VAB Awarded US Patent

Patent No: 10,178,355 B2
Date of Patent: January 8, 2019

In January of this year, the U.S. Patent Office granted VAB Solutions, a Timber Automation company, a patent for its Air Board Tracker. This ingenious system eliminates the need to physically mark boards by tracking boards from the optimizer to the trimmer using a system of cameras mounted above the production area. The system tracks boards through production and generates optimization data for each board.

Advancement in Technology

The Air Board Tracker provides users with several advantages including:

• 99.9% Reading Efficiency
• QC Module for real-time Quality Check
• Reduced cost of consumables for marking and maintaining UV system
• Elimination of errors due to dark spots
• Replaces photocells to manage lug loader accumulation

Mill Upgrades

Mills are upgrading to the Air Board Tracker as part of an overall cost reduction and efficiency improvement programs. By replacing their old UV marking and reading system, mills are savings around $30,000 per year on consumables, minimizing downtime and reducing the number of incorrectly downgraded boards. Most mills experience a ROI within months of upgrading.

Watch the Air Board Tracker in action