A Postcard from the South Tirol - Forestry-Journal-essentialARB

A Postcard from the South TirolA look at four timber-related industries in thisGerman speaking corner of ItalyThe South Tirol is an unusual area.Formerly part of Austria, it washanded over to the Italians at theend of the First World War. 65% ofthe population still speak Germanas a first language, and the areaenjoys a higher level of autonomythan other parts of Italy. The ethnictensions of the sixties are now allbut forgotten, and the bilingualpopulation rubs along in prosperityand harmony.We were here to see some of theindustry that creates the region’sbuoyant economy – journalistsfrom the UK and Ireland, plus oneNorwegian. We all found much toadmire.Seppi was our first port of call.Known for its wide array of mulchers,this is a company born to meetthe unusual demands of the localenvironment. Wending our waythrough plantations of apple treeson the way to the factory, we wereto discover that these had played acrucial role in the development ofthe company’s first products.The company was founded in1939 by Max Seppi, who had comedown from his mountain home atthe age of 14 to train as a blacksmith.After he had served as amechanic in the war, Max’s fledglingcompany began servicing therequirements of the local area, makingall sorts of things including irrigationsystems and fire engines!The first rotary mowers werebuilt in 1958 – a sign of things tocome, but still a small part of thebusiness.It wasn’t until 1971 that the firstflail mulcher was built by Max’sson, Luciano. This was put to workclearing the grass between the rowsof apple trees that cover the surroundingarea. Previously the grasshad been fed to cattle – not a wisemove since it was contaminatedwith pesticides. The mulcher clearedup prunings as well, and proved animmediate success.Exports followed to Germany,the USA and Australia. By the endof the seventies larger premiseswere required and further innovationsfollowed. In 1980 a heavydutyflail mulcher suitable for forestrywas produced, and mulchersbecame the sole focus of thecompany. They were becoming farmore robust, partly because userstended to employ them on tasks forwhich they were not designed – forinstance using machines designedfor vineyards to remove stumps inthe forest!(Top left) Welding in the Seppi factory. (Top right) BMS mulchers are designed for mounting on medium sized excavators. They are ideal for reaching into otherwiseinaccessible places. (Bottom left) Midiforst mounted on a skid-steer. (Bottom right) The Maxiforst will not only mulch timber up to 50cm in diameter, it willalso clear the ground ready for replanting.24www.forestryjournal.co.ukForestry Journal 10/11

(Left) This model, designed for the glulam industry, can be tilted up to 90º. (Right) ES 1050 working on a spruce log taken from the surrounding hills.Johann Resch began the productionof new saws.After operating the company for50 years, Johann and Ignaz Reschhanded it over to three of their longtermemployees in January 2006.Thus it became Resch & 3, with anew logo and corporate style.Resch & 3 now has 10 employeesand turns out 8 to 10 machines ayear. Each machine is different, andthe company makes the parts itself.The static bandmill predominatesnowadays, since it is no longer soproblematic to transport logs. Infact, the ratio of static to mobilemills is 10 to 1. Resch & 3 sawmillsare high-end machines costingbetween e100,000 and e200,000,and are tailored to the customer’srequirements.The sawmills are available in electricor diesel powered models, withwheel diameters of 1,050, 1,200 or1,400mm. The Profi models comewith a cab, the Eco models without.There are also versions designedspecifically for the glulam industry,on which the whole headrig can betilted by up to 90º.Accuracy of cut on Resch & 3sawmills is assisted by pressureguides that support the blade whencutting, and automatic log measuringgives a readout of the volumecut over the day.The list of optional extras isimpressive. They include doubleprecutters that pass along the rawlog, removing any dirt and debris,ensuring a good entry and exitfor the sawblade. This dramaticallyincreases the maintenance intervalfor the saw teeth.A cross-cutter is available that willtrim planks to the desired length,meaning finished lengths of timbercan be taken directly from the mill.Hydraulically actuated, the crosscutsaw can also be rotated by 90º andused as a ripping saw. In beech thiscan be used to relieve tension in thelog to stop it breaking when cutwith the bandsaw.Resch & 3 also make much oftheir long experience in caring forthe saw blades, and they offer aportable automatic sharpener. Thiscan be attached to a sawmill and setto work sharpening one blade whilethe mill continues cutting usinganother one.Then there are automatic plankremovers or gripper tongs to liftthe sawn wood clear. There is evena double-sided brush machine toremove sawdust, especially frombeech, where it would otherwise(Top left) The touch-screen in the cab of the ES 1050. (Top centre) The crosscutting circular saw can be used to trim to length, and can also be turned through90º to cut longitudinally. (Top right) Pressure guides keep the blade in position to ensure an accurate cut. (Bottom left) Turning chains can be used to rotate thelog to the desired position, and are also used to eject sawn timber. (Bottom centre) Precutters clean the log to ensure a clean entry and exit for the saw blade,dramatically extending maintenance intervals. (Bottom right) The automatic blade sharpener in action.26www.forestryjournal.co.ukForestry Journal 10/11

