Cross-Feed Scanning

For a good year and a half, the new generation of scanners from MiCROTEC has been in use in the planing mill of Donausäge Rumplmayr - a Goldeneye 900 in crossfeed. It was the first scanner of this type that MiCROTEC delivered at the beginning of 2019.

MiCROTEC proudly calls the Goldeneye 900 a "prime example of our technological capabilities." The special feature? It is the first Cross-Cut Multi-Sensorscanner for rough sawn, dry or fresh as well as planed wood. Donausäge Rumplmayr, Enns, was the first company to put a Goldeneye 900 of the latest generation into operation in the planing mill with the beginning of 2019.

The reason for the decision to invest in the latest MiCROTEC Goldeneye 900 Multisensor Quality Scanner at Rumplmayr was that the mechanization in the planing mill was also used for post-sorting of dry goods at the same time. The company supplies lumber and planed goods in spruce, pine and fir worldwide - so the employees had to master a wide range of products, each with its own quality criteria, which can also change several times per shift. In order to be able to precisely fulfill the large number of different orders in continuous operations according to customer specifications, Rumplmayr decided to invest in the Goldeneye 900 in cross-feed, which precisely sorts both planed and rough sawn goods.

A key advantage of the scanner is the consistently high quality, at any time of day or night, and the detection in one pass on all four sides of the board. The new Goldeneye-900 series, due to its modular design, depending on the multi-sensor channels, allows complete 3D profile scanning, light/shadow as well as HD color imaging and laser scatter imaging of all 4 sides of the board. MiCROTEC developed the sensors used in-house. "The seamless integration from multi-sensor channels provides seamless insights into wood quality. The accuracy and subsequent data analysis allow individual management of optimization parameters to maximize added value," explains Arianna Giudiceandrea, CSO at MiCROTEC.

Another new feature of the Goldeneye 900 is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). This further improves quality recognition and opens up new possibilities. 15 employees, engineers and wood specialists, focus on the intelligent models every day, as well as on the quality and optimization of the customer's products. Continuous research in this area, including specially developed software for labeling, has already made it possible for the scanner to distinguish knots and color characteristics such as blue stain and tan even more accurately. The results can thus be constantly optimized.

Together with the Goldeneye 900, Donausäge Rumplmayr also uses an Endscan front-side lumber cup scanner for correct alignment of boards in planing mode, an M3 Scan moisture meter for fast and precise measurement of wood moisture, and a Viscan Plus strength grader for determining the modulus of elasticity and strength determination. Last summer, the scanner was upgraded with special optimization software for American NGR grading.

Due to the good results of the Goldeneye 900 cross-scanner and the appreciated cooperation, Donausäge Rumplmayr decided to install a second Goldeneye 900 cross-scanner. In order to further optimize the quality grading, this scanner will be used in the sawmill for the main sorting of goods starting in November. "The special challenge we face here is wet sorting, but it is precisely these challenges that have made MiCROTEC what it is today after 40 years of company history," says the CSO proudly.

MiCROTEC is working with the customer on a new cross-process software solution to further drive digitization in the company. Mill Manager is already in use in the sawing line in Enns. Currently, the program is being implemented in the planning mill and the log yard. "With Millmanager, it is possible to have insights into all production parameters at any time and thus to control and significantly increase efficiency in all areas of the plant," informs Rumplmayr plant manager Johann Brucker. The modules of the Mill Manager are continuously developed and expanded, and KPIs are evaluated and compared in order to enable new optimization and analysis possibilities in every process step. The goal here is also the maximum increase in added value.

The complete article on the Holzkurier visit at Enns can be found at timber-online.net.