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TECH UPDATE
______________________
Tech Update: SCANNING AND SENSING HARDWARE
Tech update editor: Helen Johnson
Please fill
in our Reader Request Form located at the bottom for more information
on these products.
Perceptron-USNR
Perceptron-USNR has developed a new application using 3D LASAR
scanning
sensors to optimize a two-sided gang system. The LASAR sensor is equipped
with variable scan zones that permit the scanning from the left, right or
centre of the infeed rolls, allowing mills to add 3D scanning and
optimization to the gang machine centre without having to carry out major
mill adjustments. With this technology, the gang can be fully automated
with the operator selecting the grade for each cant. LASAR pre-scans each
piece to aid with loading and to dynamically adjust the size of the scan
zone, which ensures extremely dense scanning on both large and small
cants. After only a few weeks, a mill using the in-place scanning,
optimized gang system reported a 1.5 per cent reduction in trim loss,
significant improvements in slashes and improved cutting accuracy, the
company says. www.usnr.com Reader
Service Card #850
Comact
Comact’s GradExpert planermill grade optimizer makes precise decisions on
the grade of the board and delivers optimal trimming. The GradExpert
verifies the geometrical dimensions and appearance
characteristics and
grades up to 200 boards per minute, the company says. The combination of
the geometrical and colour datas of a board generates a complete grading
solution of all the boards. Its infallible eye redefines grading
standards, the company says, and detects defects such as tight knots,
pitch pockets, loose knots, spike knots, pitch, blue and red strains, rot
and unsound wood, bark pockets, splits, shakes, worm holes and slope of
grain. The GradExpert features transversal reading that permits constant
grading and offers a thickness accuracy of +/- 0.010”, a lengthwise
scanning density of one inch and a scanning rate of 1,000 scans per
second. Light curtains offer an accuracy of +/- 0.015”, a scanning density
of 0.125” and a scanning range of 2,000 scans per second.
Comact’s T1-SCAN green and dry trimmer optimizer edger, gang edger optimizer profiles scans using M24A, DynaVision II heads with a scanning density of every one inch. Its shape scanning uses a Comact light curtain, operating at 2,000 measurements per second and at 0.125” scan density. The trimmer optimizer ensures greater accuracy and optimization algorithms operate in real time and take into account the sawing variations, drying factor and planer parameters. It catches twist, bow and crook and offers real-time high-performance optimizing with system accuracy, compound or equivalency wane rules and a simulation package. The optimization process takes into account the drying factor, the sawing variations and the planer dimensions on the green side. www.comact.com Reader Service Card #851
Hermary Opto Electronics Inc
Hermary Opto Electronics offers the LRS-50 laser range sensor, a versatile
and cost-effective Class II laser triangulation product for multi-sensing
applications. A unique range/resolution performance
curve provides
high-resolution measurements in the near range, while having a scan range
of up to 65 inches. Using the LRS-16HC, data from up to 16 heads can be
combined with encoder data and presented on an Ethernet TCP/IP interface
for easy access and processing by the host system. The LRS-50’s
applications include real-time size control, panel board thickness, veneer
lathe pre-charging, veneer/plywood thickness and board and log scanning.
It features multi-sensor architecture, 1,000 scans per second, visible
Class II laser beam and 300 m of cable length. The HDS-050 is an infrared
high definition scanner packaged in a machined aluminum housing, designed
for log and board measurements in sawmills. When operating, a curtain of
light is created between the source and the detector heads. As an object
passes between the scan heads, a measure of the object size is obtained
where the object intersects the light curtain. Measurement resolution is
0.050 inches and range is 15 feet. The scan rate is 4.8 m per second.
Applications include X and X,Y optimization scanning and bucking and
sorting systems. The LPS-2016 laser profile scanner is a fully integrated
co-planar scanning system designed to scan logs and cants. A single
environmentally sealed connector and a 10-pair cable carry all DC power
and signals. With DC power applied, a two dimensional profile (list of X,Y
coordinates) of a surface intersecting the scan plane is available on the
communication ports.