(Above) No more surprises: Microtec offer the possibility of seeing exactlywhat lurks inside a log before it is cut. (Right) The revolving gantry of the CTscanner that X-rays the logs as they pass through it, and (bottom right) thescanner seen in context on the conveyor. (Bottom left) Goldeneye using lasersand colour cameras to record each plank as it passes – with four sets of sensors,one for each side.stain the timber blue.As well as horizontal bandmills,Resch & 3 also make circular edgingsaws and have recently addeda double circular edger to theirrange.www.resch-3.comThe final visit was to Microtec, whoare world leaders in the scanningof timber in sawmills. They haveinstallations on every continent –everywhere where pine and sprucegrow, in fact.Founded in 1980, Microtec hasa turnover of e29million, with 10%of this being ploughed back intoR&D. Much of the technology theyoffer has a medical background, butinstead of scanning people, theyscan wood.By using a very wide spectrum ofwavelengths they are able to derivemuch more information from eachpiece of timber scanned. The moreinformation they get, the easier it isto interpret. Thus they supplementthe visible part of the spectrum with3D laser scanning, X-ray imaging,laser scattering, polarised light scanning,ultrasound analysis, and radioand microwave scanning.At the end of all that, there isnot much you don’t know abouta piece of wood, whether it’s theposition of knots, surface defects,moisture content, curvature, moduleof elasticity, module of rupture,density etc.We were taken to see Microtec’sCT scanner. As machines go, thisis marginally more impressive thanthe Hadron collider. CT stands forcomputer tomography, and themachine uses a large X-ray sensorrotating around passing timber tobuild up a full 3D image of the log,warts and all.The scanner was turning at asedate speed with the cover openfor our visit. In practice it rotates at120 to 180 rpm, enabling it to keepup with logs passing at the industryspeed of over 2 metres a second,recording every fibre, every knot.A force of 60g is generated on theouter edge of the gantry, which hasthe same kinetic energy as a 3-tonnevehicle travelling at 75mph!As you may or may not know,tomography applies to planes – 2Dobjects. It is one thing generatingdata about every point within a log,but how can the information beinterpreted to give a 3D image? *Microtec enlisted the help ofRussian mathematician AlexanderKatsevich to answer this question.The solution he came up with isnot merely a breakthrough in mathematics,it is very valuable intellectualproperty. Even if someonewere to clone the CT scanner, theywould be unable to interpret thedata it generates without solvingthis problem.Armed with all this information,it is possible to optimise the cuttingof the log, so the best productsare derived from it and wastage isminimised. Microtec offers all thesoftware necessary to make thispossible.We were also given a demonstrationof another Microtec product,Goldeneye. This uses colourcameras, laser and X-ray technologiesto identify defects in planks– cracks, wane, knots, curvature,surface imperfections, etc. Microtecsoftware is vertically integrated, andother modules can be used alongsideGoldeneye to track individualboards as they pass through themill, determine their density andmoisture content and stress gradethem.Other products in the Microtecportfolio include Logeye, Maxicutand Variosort.Logeye is aimed more at thelog yard than Goldeneye, which issuitable for secondary manufacturingfacilities. Maxicut and Variosortare more or less self-explanatory.Maxicut maximises recovery by volume,by individual quality requirementsand/or product mix. Variosortallocates each piece of timber to thecorrect sort bin.With their wide array of solutions,it is difficult to imagine thereis any requirement in a sawmill thatMicrotec cannot meet, no matterhow fast the logs are passingthrough. www.microtec.eu* 2D data is interpreted using theRadon transform, named afterBohemian mathematician JohannRadon (who solved the problem in1917), and used in tomographicreconstruction. Microtec’s challengewas far more complex: to find a formulato interpret 3D data.Forestry Journal 10/11 www.forestryjournal.co.uk27