Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Accommodating Your Catch-as-Catch-Can

Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Catching and stacking lumber can make or break productivity at the truss build tables. In an imaginary world where money is irrelevant, a linear saw in front of each automated truss jig would be ideal, cutting pieces in order from, let’s say, 60 ft finger-joined lumber, and robots grabbing...

#16295 Cover image
February 2024
Issue #16295
Page 42
Ed Serrano

Truss Plants Meet 90’s Rap – Welcome to Hammer Time!

Ed Serrano

To meet the demands of modern construction, lumber frame and truss manufacturers are embracing automation solutions. The automation revolution started with CNC linear saws for cutting and has now extended to the infeed of raw materials, the placing and nailing of plates, and even stacking...

#15292 Cover image
November 2023
Issue #15292
Page 47
Glenn Traylor

Are We Designing Our Components to Benefit Our Truss Builders and End Users?

Glenn Traylor

Many years ago, early in my career as a truss designer, I was interrupted by the production manager. He loudly entered my office with a piece of 2 x 12 and a circular saw and abruptly slammed both on top of my drafting table that was sporting a newly created truss layout. (We did not have...

#15288 Cover image
July 2023
Issue #15288
Page 35
Glenn Traylor

Should We Consider “Delivery” Load Cases?

Glenn Traylor

Years ago, truss design was focused on a simple calculation that determined the final forces that would be considered to be imparted on a truss component. These simple forces were used to determine the design. Things like snow, wind, and building materials weights were generally the only...

#15285 Cover image
April 2023
Issue #15285
Page 35
Rob Bellian

A Model of a Show at BCMC

Rob Bellian

By all accounts, it was a bumper year for BCMC 2022, and we were glad to see the significant increase in interest from not only attendees but also exhibitors across the industry. We appreciated the number of enquiries we had on our Direct Delivery Solution and there was significant interest...

#14279 Cover image
October 2022
Issue #14279
Page 60
Rob Bellian

The Winning Team with the Dundee Croc Hats!

Rob Bellian

Our teams from Vekta USA and Vekta Australia are excited to see everyone at BCMC 2022 in Columbus! This year, you’ll be able to recognize us by our Akubra hats, too. At the show, we’ll be ready to talk about all that Vekta has to offer your business. This year, we’ll have a...

#14278 Cover image
September 2022
Issue #14278
Page 56
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Last Word on Totally Robotic

Joe Kannapell

Attendees at BCMC 2019 stood safely right next to an awesome gesticulating robot and became immersed in observing record-breaking truss building – virtually, that is, through a VR headset. Back then, Trussmatic robots hadn’t made it stateside, and hadn’t yet handled our crazy...

#14278 Cover image
September 2022
Issue #14278
Page 130
Rob Bellian

Maximizing Lumber, Space, and Speed with Vekta

Rob Bellian

The most common cause of downtime for an automated saw is a lack of lumber on the infeed conveyors. Feeding a linear saw can be a very labor-intensive process. Operators will fatigue and naturally slow down over the day and loading mistakes can cost a plant significantly in lost productivity....

#14277 Cover image
August 2022
Issue #14277
Page 56
Joe Kannapell

Sixty Years of Machines, Part XXXI: Icing on the Cake

Joe Kannapell

In the year 2000, a transformation, like none other, gripped our industry. Jim Urmson’s TCT started it by breaking our component-saw-centric paradigm. Then in 2002, Dave McAdoo’s ALS quickened its pace by adding the capability to cut every conceivable truss part. But even before his...

#14275 Cover image
June 2022
Issue #14275
Page 10
Joe Kannapell

Sixty Years of Machines, Part XXX: Linear Saws Go with the Flow

Joe Kannapell

Downstream and upstream, the linear saw continues to improve the flow of truss manufacturing. Increasingly, cutting and assembly are treated as interdependent processes and have begun to be tied together. Jim Urmson started this, others have followed, and a “cut truss-by-truss”...

#14274 Cover image
May 2022
Issue #14274
Page 10
1234

Search By Keyword

Issues

Book icon Issuu Bookshelf