Pre-cut infeed system
AssigneeUsnr, LLC
InventorPetri Saastamo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments provide a pre-cut infeed system for a machine center, such as an edger. A pre-cut infeed system may include an infeed, one or more saws arranged along the infeed, and a scanner optimizer system. The scanner optimizer system may scan a workpiece and determine whether greater value can be obtained from the workpiece by cutting the workpiece transversely into two or more pieces upstream of the machine center. If so, the workpiece may be cut transversely by the saw(s) positioned along the infeed, and the cut pieces may be fed sequentially into the machine center.
Claims20
A non-volatile computer-readable medium endowed with instructions operable, upon execution by a processor, to:
- receive a dimensional model of a workpiece;
- determine, based at least on the dimensional model, an economic benefit of cutting the workpiece transversely into two or more pieces upstream of a machine center;
- and
- calculate a cut pattern for the workpiece based at least on the dimensional model, the cut pattern comprising a transverse cut line to be cut by a first cutting device upstream of the machine center.
A workpiece processing system comprising:
- an infeed configured to convey a workpiece in a direction of flow;
- a first cutting system disposed along the infeed and selectively actuable to cut the workpiece transversely into two or more pieces;
- a second cutting system disposed downstream of the infeed, the second cutting system configured to cut the two or more pieces longitudinally;
- and
- a scanner optimizer system operatively coupled to the first cutting system and configured to calculate a cut pattern for the workpiece, the scanner optimizer system including a scanner configured to measure workpiece dimensions, a computer system operatively coupled to the scanner, and a controller operatively coupled to the computer system and the first cutting system, the controller configured to control the first cutting system.
A method for processing a workpiece, the method comprising:
- scanning the workpiece with a scanner disposed upstream of a first cutting system and a second cutting system, the first cutting system configured to cut the workpiece transversely and the second cutting system configured to cut the workpiece longitudinally;
- determining, based at least on the scan data, that greater economic value can be obtained by cutting the workpiece transversely into at least two pieces upstream of the second cutting system than by not cutting the workpiece transversely into at least two pieces upstream of the second cutting system;
- and
- based at least on said determining, cutting the workpiece transversely with the first cutting system into said at least two pieces upstream of the second cutting system.
A method of modifying a transverse board edger system having an infeed, an edger downstream of the infeed, and a computer system operatively coupled to the infeed, the method comprising:
- installing along the infeed at least one cutting device configured to cut a workpiece transversely into at least two pieces upstream of the edger;
- programming the computer system with instructions operable, upon execution, to
- receive scan data corresponding to a workpiece, and
- determine, based at least on the scan data, a first predicted wood volume recovery associated with cutting the workpiece transversely upstream of the edger and a second predicted wood volume recovery associated with not cutting the workpiece transversely upstream of the edger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.