A new wood processing facility is focusing on the production of environmentally-friendly cross-laminated timber (CLT). CLT is a wood panel system that can be used as a building material in mid- and high-rise buildings. Its advantages include strength, dimensional stability and rigidity. More importantly it is also one of the most sustainable materials that can be used in construction.
For the production process wooden boards between 90 and 230 mm wide are glued and pressed together into a variety of sizes. To make sure the boards stick together glue catalyzer is sprayed right before the glue is applied. With varying speeds between 50 and 200m/min this can be a challenging task.
Many spray solutions can not keep up with the width and speed variations and fall short of applying the correct amount of glue catalyzer. Insufficient glue application often goes unnoticed but can lead to structural problems - and expensive damage claims - in the future.
As a result the new wood processing facility owners were adamant that they would install a system that could spray a precise gr/m² amount of catalyzer for every board. The solution would need to meet these specifications for any variety of board width and speed.
AutoJet® Wood processing spraying system
With a long standing reputation in wood processing spray technology Spraying Systems Co. is well placed to deliver on challenging applications like these. Our Precision Spray Control (PSC) technology is capable of producing an accurate, consistent application of any liquid thanks to our PulsaJet® nozzles that can be opened and closed up to 25,000 times per minute. This flexibility allows us to spray accurately and with minimal waste, even when operating conditions change.
The system we installed for the CLT glue catalyzer application consists off:
- • Advanced AutoJet® E1850+ Spray Controller with integrated fluid control. The PSC control provides a precise amount of gr/m², even under changing conditions.
- • 2 Automatic PulsaJet® AAB10000AUH-03 Nozzles placed above and below the board to provide uniform coverage.
This setup allows programming of up to 10 recipes to suit different production requirements.
Result
The goal of the new wood processing facility was to have a sustainable and efficient CLT production. With the new AutoJet® System they are in complete control to meet their objectives. The glue catalyzer spray can easily be adjusted depending on the conditions. More control over the application means higher quality products and less scrap. More importantly, it also means that chemical waste is limited to an absolute minimum.
The sustainable spray application setup is an ideal fit into our customers’ vision around sustainable building materials. Both the CLT production process and the final product have less of an environmental impact than traditional materials like concrete and steel.