech.com

MILL UPGRADES

USNR moving lots of gear

It may be a tough market, but USNR is still moving a lot of gear in some key markets. Starting in Quebec, the supplier has recently sold a chip screen to Temrex in Nouvelle-Ouest, a 58-in disc chipper to Abitibi Bowater’s mill in Senneterre, a slant carriage and headrig bandmill as well as a new resaw bandmill to Lauzon Resources Forestieres’s Greenfield hardwood mill in Thurso, a Yieldmaster G3 optimizer with StereoScan scanning on a new USNR carriage at Scierie Joseph Audet in Plessisville, and a USNR 3D LASAR carriage scanning and optimization system for a new USNR carriage at Scierie Tech’s white pine and hardwood mil in Lac Drolet. Out west, the supplier has sold a TimberGrafx transverse edger system with a new USNR MillExpert edger optimization system and new HMI system to 100 Mile Lumber of 100 Mile House, BC. More info at  www.usnr.com.

Cutting Edge Gear

PANELBOARD QC

Online moisture gauge for panels

Electronic Wood Systems’ (EWS) microwave moisture measuring system MoistureScan XT measures water content in process materials reliably, precisely, and continuously during the production process, the manufacturer says. Typical applications include dryer discharge, storage bins, fibre mats, and laboratories. EWS says the readings are independent of material compaction density and thickness, providing an accurate measurement of the total moisture two inches into the material, and not just the surface. Additional benefits include measurement accuracy under extreme temperature conditions, stable measurement, simple calibration, online tech support, and 4-20 mA data output.  More info at  www.ews-usa.com.

PROCESS AIR

New hoses offer fire retardant options

Several types of flexible hose and ducting from Hi-Tech Duravent are flame retardant to UL94V-0 and are UL recognized safe products for safety-critical applications like ventilation, filtering, fume evacuation and more. The versatile 2PN and TD-S/TD-HS hoses are suited to confined spaces, bag houses, solvent recovery systems and more. Hoses are available in 25-ft lengths and can be cuffed for easy installs and tight seals.
More info at  www.hitechduravent.com.

REMANUFACTURING
Pendu gets the point with stake machines
hether fences and stakes are your mainline or sideline (and who couldn’t use a sideline these days), Pendu Manufacturing has a machine for you. Chisel point or pencil point, and to 2,800 stakes an hour, the Model 3800 Series are fast and easy to use, Pendu says. The machines can be adjusted for stake size or output rate, and are pre-wired for operator stations.  More info at  www.pendu.com.PROCESS CONTROL

PROCESS CONTROL

LIMAB has new panel thickness system

The BMS 300 Board Measurement Systems from Swedish-based LIMAB measures panel thickness in 1 to 24 tracks, offering continuous monitoring of the process in an easy-to-install, ready-to-roll package. The turnkey solution uses a laser-based, non-contact technology to measure panel thickness to a high degree of accuracy, sounding an alarm for out-of-control situations and providing your QC and process control documentation.  More info at  www.limab.com.

November 28, 2011  By  Cheryl Quinn