The thermal imaging cameras, along with the underlying AI algorithm, detect even the smallest temperature anomalies © Avian
Avian was founded with the goal of developing reliable technology for the early detection of temperature anomalies, thereby preventing fires in the timber industry. Today, thermal imaging cameras are not only used for fire prevention anymore but also to minimize machine downtime. Our solution was developed specifically for the timber industry and tailored to its specific requirements. This benefits both small businesses and large sawmills which cut millions of cubic meters of log wood,” Avian’s CEO Thomas Längle explains. The quality of the Swiss company’s technology is reflected in the high level of customer satisfaction: Längle proudly reports that 100% of existing customers have already placed repeat orders.
Avian is also seeing growing demand outside of the traditional sawmill industry – for example, from pellet and pallet producers. Inquiries are also coming in from the paper industry, according to Längle. In addition to development partners Blumer Lehmann and Schilliger Holz, numerous other renowned companies, such as Rubner Holzindustrie and Mercer Timber, now rely on Avian’s technology. One of the world’s largest softwood lumber producers, the US group Sierra Pacific, is also a customer of the Swiss company.
New area of application
One of the most recent applications for Avian cameras is the monitoring of joinery machines. “The idea came from a company in Rhineland-Palatinate. They already use our cameras in their sawmill and purchased a new joinery machine, which they also wanted to equip with our technology,” Längle tells the Holzkurier. Especially in further processing, there is a substantial risk of fires due to high rotational speeds and the dry raw material. To minimize this risk, cameras are installed directly inside the joinery machine, while another overview camera monitors the machine from the outside.
Avian’s technology is based on thermal imaging cameras that monitor individual machines or entire production halls. Each camera can cover up to ten areas. The collected data are transferred to a self-learning algorithm that detects even the smallest temperature anomalies early on and takes appropriate action if defined thresholds are exceeded. This way, temperature data can be directly integrated into the control system of planing machines, for example, via PLC interfaces. If anomalies are detected, warning lights can be activated or, in subsequent steps, feed rates and rotational speeds can be automatically reduced.
At the end of the shift, temperature data can be analyzed manually. The automatic analysis makes this step optional.
Intelligent use of existing cameras
With Avian-Vision, existing surveillance cameras become intelligent fire and smoke detectors © Avian
In addition to the thermal imaging cameras produced in-house, Avian-Vision is another product designed to make production processes safer. Avian uses existing surveillance cameras and transforms them into intelligent fire and smoke detection systems using a modern AI algorithm.
“In recent months, we have made a huge leap forward with this application, and we have further improved our algorithm. The major advantage of our AI is that it recognizes and understands entire scenes. This helps reduce false alarms,” Längle explains and adds: “With Avian-Vision, the analysis is done locally. The data recorded by the thermal imaging cameras are uploaded to a server at short intervals.”
