Achieving added value
To fully utilize the raw material until conclusion and not thermally dispose of it directly from the forest - this is the motto of the entire Egger corporate group. Thus the saw shavings are conveyed out of the sawmill in Brilon and into the Egger MDF plant that is adjacent to the sawmill. The planing shavings are sold as animal bedding, and also with sawn timber the company strives also to get the best possible utilization from the wood, as saw mill director Leopold Atschreiter points out during a tour of the enterprise.
Sawmill in sawmill
In one and half to two shifts Egger operates a planing mill, in addition to the high capacity band resaw. The system is arranged under the multi-level sorter. “With the Waco twin resaw we can further refine the wood, i.e. divide the sawn timber again and sell it in a different quality or as a different product. Thus we increase yield, use the wood in the best manner possible, and achieve an added value”, explains Atschreiter, citing the reasons for this investment.
The mechanization is supplied by Kallfass Baiersbronn-Klosterreichenbach/Germany. In the design phase we ensured that the level of automation would be increased. “For example, currently one employee de-stacks the packages layer-by-layer with a vacuum lifting device.
With the momentary quantities this is fully sufficient. However at any time we can integrate a lift table in the infeed”, explains Atschreiter.
The boards are straightened out and fed into the twin resaw via a transverse conveyor. Because timber is divided based on width as well as thickness, at Egger a special guide (see photo above) is integrated in the infeed. Thus even narrow timber is securely held in position.
Diagonal or straight
The maximum cross-section that can be processed with the system is 400 x 300 mm. A diagonal cut to 15° in automatic mode or to 45° with a manual set-up aid is possible. “For diagonal cuts the entire infeed part can be adapted in height by approximately 60 m”, explains Hans Haist from Kallfass. The capacity of the system is 60 m/min or 25 pc./min. As a special solution at Egger small board stacks can be formed automatically and these can be divided into batten groups in the resaw, and the battens are bundled manually.
The divided goods are stacked at two stations: The goods are automatically packetized via stacking tongues. Thanks to a simple outsort possibility via conveyor belt the goods are stacked by hand at a second location.