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02, Nov 2024 -

Best Wood Schneider invests in end-to-end sawmill, CLT and wood products solutions

Best Wood Schneider invests in end-to-end sawmill, CLT and wood products solutions

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_1.jpgSide view of the massive CLT press supplied by Kallfass

Continuous improvement describes the philosophy of the family-owned German wood products company, Best Wood Schneider. Seven years ago, it embarked on an ambitious greenfield project at Meßkirch to establish an automated end-to-end process of manufacturing its range of passive house timber construction products, from logs to finished goods.

Managing director Ferdinand Schneider says the new sawmill is approaching full load operations, and the new cross-laminated timber (CLT) plant is being commissioned. The planned sawmill output is 350,000m3/year, and after the final expansion CLT production will reach an output of 100,000m3/year.

In addition to solid structural timber (KVH), glulam, glued laminated timber and box girder elements, the fifth generation run company offers its customers wood fibre insulation systems and comprehensive planning and consulting services. Schneider says the only product it could not supply to its approximately 5,000 active timber construction customers was large format CLT panels.

EVOLVING PROJECTS

The family decided on an automated continuous material flow from the log infeed to glazed CLT and box elements for walls and ceilings. They wanted to limit manual intervention and eliminate forklift traffic.

"Kallfass, as our systems vendor of choice, was given the planning authority", remarks Schneider.

Kallfass project manager Stefan Günther, says the constant development and improvement of ongoing projects, both large and small, is characteristic of the company: "Schneider projects are organic and continue evolving. These further developments are always constructive, with the best solution coming out on top, regardless of who it comes from".

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_1.jpgThe Best Wood Schneider managing director Ferdinand Schneider is on the left with Kalfass project manager Stefan Günther

EVOLVING PROJECTS

The family decided on an automated continuous material flow from the log infeed to glazed CLT and box elements for walls and ceilings. They wanted to limit manual intervention and eliminate forklift traffic.

"Kallfass, as our systems vendor of choice, was given the planning authority", remarks Schneider.

Kallfass project manager Stefan Günther, says the constant development and improvement of ongoing projects, both large and small, is characteristic of the company: "Schneider projects are organic and continue evolving. These further developments are always constructive, with the best solution coming out on top, regardless of who it comes from".

CLT PRODUCTION

While the sawmill is rapidly approaching full-load operation, the CLT plant's first expansion stage is in the commissioning process. As in the sawmill, Kallfass is responsible for most of the mechanisation, the CLT press and several additional solutions.

When the boards exit the sawmill’s kilns they are sorted and conveyed to the Microtec Opti-side cup scanner, where the timber is turned to the correct side if required. In the next processing step, the Kallfass planer infeed accelerates the boards up to 250m/min before they are levelled and scanned, and defects marked.

The timber is then packaged in a crosswise offset, strapped if necessary, and fed on roller conveyors to a high-bay warehouse with 1,450 storage bays.

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_3.jpgThe dried timber is conveyed from the sawmill to the next hall

PANEL LAY UP

The CLT manufacturing process begins when the pre-planed raw material is transferred from the high-bay warehouse to the finger-jointing line and longitudinal press. A vacuum lifter removes the assembled components and transfers them to the Kallfass lay-up system.

Whilst the longitudinal layers are used to lay a dry press cake in reverse order, cross-layer segments are assembled for single-layer boards. "As the longitudinal layer press always produces a multiple of the desired cross-layer length plus kerf, our cross-layer saw does not produce any waste", emphasises Günther, adding that particular attention is paid to precision when forming the individual layers, arranging the cross-layers, and laying the boards.

"This means that the panel no longer has to be formatted with a saw after pressing, which saves us time and, above all, material," emphasises Schneider. The panels go through a sanding system, a cross-cut saw and a multi-spindle processing machine for the production of any profiles between the press and the joinery systems.

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_4.jpgThe timber is graded, stacked and temporarily stored in a high-bay warehouse

When laying the dry cake in reverse order, the single-layer boards are sprayed with water on both sides for the upcoming glue application before being placed in the laying station. Besides the adhesive application system from Oest, Kallfass is also responsible for the entire plant construction, including the CLT press that can hold elements measuring up to 3.6m x 16m and a maximum thickness of 360mm.

Once the boards have been pressed, sanded and profiled, they move on to one of Technowood's joinery lines, where Kallfass provides the mechanisation upstream and downstream of the machines. This includes a specially developed panel turner for CLT, which enables the elements, which can weigh several tonnes, to be turned quickly and safely.

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_5.jpgKallfass conveyors transfer timber from the warehouse to the CLT line or dispatch

"This means that Kallfass is responsible for the end-to-end material flow – from sorting in the sawmill to the finished panel – andI have to say that all the parts they have implemented run flawlessly", Schneider praises the installation and Kallfass teams.

STILL A LOT TO DO

While the existing line at Schneider is designed for large-format wall and ceiling elements in non-visible quality, the second line will produce elements in visible quality, including glazing. Commissioning is scheduled for later this year.

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_6.jpgThe single-layer panels are cut to length using high precision and joined to form cross-layers

Schneider describes the planning and implementation of a CLT line as "extremely complex", because it has to be as flexible as possible. "Depending on the objectives and framework conditions, a CLT plant is always a path of the best compromises, which we realise together with Kallfass in the best possible way".

July_2024_-_Best_Wood_Schneider_invests_in_end-to-end_sawmill,_CLT_and_wood_products_solutions_7.jpgThe pressed CLT panels are fed to the downstream sanding machine via a travelling roller conveyor.

Source: WoodBiz Magazine - May 2024 (Pages 14 - 17)

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