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. Vekta’s PackFeeding solution addresses these issues in an extremely compact, clever manner – making it a viable option for both new and existing plants.
Packs of lumber are loaded onto lightweight racks. Racks with longer lumber are loaded on an upper row while those with shorter lumber are loaded on a lower row. A vacuum head gantry then scans the location of each rack and the profiles of the lumber in those racks. When called, a piece of lumber of the correct length and grade is picked up with the vacuum head and delivered to the saw.
When a pack in the middle of the system is empty, the PackFeeder is placed into a safe mode while the saw continues to cut. The operator then manually removes the empty racks and loads a new rack of lumber on the end. All of the subsequent racks are then shuffled forward to fill the gap created by the empty rack. Finally, the gantry rescans the new locations of the racks and starts picking lumber from where it left off.
The new version of the Vekta PackFeeder can now pick up to two boards at a time and is designed to pick far faster than the typical requirements of a saw – allowing it to pick for multiple saws. When combined with a Stak-n-Gap, the system can automatically flip boards for bow and stack boards on top of one another. When combined with a Razer saw, even greater benefits are realized with seamless, product-specific software to really take full advantage of this amazing product
Key features
● Inbuilt self-contained vacuum unit for lumber picking
● Can pick up to two boards at the same time
● Requires nearly 75% less space than any other system
● Fastest pick-rate available
● Automatically flip boards for bow, stack lumber, and feed multiple saws
● Can be used with ANY saw
● Configurable in size to suit factory requirements
● Unlimited options for mini-magazines, re-configurable as required on site.
Size does matter!
By storing boards on top of one another, we immediately gain roughly 50% in floor space. By then loading new packs in from one central location at the back of the system, as opposed to having to leave floor space clear next to each pack of lumber, the required floor space drops even further – making the Vekta PackFeeder take up 75% less the floor space!
The image shows the floor space needed for the PackFeeder compared with the space needed for an equivalent size bunk feeder. The equivalent area represents 12 US-size lumber packs based on 50’ carts. [For all photos and images, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
As mentioned, longer lengths are stored above the shorter lengths – allowing us to take advantage of the space above. A picking system then moves up and down among the packs of lumber by traveling along the trestles that are used to support the upper row of boards. This pick system scans the racks that are holding the lumber and uses this information to work out where each different grade and length is located within the system. As the saw calls for lumber, the picker then moves up and down to collect boards from the racks and brings them to the front to be passed onto the saw.
Ready to automate?
Two of your most important resources are labor and lumber. When you’re ready to maximize both, contact Vekta. We have solutions for your automation needs.