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MiCROTEC presents its best at EUROBOIS – Booth 5E36

International Forest Industries - Fri, 09/02/2024 - 09:15

MiCROTEC is presenting its best at the ongoing EUROBOIS. The company is present at booth 5E36 from February 6-9. MiCROTEC is presenting its wide multi-sensor quality scanner for softwood (Goldeneye) and hardwood (Woodeye).

Goldeneye is one of the trusted multi-sensor quality scanner for softwood. The Goldeneye multi-sensor quality scanner family allows one to recognize wood features and defects reliably and accurately to automate, streamline and optimize your production. Combining lasers, cameras, X-ray technology, and Artificial Intelligence increases yield and achieves the most accurate scanning results assuring high and constant quality.

Woodeye that is also displayed in the ongoing event is the other trusted multi-sensor quality scanner for hardwood. Woodeye recognises wood defects reliably and accurately in order to automate, streamline and optimise production. The grading and optimising software considers customer specific grading, chopping and sorting rules to increase yield and final product quality.

Visitors can also experience MiCROTEC’s revolutionary Logeye Stereo stereoscopic imaging system and our quality control tool QC Assist.

Logeye Stereo is a revolutionary transverse stereoscopic real-shape scanner for logsMiCROTEC’s Logeye Stereo stereoscopic imaging system is the only worldwide scanner that provides a full 360-degree scan of a log as it’s rolling into your Carriage, Headrig, End Dogger, or from a transverse to lineal conveyor. Since the scanning takes place as it’s transferred into the position, the log is already fully optimised and ready for sawing the instant it is dogged or sent through a sawline.

QC Assist is a Quality control tool to maximize grading accuracy & recovery. QC Assist lumber evaluation and reporting system supports overall grading performance by improving the efficiency and quality of lumber evaluations. QC Assist’s software provides seamless communication with the scanner system from anywhere in the scanner’s vicinity, allowing users to easily verify and document boards of interest during the QC process.

The specialised sales team is present at the booth to initiate interesting conversations about scanning and optimising solutions. MiCROTEC is making the best use of the opportunity to come closer to its customers while rendering more insights to all.

To read more MiCROTEC posts click here.

 

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The post MiCROTEC presents its best at EUROBOIS – Booth 5E36 appeared first on International Forest Industries.

Call for the next generation of women and girls in science

Australian timber industry news - Fri, 09/02/2024 - 02:16
Australia’s professional association for forest scientists, managers and growers is using Sunday’s International Day for Women and Girls in Science on Sunday as a call for the next generation to join forestry science. “Forestry across Australia has so many tremendous women who are at the forefront of the science that underpins the skilful management of our forests and broader environment,” Forestry Australia President Dr Michelle Freeman said. “On February 11 we celebrate all of these women, and we want to encourage the next generation of women and girls to follow in their footsteps too. “If you ask someone to imagine a typical person who works in forest and fire management, they tend to picture a very narrow stereotype, but the reality is very different. We have incredible scientists across our country doing the most innovative and creative work for the betterment of our environment, community and economy – and that’s the definition of career goals. “There’s so many opportunities for the next generation of women and girls to lead the science in our sector, promoting evidence-based decision making from carbon capture, forest fire management, conservation and renewables and to them I say: do it, you’ll love it.” Some of the women from across Forestry Australia have shared their thoughts and experiences on this International Day for Women and Girls in Science: Dr Tegan Brown, Victoria “Vegetation is the fuel that burns in grassland and forest fires. In my current role as a Research Scientist for CFA, I use climate models and landscape data to predict future vegetation and fuel types. We will then use these data to predict future fire activity, and model the number and type of fire management resources that Victorian fire agencies will require. Data isn’t neutral, and is interpreted by scientists through a lens built from context and lived experiences. Having more diverse people contributing to and making decisions in land, forest, and fire management will enhance our organisations and our contribution to communities.” Molly Marshall, Tasmania “I believe that now is the perfect opportunity for women to work within the forest, fire and land management sector. Every one of us has and will continue to have an integral role to play in the combat against climate change and our sector provides no better platform to be at the forefront of mitigation, adaptation and resilience.” Emily Post, New South Wales “Forestry science is a unique blend of natural, physical, and social sciences; it is a privilege to work in a science that can contribute so much to the wellbeing of people and the planet. Forests and their benefits are so diverse in nature, and I want to encourage the continued diversification of the community of stewards who are working to nurture our vital forest ecosystems.” Dr Danielle Wiseman, WA “Working in forestry science is great as I get to collaborate with scientists across Australia and sometimes the world.  An example of this is a recent success story for scientists and blue gum plantation growers.  Some time in the 1990s its thought that a damaging snout weevil (Gonipterus spp.) was introduced to Western Australia from eastern Australia.  By the early 2000s plantation growers were starting to notice damage and branch death in the growing tips of trees in blue gum plantations.  This damage made trees unprofitable.  Initially, damage from the snout weevil was controlled using insecticides.  However using insecticides kills all insects, including beneficial insects.  Another approach was developed where insecticide was applied to the roots where its absorbed by the trees.  This method meant only insects feeding on the trees were affected by the insecticide.  This worked well, but plantation growers would prefer not to use insecticides at all.   A research collaboration was established between scientists from around Australia to find a solution.  Simon Lawson and Helen Nahrung (USC) and Treena Burgess (Murdoch Univ.) decided to look for a natural enemy of the Snout weevil.  The prime candidate was Anaphes nitens a type of fairy fly.  The fairy fly lays its eggs in the eggs of the snout weevil.  This is actually pretty gross as the Snout weevil lays its eggs in a blob of its own poo.  The fairy flies larvae feed on the Snout weevils larvae so they don’t grow into adults.  After many years of work by forest health scientists, last year we released a matched fairy fly into a plantation south of Rocky Gully to target the Snout weevils.   We hope that it doesn’t find laying its eggs in Snout weevil poo as gross as we do and is able to stop the snout weevil from damaging the blue gum plantations.”

