IMV (European Take-up of Essential Information Society Technologies--Integrated Machine Vision; www.eutist-imv.com) project are to be shown at the September 2003 Automaatio 03 exhibition in Helsinki, Finland, revealing business and environmental benefits for the timber and associated industries. The EUTIST-IMV stand in the exhibition's "Vision Boulevard" will show the results of several projects using IMV to support different stages in the timber process, from cutting raw logs to ensuring new levels of quality wooden window frame manufacture.
The projects include ULTRA, which uses x-ray tomographic techniques to create 3-D reconstructions of logs to determine where knots exist in wood and ensure optimum cutting potential. It will be the first time that this project has been shown anywhere in the world.
"Computer-vision technology has a major role to play in the European timber industry--bringing improved yields, greater precision, and the environmental bonus of having less waste in a world becoming more aware of making the most of the natural resources available to it," said Antti Soini, director of research and development for Automation Technology at Satakunta Polytechnic (Pori, Finland).
Markku Koyo, senior development engineer at Metso Paper (Jarvenpaa, Finland)--the THERM trial site--said that increased machine usability was a significant benefit, with less time spent on maintenance. Unpredictable, time-consuming repairs were also avoided, with operators receiving a warning before serious damage was done. With this new infrared camera system we are able to move from one-dimensional defect detection on to the inspection of the whole paper mill roll surface two-dimensionally," he added.
EUTIST-IMV comprises 23 IMV pilot projects aimed at different applications and sectors. The applications include automatic inspection, measurement, and control applications. There are more than 70 companies from Europe involved. These companies represent a diverse range of industries, including electronics, papermaking, food, textiles, and timber.