Two or more heads mounted around the log transport system give the log shape. The scanner can be used for log profiling for auto rotation and scanning for carriage set works. It has a scan rate of 10 metres per second, a point density of 0.20 to 0.33 inches and accuracy of +/- 0.025 inches. Features include high point density, fast scanning, wide dynamic range and a visible laser. Hermary Opto Electronics offers high definition diameter scanners, laser profile scanners and laser range sensors, designed for ease of use, durability and demanding customer applications. www.hermaryopto.com Reader Service Card #852
Banner Engineering
Banner Engineering Corp’s new QT50U series programmable, ultrasonic
sensors feature an extended sensing range of eight metres and are
available in both analog and discrete models. The
sensor utilizes advanced
microprocessor technology for accurate, reliable sensing at long
distances. Rugged, sealed construction and temperature compensation
circuitry make it ideal for a wide range of applications, the company
says. It has a minimum sensing range of eight inches. The QT50U
dual-discrete model offers two independent near and far limits per output,
making it well suited for applications where distinct high and low media
level monitoring is required. It also features a retro-sonic mode in which
the sensor is taught a distinct point within its sensing range and will
detect any object regardless of shape, size or reflective angle that
passes between the sensor face and the taught point.
The L-GAGE LT3 time-of-flight laser distance-gauging sensor precisely times the travel of its laser beam from the sensor to the target and back to the sensor. It makes one million measurements per second and averages the measurements to provide precise distance data at ranges of up to three metres, or up to 50 metres for the retro-reflective-mode model. The self-contained LT3 is ideal for precision distance measuring applications, the company says. The Class II laser device features both analog and discrete outputs with independently configurable set points, enabling users to configure the device for a variety of applications with a single push button. The LT3 sensor provides sensing ranges of 0.3 to three metres for gray targets and 0.3 to five metres for white targets. It offers a measurement resolution of one mm, depending on response speed, a modulated visible red sensing beam and a discrete output and an analog output, or both simultaneously, with independently programmed window limits. www.bannerengineering.com Reader Service Card #853
ScanMeg Inc
The new laser scanner from ScanMeg, the Baby S laser scanner, is a cross
between a laser scanner and a photo-switch or photocell. Using the four-
to 20-mA output, the mill electrician can incorporate the unit directly
into an existing PLC program. The scanner can be
programmed to measure a
board that is on a belt or chain and can easily differentiate between a
5/4 and a 4/4 piece for sorting, the company says. Another use is in front
of an automatic board turner to detect wane to initiate the action of the
turner before the boards go into the planer or stacker. Placed above the
deck feeding band resaw, the scanner can determine if the cant was turned
correctly, thus eliminating a lot of re-edge and increasing productivity.
It can also be used to measure the end of a board as it goes into the zero
saw in a planer mill trimmer, ensuring boards are not bouncing off the
fence and resulting in inaccurate lengths. The ScanMeg Type TL curtain
scanner for transverse bucking is positioned in both X and Y axis and
obtains important sweep and crook information as well as the length every
one inch along the stem. With LEDs and phototransistors spaced at one inch
along the scanner and with each scanner (X and Y) offset by a half inch,
the resolution on length is +/- one-half inch. The unit is composed of
four-foot sections with a two-foot end piece and the sensor is
daisy-chained together with rigid connectors designed so that any section
can be replaced in five to 10 minutes.
