Fingerprint traceability of sawn products using industrial measurement systems for x-ray log scanning and sawn timber surface scanning

Traceability in the sawmilling industry is a concept that, for example, could be used to more effectively control the production process and the utilization of raw material. The fingerprint approach is a traceability concept that rests on the principle that every piece of wood is a unique individual with unique properties and therefore can be identified and separated if a sufficient number of these properties are measured accurately enough. This study was made with the aim of making the fingerprint connection between logs and the center yield sawn from those logs using length and knot information. The material used was Scots pine logs from six different diameter groups sawn with a two-ex sawing pattern into six different dimensions of center-yield planks. The data from the logs were collected at the log sorting station by an industrial one-directional x-ray log scanner in combination with a 3-D optical scanner. The data from the sawn center yield were collected by an industrial cross-fed surface scanning system situated in the sawmill's green sorting station. The results show that over 95 percent of all planks could be matched to the right log. This gives a high potential for further development and realization of fingerprint tracing between the log sorting and the green sorting station into a practical application for process control and process improvement.Validerad; 2008; 20081203 (ysko