by Web Editor | Dec 5, 2018 | News
Thanks to innovative construction materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL), wooden buildings are no longer mere houses made of sticks.
Attracted by the aesthetic and environmental benefits of timber, structural engineers have overseen a lumber comeback, from Landlease’s International House development in Sydney’s Barangaroo district to Brisbane’s newly completed 25 King, which is the world’s tallest commercial timber building.
But with ambitious projects in Tokyo, Chicago, and London eyeing far greater heights for timber as a building material, engineers and the public need to be assured wood can match up with concrete and steel when it comes to safety and stability.
That’s why Griffith University’s Associate Professor Benoit Gilbert has been putting timber to the test, using high-tech machinery to better understand how timber behaves in a variety of situations.
Gilbert’s current tests focus on progressive collapse, a term that describes the severe failure of a structure due to something going wrong in one part of it. That could be a gas explosion, a fire or if a car were to collide with the building.
Read more on this from Create at https://www.createdigital.org.au/strength-safety-tests-timber/.
by Web Editor | Nov 20, 2018 | News
Next year, from 27 to 31 May, the world’s leading trade fair for woodworking and wood processing plant, machinery and tools will present a wealth of innovations and applications for the entire wood industry. LIGNA 2019 will occupy some 130,000 square meters (1.4 million sq. ft.) of net display space, spread across 10 exhibition halls and the open-air site at the Hannover Exhibition Center. The primary wood industry is an integral part of LIGNA and will feature prominently in halls 25, 26, 27 and on the open-air site. “All the leading providers of plant and machinery for the primary wood industry have already registered for LIGNA 2019,” said Christian Pfeiffer, Deutsche Messe’s Global Director LIGNA & Woodworking Events. “That’s all the big names in sawmill technology, machinery for wood based panel production, technology for custom and mass production involving the processing of solid wood, wood energy technology and, of course, forestry technology. And I’m especially pleased to announce the premiere of a new sawmill technology group pavilion from Latvia, in Hall 25.”
At LIGNA 2019, providers of plant, machinery and equipment for the primary wood industry will feature at numerous showcases and events that go well beyond standard exhibitions:
Guided Tour On “Sawmill Technology – Innovations and Trends”
In 2019, for the very first time, LIGNA will offer a Guided Tour (in German and English) for visitors with an interest in sawmill technology. Faced with dwindling wood resources, sawmill operators are increasingly looking for technologies that enable them to efficiently process sawn timber into value-added products. Manufacturers of sawmilling machinery are rising to this challenge with new high-tech, high-efficiency systems for maximizing sawn timber yield and detecting key characteristics in individual timbers and logs. Hence this tour, which focuses on sawmilling technologies and processes, including the following: machinery for all log applications, whether cut-to-length or uncut, large or small-diameter, plus systems ranging from high-performance to small and versatile, to custom-optimized; machine tools for primary wood processing; machines for tool making and tool maintenance; the full range of timber logistics and log yard products and solutions; machinery for handling, sorting and packaging; measurement technology for all applications; drying technologies for all applications; and energy plant and waste wood utilization technologies for sawmills.
Wood Industry Summit and “Future Workshop For Forestry & Wood” – The innovations platform for the forestry and wood industry
“Access to Resources and Technology” is the focus theme for the 3rd Wood Industry Summit, which will be held in Hall 26. Organized by Deutsche Messe in partnership with the German Forestry Council (KWF), it is an international dialogue and technology showcase comprising a forum, lounge and exhibition area. Its purpose: to help visitors access new growth markets. For the first time, the summit will also feature the “Future Workshop for Forestry & Wood” showcase – a group pavilion for startups that is inspired by the German government’s “Charter for Wood 2.0” policy.
14th German Logging Championship
In 2019, for the first time, Deutsche Messe and the German Woodsmen’s Championships Association (VWMD) will be co-staging the German Logging Championships – the “Formula 1” of forestry skills – on the open-air site at LIGNA. At the 14th German Logging Championship, Germany’s best 100 or so forestry professionals will demonstrate their chainsaw skills under the watchful eye of an expert panel of judges. The contestants’ endurance, handling skills and precision will be put to the test in five disciplines: tree felling, chain fitting, combined cut bucking, precision bucking and delimbing.
