Using steel techniques for serial production of wood products

Purpose and goal

The project target is to find ways and means to automatically refine wood products at high production rate using equipment from the steel industry. The purpose is to increase the amount of refined wood products in Sweden and create benefits such as new jobs and increased value of forest resources. Especially the value of common pine has a large potential to gain from further processing .

Results and expected effects

The project has demonstrated both hypothetical and practical that it is possible to further refine pine with highly productive technology at rolling speeds in level with what is used in sawmills. Benefits were proven in practical rolling tests : High production speed Positioning of densification using local heating Efficient processing of twigs Low loads rolling force and torque contribute to a moderate investment cost. The technology needs to be further developed to be applicable in the industry. The equipment for processing of wood is simpler than what is used for steel processing .

Approach and implementation

The project has run according to plan. Two workshops for knowledge exchange was carried out, the first in the form of a mini-seminar followed by discussion and planning , the second in the form of practical Wood processing tests in equipment from the steel industry. The project idea and results have been presented for forest and wood producers during a ´Träcentrum Norr´ board meeting. A draft business plan to further develop the technology for industrial use was been developed. The project have answered many questions and has also developed solutions that was tested practically.