Sweed Stacker: Collaborative Effort Results in Industry Innovation
As seen in Panel World Magazine, May 2015 Issue
Even with the advent of automated stacking systems, the most labor intensive position in veneer peeling operations is the green chain puller. Tasked with the arduous job of manually grading, sorting and stacking veneer strip (and the occasional full sheet into carts), worker fatigue and injuries continue to be a common occurrence and a detriment to production.
For this reason, Nordic Veneer in Roseburg, Ore. recently conveyed its idea of a green end strip stacker to engineers at Sweed Machinery. Their concept would assist laborers in sorting; making the process an almost effortless task for workers; and provide an efficient and cost-effective alternative to the current grueling method. Through much collaboration and dedication to bringing Nordic’s idea to realization, the Sweed Stacker was born.
The Sweed Stacker not only helps to reduce the amount of employees required to operate the green end (Nordic Veneer was able to reduce their laborers from seven and a half per shift to four), but it also greatly reduces the demanding effort previously required. Instead of workers manually pulling and stacking the usable strips off of the conveyor, the veneer strips are easily fed through the stacker pinch rolls onto a chain driven landing table. From there, they travel to another worker who strategically layers the strips into uniformed stacks. Once the stack reaches the desired height, it is transferred via roll case or chains where it is picked up by a forklift.
With the Sweed Stacker, the sorting process becomes almost fully automated, creating a much less taxing job function for the employee(s) while reducing the amount of workers necessary for production. The end results are increased worker safety, an incredibly more efficient process, and an end product that is more desirable and easier to market.
For more information on the Sweed Stacker, contact Kevin Gordon at Sweed Machinery. PH: 541-855-1512, TF: 800-888-1352, EM: sweed@sweed.com, Web: www.sweed.com.