Outdoor demonstration site for forestry technology
The outdoor demonstration site premiered successfully in 2017 and is back again for LIGNA 2019. It is a dedicated area where the latest forestry machines and technology developments are shown in action – all under careful expert moderation.
The outdoor site is organized in partnership with the German Forestry Council (KWF) and will be located in the middle of the German Logging Championship area. It will feature moderated technology demonstrations on each day of the show.
KWF Business Pavilion – Tomorrow’s forestry technology today
2019 will mark the ninth time that the German Forestry Council (KWF) is spearheading this special forestry technology presentation at LIGNA. Held in Pavilion 33 beneath the iconic EXPO canopy, the unique, technology-centric forestry industry meeting hub is organized by KWF with input from the German Association of Forestry Contractors (AFL) and the Lower Saxony Forestry Service (as represented by the Lower Saxony School of Forestry – NFBz). It is aimed at forestry companies and takes a manufacturer-neutral look at key forestry issues and challenges.
Among the featured topics are:
Forestry 4.0: In today’s forestry industry, digitization starts among the trees, with all processes, from crop to log yard, now fully integrated. Large scale machines, such as harvesters and forwarders, now have onboard computers and are networked with each other. This is Forestry 4.0, a topic that will also be covered by the displays on the open-air site in front of the pavilion. Highlights here include displays of log-yard data flows and data processing. There will also be displays of technologies dedicated to hazard detection and prevention, safety and rescue for forestry workers. Topics here include “Natural Disasters in the Forest”, “Precision Forestry” and “Forest First-aid and Survival”.
Battery-powered machinery in professional forestry:
Thanks to research in the automotive and energy industries, rechargeable batteries are steadily becoming smaller, more affordable, more powerful, longer-lasting and less maintenance-intensive. These developments are now flowing through into forestry work methods and technologies. Pavilion 33 is about keeping the forestry industry informed of the latest issues and developments. The displays and exhibits on the pavilion’s lower level will be supported by quality discussion forums on the upper level.
Showcase by North Rhine-Westphalia Forestry Service
The group display that the North Rhine-Westphalia Forestry Service is staging in one of the pavilions beneath EXPO canopy next year will explore innovations for sustainable forest management and focus on the further development and digital integration of work processes across the entire primary wood industry value chain. The main topic highlights include resource efficiency in the use of forestry machines and the development of new digital training systems for operators of forestry machinery.
Energy From Wood
The wood industry uses a lot of energy, so efficiency and cost reduction are key priorities. The good news is that wood industry plant operators can achieve major cost reductions and efficiency gains by generating their own power from their own waste wood, chips and sawdust, and by utilizing waste heat and harnessing cogeneration. The Energy from Wood showcase at LIGNA 2019 will show them how. Located in halls 25 and 26, on the open-air site and in pavilions 32, 33 and 35, the showcase will present technologies that wood-industry manufacturers can use to recover process energy and re-use it for heating and electric generation.
“Firewood Production Line” Showcase
The “Firewood Production Line” showcase will be back in 2019 with another comprehensive line-up of exhibits, demonstrations and guided tours dedicated to renewable energy from wood. The program will span all the latest trends, developments and solutions. That’s everything from firewood processing to furnaces and everything else in between.
LIGNA Forestry Get-together
The Forestry Get-together premiered successfully in 2017 as LIGNA’s primary meeting hub for forestry-industry networking and dialogue and will be back again in 2019. Organized by the German Association of Forestry Contractors (AFL), the LIGNA Forestry Get-together will be staged directly in front of Pavilion 33, under the EXPO canopy.
13th Lower Saxony Crane Driving Championships and 4th Women’s Crane Driving Cup
Among the more spectacular events on the open-air site are the Lower Saxony Crane Driving Championships and the Women’s Crane Driving Cup. Held on the Thursday of LIGNA, they offer a thrilling mix of big-machine mastery, sport and entertainment. These two must-see events are organized by the Lower Saxony School of Forestry, Münchenhof, and the German Association of Forestry Contractors (AFL), with support from Deutsche Messe.
by Web Editor | Nov 15, 2018 | News
Dying, deformed and diseased trees will be key ingredients of particleboard manufactured at the new Arauco panel mill in northern Michigan.
