System and method for removing metal fasteners embedded in wood products

Abstract

One variation of a method includes: receiving a recycled wood workpiece in an inductor volume; accessing an image of the inductor volume; based on a set of features detected in the image, detecting a first reflective elliptical object embedded in a surface of the recycled wood workpiece and deriving a first location of the first reflective elliptical object. This variation of the method further includes: identifying the first reflective elliptical object as a first metal fastener occupying the first location; triggering the stage to drive an inductor, arranged within the inductor volume, within a target coupling distance of the first location of the first metal fastener; and triggering a driver to supply a target alternating current to the inductor to heat the first metal fastener via induction heating and to reduce retention of the first metal fastener by the recycled wood workpiece.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.