Wood panels stacked and conveyed in a high-tech industrial facility for precision wood and construction material processing.

Wood & construction materials

Process control for wood & construction materials

Precise length & speed monitoring for wood & construction materials

In the wood and construction materials industry, it is key important to monitor length and speed precisely and reliably for maintaining manufacturing tight tolerances and process efficiency. Slight deviations may already lead to additional costs.

ProSpeed® LSV are laser-optical sensors for measuring both length and speed with laser precision, delivering precison measurement data for manufacturers and machine builders for wood and construction materias, such as...

  • Quality control and sorting of lumber
  • Feed speed and cut-to-length control of piece goods such as insulation materials, glass or rock wool
  • Length verification, e.g. of paster or gypsum boards
  • Position tracking, e.g. for labeling, marking or NDT

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Benefit from ProSpeed® optical sensors

Non-contact measurement, without slippage & wear
Laser measurement increases accuracy, quality & output
Works on all surfaces without affecting the product surface
3-year warranty & application support
Large depth-of-field compensates vibrations
Reliable performance in dusty, dirty environment

Measure length without slippage

LSV promise reliable length length measurement based on following the speed curve over throughput time. They automatically detect when material is present (material detection mode) and automatically trigger or stop the measurement procedure. LSV Laser Surface Velocimeters are the preferred solution for precise length measurement when rolling up web material and checking cut-to-size pieces, e.g. for fiber cement, plasterboard, wood and wood products, glass wool, rock wool or roofing materials. 

The flexible interface concept of latest generation ProSpeed sensors feature encoder output, serial interface, LAN, Ethernet/IP, Profibus and Profinet. Optionally integrated light barriers and, for several barriers, logically link them, for example, to control the length measurement using two trigger inputs thus increasing the accuracy.

Automated laser sensor measuring exact length of insulation material sheets on a conveyor in a factory setting
Precise length measurement on sheets of insulation material
Stacks of wrapped mineral wool insulation rolls stored on wooden pallets in a warehouse for construction materials.
Mass production of insulation materials and mineral wool
Laser sensor with dual light barriers triggers precise length and velocity measurement for material detection on conveyor rollers.
Light barriers using the laser sensors "Material Detection Mode" as trigger
Stacks of sorted wooden beams and planks organized by length and quality in a warehouse for construction materials
Sorting in length and quality of beams, wooden plates or construction materials

Feed speed as key parameter

Measuring the exact and real speed is the fundament for any process control and optimization - whether for cut-to-length, length measurement or verification, or speed synchronization. With the non-contact measurement method, ProSpeed® laser sensors avoid measuring uncertainty caused by slippage and wear.  LSV sensors are established non-contact encoders for determining the dwell time in coating systems, for controlling cutting devices in cut-to-length processes, such as wooden panels, boards and beams as well as in the manufacture of plasterboards, glass or rock wool.

Polytec laser sensor system for precise cut-to-length and speed control of flat wood panels in industrial production.
Precise speed and length measurement on drywall boards

Position tracking on point

LSV laser surface velocimeters measure the length that the measured material travels until a defined event occurs. This measured length determines the corresponding position on the material to be measured, for example when detecting defects in non-destructive material testing (NDT), e.g. on sawn timber and natural products. LSVs also help with exact positioning at regular intervals, such as for printing, labeling, applying lettering or marking damaged areas.

LSV laser sensor precisely tracks position on laminate floor production line, ensuring accurate length and speed monitoring.
Position tracking on laminate floor production by a LSV laser sensor
Industrial X-ray test station by Polytec for non-destructive testing and defect detection of wooden beams in manufacturing.
X-ray test station for NDT and defect detection of wooden beams
Laser optical sensor mounted above conveyor for precise position tracking and cut-to-length control in sawmill operations
A sawmill using laser optical sensors for exact position tracking
Close-up of prefabricated wood beam with metal fasteners in busy manufacturing facility for precise laser position tracking.
Exact position tracking e.g. for marking, labeling, drill holes for prefabricated houses or defect detection benefit from laser precision

Laser precise cut-to-length control

If a web product is not to be stopped during the cutting process, the cutting device must be moved as a "flying cutting device" for a straight cut with the web product. LSV laser sensors help with speed synchronization between the web material and the cutting device by simultaneously recording the length and speed parameters and outputting them on different interfaces. Regardless of the surface and harsh process environment with dust, dirt and particles, the non-contact measurement method measures with high precision and consistency without repercussions on the material surface.

Thanks to more precise cuts, safety margins on the desired length are reduced, which leads to direct material and cost savings. In addition to encoder output, the flexible interface concept also includes serial interfaces, LAN, Ethernet/IP, Profibus and Profinet as well as digital outputs, e.g. as pre-warning signals and triggers for the cutting process. LSV sensors are used in many different cutting processes, e.g. for wood and wood products, plasterboard, glass wool, rock wool and other building materials.

Industrial circular saw machine cutting wood panels on automated conveyor system for precise length measurement and processing.
Cut-to-length on timber using Polytec LSV sensors as saw trigger

Industrial length and speed control with optical sensors

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