When you ask Theurl’s operations manager Bernd Gasser about the Microtec solutions in use in Assling, he does not even know where to start at first. In recent years, the East Tyrolean timber company has made repeated investments in the latest scanner solutions from the South Tyrolean market leader and has thus established itself as a model company for Microtec customers from all over the world. “Their openness to innovations, the constructive collaboration and, of course, the geographical proximity make Theurl an ideal partner for many of our newly developed solutions,” Martin Baumgartner from Microtec explains.
A mix of green and dry boards
On the monitor on the right, the operator sees each board. Above, in the background, Trueye was installed to monitor the production flow © Günther Jauk
At Theurl, both the green and the dry boards are sorted in three lumber plants. Microtec is responsible for the fully automatic sorting logistics which include the Variosort control suite. Inside the youngest of the three machines, the SH3, Microtec also installed a Goldeneye Transverse scanner and the camera-based monitoring system Trueye with its virtual light curtains which optimize and control the production flow. “We developed Trueye in close collaboration with Theurl to evaluate jams and misalignment in front of the distributor and make the necessary optimizations,” Baumgartner tells us, adding that there are only a handful of those systems on the market.
Immediately in front of the Goldeneye Transverse, the dimensions and moisture of each element are determined. “The system uses this information to calculate whether it is a green or a dry board. After that, the scanner changes the settings accordingly,” Gasser explains, who sorts up to 20 different grades of green and dried lumber in the SH3. This also includes all the raw boards for the in-house CLT factory in Steinfeld.
Fully equipped scanner
Thanks to comprehensive Microtec Ai, the Goldeneye Transverse in use at Theurl is one of the most state-of-the-art scanners in the whole of Europe © Nadia Eisenstecken
“Equipped with Microtec Ai, the Goldeneye scanner in use at Theurl is one of the most state-of-the-art scanner solutions in the whole of Europe,” Baumgartner explains. Using a large amount of correct data sets, the artificial intelligence learns how to assess certain characteristics, such as knots, resin galls, blue stain or compression wood, which leads to significantly better sorting results. “For this purpose, we employ a team of around 25 wood experts and forestry scientists who annotate wood characteristics and train the AI,” Baumgartner tells us, adding that this also requires regional fine-tuning, depending on the respective wood quality: “While the bark beetle is rarely an issue for our customers in Scandinavia, it is a central aspect in quality grading in Tyrol.”
Continuous improvement
Microtec’s Sales Account Manager Martin Baumgartner with Theurl’s Bernd Gasser and Hannes Markl (from left). Together, the two companies have successfully carried out many projects © Günther Jauk
With Microtec’s acquisition of the North American scanner and AI specialist Lucidyne Technologies in 2020, the lumber evaluation and reporting system QC Assist also found its way to Central Europe. This software is designed to improve the efficiency and quality of lumber evaluations. Each board receives a unique ID number, behind which all collected data are stored on a server. “This makes package checks, for example for the US market, easier. Our customers can also send our grading support team examples of a specific wood feature or defect and thus further increase the scanning performance,” Baumgartner explains. Gasser adds that while Theurl is not active in the US market, QC Assist does make quality assurance easier within the company.
Significantly better performance
With all of these investments, Theurl is continuously increasing the quality of the sorting process, but also its throughput, as Gasser emphasizes, giving the Goldeneye as an example: “Thanks to the new scanner, we were able to increase the performance in this area many times over and at a consistently high quality – regardless of the time of day and the mood. Also, we were able to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers somewhat.”
All-encompassing control system
In Theurl’s log yard, Microtec implemented the entire 3D measurement technology, including the reception of log wood for which the Winlog software for optimized log sorting was installed. This all-encompassing control system automatically sorts the logs and also takes on numerous administrative and monitoring tasks. At the saw infeed, Microtec is responsible for a 2D measurement of the logs, which are turned in case they are in the wrong position before entering the sawmill hall. “Here, we have implemented all measuring systems of the chipper line, but also the Optiline cutting line visualization software for band saws,” Baumgartner tells us. The South Tyrolean company developed Optiline specifically for band saws. The software creates optimized cutting patterns which are projected onto live video images of the logs. The operator can check them and adjust them if necessary.
Baumgartner describes the Wanescan dimensional scanner, which was installed in front of the edge-trimmer, as a special solution for edging, trimming and ripping. This scanner measures the elements’ entire surface from above and below. It is also equipped with additional color cameras which suggest cutting patterns to the operator who can then make the final decision.
Still some aces up their sleeves
Gasser and Baumgartner are already working on the next joint projects, which involve innovations for the first two sorting lines. However, neither one of the two wants to reveal any details yet.