“All of these degraded trees need to be removed to better manage our forests,” said Scott Robbins, director of the Michigan Sustainable Forestry Initiative implementation and forest policy for the Michigan Forest Products Council (MFPC). “The Arauco mill is going to source these types of trees to make their product. It’s always good to get rid of the bad trees so you can grow more good trees.”
Randy Keen, wood procurement manager for the Grayling mill, said the current plan is to use 60 percent roundwood and 40 percent clean sawmill chips and other lumber processing byproducts.
“There are not enough sawmills in this area to run a mill this size so that’s why we have to use a combination of pulpwood and mill residuals,” he said. “The main species used will be pine, fir and spruce softwoods, but mixed hardwood species, mainly maple and beech, will be used as well. In the case of pulpwood, we’ll be using the very top of the tree that typically gets left in the woods after the log material is removed. These are small diameter logs that are not suitable for anything else.”
“We believe in the highest and best use of the tree,” Keen said. “If there is a saw log in the tree, we want it to go to a sawmill. By using the stuff that is crooked or has a little bit of rot in it to make our particleboard, we help use the whole tree and help clean the forest for the next generation of trees.”
Read more on this from Woodworking Network at https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/new-arauco-michigan-mill-convert-low-grade-wood-quality-particleboard/
by Web Editor | Nov 12, 2018 | News
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed technical amendments to its formaldehyde emissions standards for composite wood products.
Published last week in the Federal Register, the proposed changes primarily address concerns over testing and certification provisions of the rule published in December 2016, which require suppliers, importers, and manufacturers of hardwood plywood, MDF, and particleboard to limit the products’ formaldehyde emissions.
The EPA proposed removing the requirement for annual correlations between third-party certifiers and other mill quality testing procedures. The changes also clarify labeling requirements.
The changes are meant to streamline compliance and align more closely with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Toxic Control Measures (ATCM) Phase II.
Public comments from a June meeting influenced the proposed rule. The meeting was held to address technical issues, like correlation and equivalence of testing methods, how test data is treated, and handling sampling requirements. Public comments on the latest proposed changes will be accepted until December 3.
Read more on this from Woodworking Network at https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/epa-updates-clarifies-formaldehyde-emission-standards-composite-wood?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news.
by Web Editor | Nov 7, 2018 | News
The Mass Timber Institute officially launched on October 30 with an industry leaders’ collaboration event held at their offices at 110 Yonge Street in Toronto. Key industry leaders from education and industry participated in this collaboration to help propel the mass timber industry forward.
In her welcome address, Anne Koven, director of the Mass Timber Institute spoke about the role MTI can play to push the industry ahead and how MTI can help the industry get access to so much more of the research that has been done.
An adjunct professor at the University of Toronto and a Forester, Koven said coming into the Mass Timber Institute has been a “surprise for me that I am enjoying very much as I learn about your industry. Mass timber starts with trees, but it is very much in the hands of the industry represented by the people in this room. This is a multi-discipline enterprise driven by designers building, architects, engineers, and contractors.”
“We plan to expand the Mass Timber Institute nationally and eventually internationally. Again, I want to convince you of the importance of the academic and industry connection and collaboration. Lots of good things have come out of this collaboration including the biotech industry, cures for diseases, nanotechnology and synthetic forms of cancer drugs. There have been many exciting results in academic and industry collaboration. It might be presumptuous of me to add mass timber products to this list, but I am going to,” said Koven.
The morning presentations provided focused discussions on opportunities and specific challenges that lie ahead for mas timber integration. One of the critical challenges is the fact that the average practitioner (architect/engineer) does not have access to the specialist consultants that are developing today’s’ leading-edge mass timber projects. To gain market share, mass timber must be widely accessible.
Read more on this from The Working Forest at https://www.workingforest.com/mass-timber-institute-officially-launched/?utm_source=November+06%2C+2018&utm_campaign=November+06%2C+2018&utm_medium=email.
