Pre-scan bundles, then pick the best bundles for the job

Buffer control for automatic defect recognition systems

What does it do?

The LumberId system uses the unique grain pattern of lumber to identify lumber. The scanning station reads 16 inches of lumber and saves it to a database. The detection station scans the same 16 inches of lumber to indentify the piece. Depending on the material flow, either the first 16 inches of lumber is scanned or the last 16 inches.

Application 1: Buffer Control

The LumberId system serves as a painless buffer control system. The scanning station is placed just before an automatic defect recognition scanner (such as the WoodEye™). The detection stations are placed just before or inside the cross-cutting saws (such as the Eagle Talon™). In this arrangement, the finger print and cut solution for the piece of lumber are saved to the database at the scanning station. When the detection station reads and identifies the piece of lumber, the associated cut solution is passed to the cross cut saw. This system provides complete buffer control with no possiblity for error. This in turn reduces the complexity of the material handling and avoids having to clear the buffer and starting over whenever the system gets out of sync.

Application 2: Bundle Selection

Bundles are first finger printed by the LumberId scan station and then scanned for defects with an automatic defect detection system. These bundles are then placed back in inventory. The LumberId optimization package then runs simulations on the known bundles and selects the bundles that would yield best for a given job. These bundles are then run through the LumberId Detection station where the cut solutions are passed to the cross cut optimizer.