Monday, October 14, 2024
From quality assessment to process optimisation – MiCROTEC Goldeneye can solve it in a more faster way! This specific efficient scanner technology takes over an increasing number of tasks in sawmills. When MiCROTEC introduced the first Goldeneye in 1995, operating the quality board scanner required a highly skilled and experienced operator. Now, with over 1,000 quality scanners in longitudinal transport, the South Tyrolean company is focused on developing comprehensive cross-process solutions. Looking ahead, these scanners will no longer rely on human operators and will instead autonomously handle tasks, extending their functionality to other areas within the sawmill.
More than 25 years have passed since MiCROTEC sold its first Goldeneye quality board scanner. “Back then, image processing in the timber industry was still in its infancy. Fortunately, we had a very innovative customer in Eggental who bought the first Goldeneye and tested it thoroughly with us,” Jöst recalls the early days.
Soon after, the first scanner systems were sold in Germany, for example to Holzbau Gröber, although the initial focus was exclusively on strength grading. “To this day, strength grading is an essential part of our solutions. Over the years, however, image processing and the integration of new sensors and technologies, such as cameras, 3D measurement tools or scattering lasers for determining the orientation of the grain, have been added,” Jöst says about developments over the past decades. For him, the early takeover of Grecon’s strength grading division was another milestone, which made the company the only provider in this field of the timber industry for a long time.
“In the future, the scanner itself will become an intelligent operator thanks to AI solutions.” – said Arianna Giudiceandrea, CSO at MiCROTEC.
Intelligent Operator
Goldeneye is a multi-sensor quality scanner that integrates scattering lasers, 3D lasers, color, and X-ray technology to deliver highly precise grading and classification of softwood lumber. It is primarily designed for strength grading and for lumber intended for construction and outdoor applications. For hardwood lumber, the counterpart is Woodeye, equipped with advanced optimisation software that detects aesthetic or quality defects based on specific requirements.
In recent years, the sawmill industry has gone from doing manual quality assessment to relying on scanners. For a long time, MiCROTEC is able to appoint an in-house specialist who operated the scanner.
From lumber to log wood
“Ours are the fastest scanners on the market, and we are also constantly working on increasing yield. Our systems are also taking on more and more optimisation tasks along the entire production process.” Frank Jöst, CEO of MiCROTEC.
Then as now, strength grading is the core task of the Goldeneye, and MiCROTEC constantly works on increasing both quality and speed. For a long time, MiCROTEC scanners were only used for assessing dried boards, but the systems have evolved towards log wood via wet sorting. Most importantly, these skilled scanners are not able to just assess the end result, now they can intervene in the process even before the first cut!
This scanner virtually segments each log into boards, enabling sawmills to significantly enhance yield and optimise warehousing by allowing for on-demand cutting. To conclude, MiCROTEC scanners are all-in-one to provide avant-garde solutions.
Read more news on: MiCROTEC, scanners, wood scanning technology, goldeneye, woodworking production, softwood lumber, timber industry
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