Automated bundling, cutting, profiling and stacking in limited space solved

Corinne Brever with Enrico Goldhahn from Kallfass, her father Carlo Brever, and Raphael Franzen Technical Manager at Bois Brever

The challenge of designing a system for bundling, cutting to length, milling and stacking timber in an area less than 18m wide was no problem for the Kallfass project at Bois Brever sawmill in Luxembourg.

“It's impossible to put specific figures to the breadth of our product range. We produce what the customer orders", explains Carlo Brever, Managing Director at Bois Brever.

"The diversity of products also increases the demands on the machine manufacturer, as their system needs to handle all dimensions. Kallfass convinced us they were the right people for the job, and looking back, we can confirm that they were right."

The Bois Brever sawmill is located near the Belgian border, north of Luxembourg. It is a medium-sized sawmill with an annual cutting capacity of 50,000 cubic metres.

"To be able to survive alongside the large timber industries from Germany, Belgium and France, you have to find your niche and define yourself through quality", says Carlo, who runs the family business with his daughter, Corinne.

REDUCING LABOUR COSTS

"The 20-year partnership and relationship with Brever has always been excellent. As a machine manufacturer, we value these customers particularly highly", reflects Enrico Goldhahn, Operations Manager at Kallfass in Wernigerode, Germany.

In 2024, after over 20 years of continuous use, it was time to replace the stacking and bundling system. Carlo says the aim was not to significantly increase output but to reduce labour costs and make it easier for an operator to manage the system.

"Automation is a critical issue for small and medium-sized enterprises. With the new Kallfass system, we have modernised another key production area. An investment that also increases our appeal in the labour market", explains Corinne.

Timber of up to 6.3m long is conveyed up to a height of 2400 mm by an ascending conveyor before being transported to the bundling system

PRODUCT DIVERSITY

In addition to structural timber, Brever primarily serves the outdoor sector and produces made-to-order planed wood.

Boards, mouldings and profiled timber necessitate one thing: the need to handle small-scale products in production.

"I don't know of any system designed for so many products in a company. It was an exciting challenge to mechanise individual work processes", explains Goldhahn.

SPACE CONSTRAINTS

However, product diversity was not the only challenge the Kallfass had to overcome. All work steps, starting with the downstream separation of the planing system through to the final stacking of the packages, had to be realised over a maximum possible total length of 18 metres.

"We had to economise on space and buffer paths wherever possible without losing continuous production flow", explains Goldhahn. Kallfass installed a vertical ascending conveyor at the start of the line to maximise the available space and prepare for the destacking process.

After the conveyor, a worker visually checks the quality of the timber. Damaged or broken items drop onto a disposal chute.

The bundling system at Bois Brever

AUTOMATED BUNDLING

This is followed by the system's centrepiece that Kallfass has developed over many years. Boards and mouldings are stacked automatically into small packages by the bundler, then strapped with precision to form compact timber packages. The system's capacity is designed for up to ten bundles per minute.

"Without bundling, it would not be possible to handle these large quantities of small goods", explains Carlo. The advantages of bundling are also immediately apparent on the multiple cross-cut saw, as the ends of several pieces of timber can be cut simultaneously.

The next step is a unique feature that Kallfass integrated into the system to accommodate Brever's high product diversity and individuality level.

"We have a longstanding major customer for face-profiled planed products for many years", explains Carlo. Kallfass installed two milling heads after the multiple cross-cut saw, which also permit machining on the face side. The challenge here clearly lies in the degree of precision.

The timber must be guided to the milling head with an accuracy of one-tenth".

After custom processing, the individual boards and mouldings are stacked and transported to a strapping station via a cross conveyor before being transported to the warehouse ready for dispatch.

The bundling process is fully automated - from stacking the individaul mouldings to strapping the small packs of wood four times

"We stand for quality with our products and have the same expectations as our machine manufacturers.

Kallfass' engineers are always ready to listen and actively endeavour to meet all customer requirements. This is how positive collaboration succeeds over many years", Carlo and Corrinne said.

The end faces can be profiled

Source: Kallfass supplied the article and pictures by Raphael Kerschbaumer of Holzkurier.

Source: Woodbiz Africa / SA Forestry - September 2024 Newsletter (Pages 24 - 27)