New Zealand’s Foundation for Research, Science & Technology is to invest NZ$225,000 into a pilot plant producing a new range of engineered wood products.
Optimised Engineered Lumber (OEL) has been designed by Wood Engineering Technology (WET) Ltd to turn lower value logs into structural lumber and added value timber products.
WET plans to use the low-value parts of harvested trees by slicing them into thin boards, drying them, grouping them by stiffness and appearance and then reassembling them into boards cut to match customer requirements. Each will then be laminated to the customer’s specification.
“OEL is a disruptive technology, producing a better, more reliable product at a lower price,” said WET director Tony Johnston.
“OEL allows more of each tree to be converted into high-quality structural products. OEL products will compete directly with sawn structural lumber, but with performance advantages including consistent straightness and very low variability.”
Mr Johnston added that OEL “fundamentally changes the economics of sawmilling and structural timber products” as it opens up new uses for timber that was previously exported as a low-value product.
WET currently has patents for OEL in New Zealand and South Africa and plans to work initially from a plant with a production capacity of 50,000m³ per year, enough to build 4,000 homes in New Zealand.
