The Eurozink Compact 800 finger jointing machine impresses with its flexibility and performance © Ledinek
When Anton Ruhdorfer takes visitors on a tour through his solid structural timber factory, business partners and competitors are always amazed at the performance and high degree of automation of the line, which went into operation in 2022. From the raw board infeed to the finished planed product, the entire process, including quality assessment, is fully automated. Ruhdorfer, who runs the company together with his father Bruno and brother Alexander, has also digitalized the material flow throughout the entire factory. “The intensive exchange of data between the master computer, the scanner, and the work planning system enables us to analyze key production figures in detail and, if necessary, to intervene remotely,” explains Ruhdorfer. For this purpose, the raw wood is assigned a package label with a barcode, which is scanned at the infeed. “This way, I can precisely track which raw boards go into which product and which quality and yield belongs to which individual supplier,” the managing director explains, adding that this maximum level of digitalization was a key requirement already during the tender process for the machines. “We didn’t want a chaotic paper-based system. We wanted a seamless system without interfaces.” The production line is controlled via the X-Lam management system which Ledinek developed specifically for touchscreens as an intuitive, user-friendly and adaptable system for all types of machines and plants.
A complete package
In addition to the main machines, Ledinek also supplied the entire mechanization © Ledinek
The line was installed by Ledinek. In addition to the overall concept and layout, including all main machines, mechanization and the master computer, the geographical proximity to the machine suppliers played a role as well. “We wanted a partner who is available at all times and who could provide us with a line with as few interfaces as possible,” Ruhdorfer says, explaining the decision to rely on the Slovenian machine manufacturing expert.
The packages containing the raw boards for the solid structural timber, which usually come from regional sawmills, are scanned using a barcode scanner, before they are fed into the line and separated using a vacuum lifter. Next, a Microtec Curvescan determines the properties of the pieces. After that, a manual assessment can be done, too.
In the next step, the pieces pass through a Microtec Goldeneye scanner. “Looking back, it was a bold but good decision to invest in this scanner,” Ruhdorfer emphasizes. For him, the potential for continuous optimization, but also the personnel issue and the general trend towards mechanical sorting were key factors in the decision.
Performance indicators achieved
Behind the scanner, a Ledinek X-Cut S300 XL cuts out defects in the raw lamellas © Günther Jauk
Based on the collected data, unsuitable pieces are either removed or defects are cut out of them. The latter is done by a Ledinek X-Cut S300 XL cross-cut saw. Via a buffer conveyor, the boards are then transported to the Eurozink Compact 800 finger jointing machine. Ruhdorfer describes this space-saving model for small and medium-sized plants as extremely powerful: “Depending on the dimensions, we can process up to 7,000 linear meters per shift and easily achieve the performance Ledinek promised us.” The result is an output of 50 to 70 m³ per 8.5-hour shift, and Ruhdorfer also achieves the target output of 15,000 m³ a year.
Directly downstream of the finger jointing machine, Ledinek subsequently installed a servo front stop which enables Ruhdorfer to cut the jointed bars with the highest precision. “This was requested by several customers and sets us apart, just like the precise dimensions of our products, which are standard for us,” the managing director says, referring to the high quality standards that are a matter of course for him and to which he continually sensitizes his employees.
A Europlan 300 / 4V+4F S40 universal beam planer ensures finished surfaces and correct dimensions. Equipped with four spindles and four chamfering units, the machine can process elements which are up to 300 mm wide and 300 mm high. This allows Ruhdorfer to use the planer even for very large cross-sections, which had previously been difficult to process in the planing mill. The maximum feed speed is 40 m/min.
Good collaboration
From the curing storage, the solid structural timber passes through the Europlan 300 beam planer by Ledinek © Günther Jauk
The installation of the machines began in January 2022 and was completed by Ledinek ahead of schedule. As a result, the first bars were produced in the summer of that same year. “The assembly was a dream, and in addition to Ledinek, the collaboration with Microtec and Vecoplan also worked perfectly,” Ruhdorfer recalls, adding that they then took plenty of time for optimization. “Like each of our projects, the entire line is unique and tailored precisely to the customer’s requirements. Furthermore, the complexity and thus the duration of the optimization phase increase in line with the level of automation,” Ledinek representative Bernhard Fandl explains.
And although the line has long since achieved the desired performance, Ruhdorfer sees its optimization as an ongoing process, one they undertake together with Ledinek: “The collaboration with Ledinek remains extremely good and solution-oriented.”
