Hello from the 'Chief' HITMAN
Peter Carter
Welcome
to this HITMAN user forum. While tough times are impacting everyone and production has taken a bit of a hit, when I talk one-on-one with people in the industry they each seem to be working their way through with clever strategies, and most are seeking to better their positions through carefully planned actions. In New Zealand we are anticipating a merge of machine stress graded and visual graded structural timber grades, while in Australia there is a review underway of structural timber standards which has potential to allow sonic graded timber to supply stress graded markets. This will be good for the industry enabling the small and mid-sized mills who will be able to afford this lower cost equipment to better utilise the resource and realise greater value in their product.
We want this user forum to keep you informed of HITMAN developments, and share with you what others are doing to get the greatest benefit from their HITMAN tools and installations. We are keen to hear from you with stories about your HITMAN experiences, particularly anything that you would be happy to share with others.
We have included you in the user group because you
are a HITMAN user or have expressed interest in the technology. If you
feel overburdened with too much information just let us know and we will unsubscribe you from this
user forum circulation list.
HITMAN goes global
The HITMAN HM200 hand-held log grading tool is the flagship product from our specialised company. First sold in 2002, there are now almost 250 units in operation. These are being used by researchers and production crews alike, and have become the standard for assessing structural properties in logs for improved profitability. They work equally well on logs, beams and green or dried sawn timber. There are tools in use in New Zealand and Australia, as well as USA, Canada, Chile, UK, Spain, Sweden and Finland. With further interest from South Africa, Brazil, Germany, and Norway HITMAN has truly become a global product.
Recently published research from Oregon: 'Acoustic assessment of Douglas-fir veneer logs for wood stiffness'
from Dzhamal Amishev and Glen Murphy in Forest Products Journal Vol 58, No 11 p42-47
The objective of this study was to determine
whether acoustic technology could be used for in-forest assessment of
veneer grade log stiffness and whether spacing and tree characteristics
could influence the accuracy of those measurements in second growth
Douglas-fir stands in Oregon. The study concluded that acoustic velocity
and dynamic MOE were found to correlate very well with mill veneer
recovery. Despite the inherent variability within and between trees,
acoustic technology offers a valuable tool to assess log dynamic MOE
early in the supply chain, even on a whole tree basis. Segregation of
logs based on acoustic tools that measure stiffness is also used by
forest companies to improve the value of lumber recovery. You can read
the full article in the Forest Products Journal Vol 58, No 11 p42-47, or
contact us
for a copy.
NZ Timber Article: 'Mills should be looking to upgrade'
from Timber Supplement in NZ Logger March 2009
NZ Logger recently published an article
highlighting the opportunity for structural sawmills to improve their
earnings and product quality using the HITMAN LG640 automated log
grader. Kent Gibbons has recently installed one of these new Hitman log
graders in their Nelson Sawmill and has been making around 3% more
structural out-turn as a result. On a throughput of only 5,000 m3/month
this will have paid for the installation in 4 or 5 months. And this is
only one of the benefits. Read the full article here or you can request a copy of the case study.
Hardwoods: 'HITMAN detects borer in red oak'
from Xiping Wang et al. in Wood and Fiber Science. Vol. 41 (2): 180-193
The majority of HITMAN users are working with
softwoods, but the technology works just as well in hardwoods. This has
been well demonstrated by its use in sorting higher stiffness aspen logs
for LVL manufacture in Ontario, and it works just as well for sorting
young Eucalypts in Australia. Now Xiping Wang and his colleagues at
USDAFS in Madison, Wisconsin have shown HITMAN is great for detecting
borer infestation in declining black oak and scarlet oak logs from the
Missouri Ozark Forest. You can read the full story in the latest 'Wood
and Fibre Science' or contact us
for a copy.
Ruggedised tools for harsh working environments
All HITMAN tools are built tough for a long working life and to withstand the challenges of extreme working conditions.
Yet care is still needed!!!
Feedback
We look forward to hearing from you and welcome your feedback...
