NON-CONTACT, THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHIP MEASUREMENT MADE IN GERMANY

With the help of the 3D PARTICLEVIEW measuring device developed at the corporate technology office in Alfeld, Germany, the chip geometry can be determined automatically and without contact. This parameter, which is essential for both product quality and process control, had to be measured manually in the laboratory at the great expense of time. Based on the measured values, the customer can optimise the production of chips and the resulting chipboards.

"We are very pleased about winning this award. It confirms the valuable work that our development team does here every day," says Dr.-Ing. Torben Marhenke, Team Leader Research & Development in the Measurement Technology Business Unit at Fagus-GreCon.

3D PARTICLEVIEW is now in use in numerous wood-based panel plants and also in research facilities. "The customer feedback is very positive," Marhenke adds.

Users of the 3D PARTICLEVIEW particularly appreciate that the proportion of particles that are too thick can be determined because these endanger the panel quality. With this information, the customer can initiate countermeasures to ensure product quality. Also, the ratio of surface area to volume allows the amount of glue used to be optimised.

AN AWARD FROM THE NORTH AMERICAN WOOD-BASED MATERIALS INDUSTRY

With the "Innovation of the Year" award, EWTA recognises innovations from companies that demonstrably help reduce production costs, increase productivity and improve product quality. The 3D PARTICLEVIEW was selected as the winner by votes from plant managers whose companies are members of the American Plywood Association (APA - The Engineered Wood Association), the North American association of engineered wood manufacturers.

"We are honored that the EWTA and the plant managers from the APA, who voted for us, recognised the 3D PARTICLEVIEW as the product innovation of the year. This confirms the focus we have taken towards improving production optimization and quality for our customers worldwide," says Eric Peterson, CEO of Fagus-GreCon Inc, the US subsidiary, and member of the Fagus-GreCon group.