Class-a fire-protected finger-jointed lumber products, and methods of and automated factory for producing the same

An automated lumber production factory comprising:

• a production line supporting a finger-jointing stage, a planing and dimensioning stage, a clean fire inhibiting chemical (CFIC) dip-coating stage, and a stacking, packaging and wrapping stage, arranged in the named order;
• wherein said production line supports an automated production process including the steps of:
• (a) fabricating finger-jointed lumber pieces at said finger-jointing stage;
• (b) planing and dimensioning said finger-jointed lumber pieces at said planing and dimensioning stage;
• (c) after being planed and dimensioned, automatically conveying said finger-jointed lumber pieces from said planing and dimensioning stage to said CFIC dip-coating stage;
• (d) dip-coating said finger-jointed lumber pieces in a supply of clean fire inhibiting chemical (CFIC) liquid contained in a dipping tank maintained at said CFIC dip-coating stage, so as to produce Class-A fire-protected finger-jointed lumber pieces in a high-speed manner;
• and
• (e) stacking, packaging and wrapping a bundle of said Class-A fire-protected finger-jointed lumber pieces.

An automated lumber factory system for fabricating Class-A fire-protected finger-jointed lumber products along a production line, said automated lumber factory system comprising:

• a finger-jointing stage for fabricating finger-jointed lumber pieces from shorter-length lumber pieces;
• a planing and dimensioning stage for continuously planing and dimensioning said finger-jointed lumber pieces;
• a CFIC dip-coating stage for dip-coating said finger-jointed lumber pieces in a supply of clean fire inhibiting chemical (CFIC) liquid contained in a dipping tank maintained at said CFIC dip-coating stage, so as to produce Class-A fire-protected finger-jointed lumber pieces in a high-speed manner;
• a stacking, packaging and wrapping stage for automatically stacking, packaging and wrapping a bundle of said Class-A fire-protected finger-jointed lumber pieces;
• and
• a conveying subsystem for automatically conveying said finger-jointed lumber pieces (i) from said planing and dimensioning stage to said CFIC dip-coating stage, (ii) through said CFIC dip-coating stage, and (iii) from said CFIC dip-coating stage to said stacking, packaging, and wrapping stage.

A lumber dip-coating stage for installation and operation between a planing and dimensioning stage and a stacking, packaging and wrapping stage deployed along a production line in a factory producing Class-A fire-protected lumber, said lumber dip-coating stage comprising:

• a supply tank containing a volume of clean fire inhibiting chemical (CFIC) liquid for use in dip-coating finger-jointed lumber pieces so as to produce Class-A fire-protected finger-jointed lumber pieces;
• a dipping reservoir having a width dimension to accommodate the width of finger-jointed lumber pieces transported through said dipping reservoir while being fully immersed and submerged in CFIC liquid contained in said dipping reservoir, so as to coat said finger-jointed lumber pieces during transport through said dipping reservoir;
• a conveyor subsystem supporting several sets of chain-driven transport rails, extending from said planing and dimensioning stage towards said dipping reservoir, and then running inside and along said dipping reservoir, and then running out thereof towards said stacking, packing and wrapping stage;
• a level sensor for sensing the level of CFIC liquid in the dipping reservoir during production line operation;
• a liquid pump for pumping CFIC liquid from said supply tank into said dipping reservoir in response to level sensing by said level sensor, so to maintain the liquid level in said dipping reservoir during production line operation;
• and
• a controller for controlling said conveyor subsystem and said liquid pump during production line operation.

A method of producing packaged bundles of Class-A fire-protected lumber for use in wood-framed building construction, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) maintaining a dipping tank in a lumber factory, wherein said dipping tank contains a water-based clean fire inhibiting chemical (CFPC) liquid at a depth sufficient to cover pieces of raw lumber while being treated during dip-coating operations;
• (b) loading a bundle of untreated raw lumber into said lumber factory for Class-A fire-protection treatment;
• (c) drying the raw untreated lumber in said bundle to an adequate moisture content;
• (d) submerging dried raw untreated lumber pieces into said dipping tank, piece by piece, to coat all surfaces of the lumber pieces in CFIC liquid, and then removing the dip-coated lumber pieces from said dipping tank so to as to produce pieces of Class-A fire-protected lumber with a CFIC liquid coating;
• and
• (e) wet stacking, packaging and wrapping the Class-A fire-protected lumber pieces into a packaged bundle, while the Class-A fire-protected lumber pieces are still wet with CFIC liquid coating.