2018 International Forest Industries December 2017 January 2018 | Page 20

A view from the ChipCanter 2500 to
the Logmaster bandsaw
speed, a far thinner kerf is also in
the works. The goal to halve the
already thin saw cuts of only 3
mm to 1.5 mm is a much tougher
challenge. “I have high hopes
that we get down to 2 mm cuts
in our new line, and then we will
have halved the kerfs compared
to circular saw lines, which rarely
come under 4 mm,” says Stig
Grundberg, sawmill manager at
Sävar and technical director for
Northern Forest Owners.
When fully implemented, the
new bandsaw line is targeted to
achieve high speed ribbon cutting,
in the range of 155 m/min. (500 ft/
min).
The line will include:
• 750E Rotary log turner
• LogPos S4 log infeed
• T  wo ChipCanter 2500 reducing
units
• Three Logmaster HPS bandsaws
• S
 aw blade monitoring: improves
accuracy, safety
Portions of this article were
used with permission of
HolzKurier magazine.
The new Logmaster HPS runs
continuously at a band speed of
100 m/sec. (328 ft/sec.). To avoid
blade rupture, it is of utmost
importance to have a reliable and
exact monitoring system. This is
where the newly developed BMS
- Bandsaw Monitoring System -
18 International Forest Industries | DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018
comes in handy.
Like USNR / Söderhamn
Eriksson’s renowned system for
blade monitoring, Vision Tilt, BMS
monitors the blade position. Unlike
Vision Tilt that uses a camera,
the BMS system uses inductive
sensors that monitor the blade,
and an actuator that tilts the upper
band wheel’s vertical position.
The main advantage to using
inductive technology is the
capability to detect cracks in the
blade, even very small ones. Apart
from safety risk and damage to
equipment, blade ruptures create
downtime. One customer indicated
that the BMS investment has a very
short pay-back time, as well as
100% crack detection (zero blade
ruptures). He said that thanks to
increased up-time in the saw line,
the mill’s production has risen on
average by an impressive 1.9 cubic
meters (800 board feet) per hour.
The BMS’ sensors are mounted
in a protective housing on the
return side of the saw blade. The
BMS’ detection capability is not
reduced by sawdust build-up or
particles in the air. BMS actively
corrects the saw band’s position
on the band wheel, which not only
minimizes wear but also improves
sawing accuracy.
Looking to the future
It’s exciting to work
toward achieving the
fastest bandsaw line
in the world, and to
challenge the market
with this unique
solution
Stig Grundberg, Northern
Forestry Owners
“Norra Timber is a very
independent company. It
includes all the elements of wood
production and processing right
through to the final product,”
concludes Fredrik Samuelsson.
“Next year there will be even
further modernization at the Sävar
plant.”
“We have enjoyed a good
relationship of cooperation with
USNR / Söderhamn Eriksson. It’s
exciting to work toward achieving
the fastest bandsaw line in the
world, and to challenge the market
with this unique solution,” says
Stig Grundberg.