Even with scanner lengths of up to 128 feet, only one cable comes out the end, the company says. The unit offers simple alignment and each LED/phototransistor pair is synchronized to prevent crosstalk. Scan rates of 1,000 cycles per second ensure precise diameter measurement. The Area Photocell from ScanMeg is designed for tracking logs and stems on longitudinal conveyors. The phototransistors and LEDs set at one-inch increments take the place of stacked photocells and eliminate the problem of misalignment due to vibration and poor installation. The LEDs are set in series so that if one LED is blocked, the sensor outputs a signal. Only one I/O is required to the PLC. A special bank of dip switches can change the on-board program to modify the latch time, provide crosstalk to increase resolution to half an inch and modify the debounce time. High-speed models, of up to 8,000 scans per second, are used in lineal grade optimizers. The 12- and 16-inch models are used on long stem decks to ensure proper tracking of logs. The units come in heights of four, six, eight, 12 and 16 inches. www.scanmeg.com Reader Service Card #854
Coe Newnes/McGehee Coe
Newnes/McGehee offers optimization from log bucking to lumber grading and
its True Differential Thickness Measurement (TDTM)
technology offers
accuracy, repeatability and reliability. The technology has been moved
into the planermill on the Linear High Grader (LGH) system and the Planer
Feeder Optimizer. LGH is applied to all four faces yielding the best width
and thickness accuracy, the company says. High scan density is
complemented by the use of patented X-ray technology to offer MSR/MEL
strength prediction algorithms to the LHG product, another step toward
finding a better solution to lumber grading issues. The Coe Newnes/McGehee
offering for the sawmill is Optimization Suite – Version 6.0, which offers
the company’s trademark look throughout the sawmill, including log
bucking, small log processing, primary breakdown, transverse and linear
curve saw gang and transverse and linear edger and trimmer. A final step
to improving lumber grading is relating information between various
optimization systems and between the planermill and sawmill. Coe Newnes/McGehee’s
Mill Host offers practical solutions to these issues with its Central
Point reporting modules. www.coemfg.com
Reader Service Card #855
LMI Technologies Inc
LMI Technologies Inc has addressed the issue of scanning the 3D-stem
profile without the need to stop the chain, putting better 3D profiles
into the best optimization software with continuous production. The
DynaVision B8L has been developed for this process using real-time 3D true
shape scanning. The DynaVision B8L uses eight lasers to provide a detailed
3D profile every six inches along the stem as it is transported
transversely. With a standoff of 34” and an operating range of 32”, the
B8L can be mounted over the top of the transfer chain to keep it away from
logs and debris. In a double row configuration, the B8L scanner provides
almost 270-degree coverage. In the opposing configuration, there is almost
360-degree coverage. The advantage of the B8L compared to a light curtain
is 3D true shape and crook scanning resulting in better-optimized
solutions. A second advantage is scanning while the stem is moving,
matching natural flow of the log to the saws and providing higher
production. For each scanner, measurements are accomplished by using two
cameras that are placed on each end of the scanner to achieve an accuracy
of +/-0.100”. At 500 samples per second for all measurement points in a
system, full 3D profiles across the stem at each laser point are created.
B8L scanners are mounted end-to-end, providing the flexibility to match
the exact system size. The DynaVision B8L scanner has been designed to
operate in greatly varying ambient light conditions that are typical on a
slasher deck. The B8L scanners and the transfer chain encoder pulses a
resent to the Net PowerHub, which builds the 3D profiles of the stem and
sends the information to a host computer over an Ethernet link.
www.lmint.com Reader Service Card
#856
Limab
The LMS 6045 DSP length measurement system, from Limab North
America, is
an industrial, rugged and self-contained non-contact measurement sensor
that accurately measures length of boards on a transversal conveyor.
Installed in front of a trimmer or before final packaging in the mill, the LMS 6045 is mounted at the side of the conveyor with the beam pointing
toward the edges of the boards as they pass by. The sensor is equipped
with the Limab patented height vision optics which produce a line of 75mm
in height, allowing the board to bend but still be accurately measured.
The single sensor requires less maintenance, the company says, and is more
accurate than conventional measurements.
www.limab.com Reader Service Card #857
Northern Milltech Inc
Northern Milltech’s MC-Pro 2500 T planer inline moisture metering system
uses digital pulse technology to determine moisture content (MC). Vertical
board movement is measured using a laser-based displacement sensor and
board temperature is determined by a built-in infrared temperature sensor
to automatically adjust MC readings for warm or cold wood. Northern
Milltech’s transverse planer moisture metering system, the MC-Pro 1000 P,
identifies under-dried stock before it is planed. Using up to eight
sensing heads in an alternating top and bottom configuration, it
automatically adjusts for the temperature of the board and eliminates
problems associated with systems that only look at one face of the piece
and assume constant temperature. The user-friendly system performs
calibration with one pass of the calibration piece and automatically
adjusts for ambient conditions. Optional windows reporting and kiln
tracking packages allow for ongoing and historical monitoring of the
drying process. The MC-Pro 1000 transverse sawmill moisture meter is a
moisture/density sorting system that addresses moisture content deviation
before the lumber leaves the sawmill. Density impacts the sort decision in
the same way that it impacts the drying process, so wood can be sorted by
it “dry-ability”. Pre-sorting lumber by drying characteristics reduces MC
variation at the planer and results in increased grade recovery and
decreased trim loss, the company says.
www.northernmilltech.com
Reader Service Card #858
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