The company said a Weinig automatic outfeed line installed at its Olympic Sawmills had already doubled production, while a Weinig infeed line will be added later this year.
The investment followed concern that manual handling was restricting run time on the moulder. Bundling material efficiently into small packs to meet demand was also not possible.
Automatic outfeed accelerates machined timber at 100m/min from the moulder to an automatic measuring station before an ink-jet printer marks the length of each board onto the end of timber pieces.
Timber is then formed into mini-packs where required and automatically strapped before stacked into full packs, which are then moved to a packaging station for wrapping.
Andy Bowler, Arnold Laver‘s head of operations said the outfeed technology was less tiring and safer for operators.
“Automation has proved itself and it is the direction that Arnold Laver wish to go,” he said.
The infeed line on order from Weinig comprises powered rollers to a tilt hoist, an unscrambler unit and checking station for rejecting damaged timber and an accelerator unit to feed the moulder.
The Olympic Sawmills is the group distribution branch for Arnold Laver’s milling facilities and also supplies builders, contractors, shopfitters, joinery shops and furniture companies.