Testing the world’s first unmanned forestry machine

Australian timber industry news - Fri, 09/02/2024 - 00:39
A study published in the Journal of Field Robotics has assessed the world’s first unmanned machine designed for autonomous forestry operations. Source: Timberbiz Investigators demonstrated that using computer vision, autonomous navigation, and manipulator control algorithms, their newly developed machine can safely, accurately, and efficiently pick up logs from the ground and manoeuvre through various forest terrains without the need for human intervention. The autonomous terrain vehicle was designed and built at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. It is the first time in world history that forwarding is done completely without human intervention. The researchers behind the successful trial see it as an important step towards more sustainable forestry. “This will redraw the map for the industry and how other players in the area view operations such as these. We have worked extremely intensively with this test, and it feels very nice that it actually works,” Magnus Karlberg, professor at Luleå University of Technology said. The research represents a significant milestone in the field of autonomous outdoor robotics, which could reduce the need for human labour, thereby increasing productivity and reducing labour costs, while also minimizing the environmental impact of timber harvesting. The autonomous shovelling took place in Hörnefors in Västerbotten, in collaboration with the Forestry Technology Cluster and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. By being programmed to perform the work on its own, the forestry machine was able to pick up and transport logs to the intended collection point. A job usually performed by forwarder drivers in machines built for the purpose, but this time the people could stand by and watch. The 10-ton machine, which is now also used in the Arctic Off-Road Robotics Laboratory, can be controlled with a remote control but is also programmed to perform work entirely on its own, as in the test with autonomous forwarding. The machine is currently powered by biodiesel and is built without a cab, but with a hydrostatic driveline, forest crane, pendulum arms and sensors. As early as 2014, researchers began sketching the machine, or off-road vehicle platform, which is a more correct name. Since then, the research team has worked to make the self-propelled vehicle as smart and robust as possible. A work that is now beginning to bear fruit. “That a self-driving forest machine can handle such an advanced task is world-unique and opens up for major changes in the forest industry,” Prof Karlberg said. “Even though it is still many years away, and will take place gradually, we are convinced that the technical development with smart autonomous forest machines is the future of forestry. We have shown that the technology exists, but there is of course a difference for us who look at this from a research perspective and commercial activities. We researchers can step into the future in a completely different way.” The development of self-propelled forest machines is also an important step for more sustainable forestry thanks to the possibility of smaller and more energy-efficient machines that can also work much more gently in forest and land. “Besides its short-term effect on forestry, the technological advancements that come with autonomous forestry machines have the potential to address current environmental issues. As demonstrated in this study, by embracing cutting-edge technologies like autonomous navigation and manipulation algorithms, the unmanned machine provides not only timber harvesting with greater efficiency but also promotes sustainable forestry,” said corresponding author Pedro La Hera, PhD, of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. “Automated operations can be highly accurate and effective in terms of collateral damage to adjacent ecosystems, which helps us to be more ecologically friendly than we currently are.”

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by Dr. Radut