A Gordie Howe hat trick is accomplished when a player gets a goal, an assist, and a fight in a hockey game.
A “Feed the Beast” hat trick is accomplished when a team of machinery wranglers installs a Lumber PickLine to feed a 3rd party automated saw, a standalone auto-feeding RetroC, and a fully loaded RetroC with SpeedCatch – all in the same week!
The machinery wranglers shown here are being treated to a well-deserved meal to cap off and celebrate their record-setting week of accomplishing the hat trick all while traveling from Vancouver Island, BC to Warsaw, VA and finishing up in Erlanger, KY. Congratulations on a job well done! At LimTek, we are committed to meeting our customers’ schedules as much as humanly possible, so we are not intimidated by a lot of hard work in a short period of time. Your investment is worth our time and effort! [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
Shown in the photo is the under roof 52 ft SmartConveyor component of the exterior Lumber PickLine that will feed lumber continuously to the MiTek Blade saw in the background. For more information on this optimal setup, see my January 2022 article, “Optimize Your Saw with a Lumber PickLine.”
A RetroC can only be fed lumber from the included front auto-feed SmartConveyor, which is normally done with a Lumber PickLine. If there really is no room for a PickLine (see my May 2022 article, “Debunking the ‘Automation Takes Too Much Space’ Myth”), the trick is to place a bunk live deck in front and above the 12 ft SmartConveyor. Bunk lumber can then be spilled onto the “waterfall” skate wheels which will help flatten the lumber on the SmartConveyor. Shown on the left is a 14 ft bunk live deck that is set 12 inches higher than the 12 ft SmartConveyor. Shown on the right side of the RetroC is a 10 ft lumber catch table and lumber cart that will have one or two lumber catchers stacking lumber from the catch table onto the lumber carts.
We are always on the lookout for machinery wranglers who are ready, willing, and able to travel. If you have what it takes to handle the Beast, please email your credentials.
Let LimTek Process Organization Technology help you squeeze out more truss production and deliver quality trusses with shorter lead times to better service your customers by organizing your truss fabrication processes to maximize your investment in automation. https://limteksolutions.com/