On the Ligna 2011 Brookhuis Micro-Electronics with its enthusiastic team presents innovations in the field of moisture content and machine strength grading systems as well as their new image brochure.

“We see that the industry reacts nervously if it is about CE marking. From everywhere we are asked to present the Brookhuis solutions. With the handheld Timber Grader MTG, machine stress grading is done with the customer on location to bring problems and wishes of machine strength grading in picture. From there we, Brookhuis together with the customer, propose a solution. These solutions go much further than supplying the strength grading system itself. Together with machine manufactures supplying complete grading lines is possible. Thereby Brookhuis supplies the measurement and grading equipment and the machine manufacture supplies the mechanization and control systems. In this way nobody outplays his competences with professional solutions as a result!”

The topic for this Ligna at Brookhuis is “from handheld to high speed, and everything in between.”

From handheld to high speed stands for:

* Handheld wood- and building moisture meters and non-contact wood moisture meters for production and sorting lines

* Handheld machine strength grading systems and machine grading systems for production and sorting lines

Moisture Content measurement

The handheld moisture meters are proven products for craftsman and professionals supplied as capacitance ore electrode type. The accuracy of these instruments is the result of high quality measurement electronics and individual calibration lines of wood species and building materials.

Beside the FMI-III inline moisture measurement systems, we also offer the latest FMI-IV with remote service. Furthermore new sensor types have been developed for better integration in production lines and for measuring small wooden parts. The fastest FMI system is developed for up to 300 boards a minute and the biggest moisture sensor can detect the moisture content up to 200 mm wood thickness. The smallest FMI sensor is about 10x10 cm only.

Machine Strength Grading

The Timber Grader MTG is a handheld device performing as a 100% machine strength grading system. Therefore the instrument is approved and listed in the Standard EN14081-4. Especially because this is a handheld device this solution is perfectly for sorting smaller batches or on location. With the Timber Grader MTG easily the strengths class of timber is estimated immediately after drying. The extension with a normal hammer (see picture) measures the top layer of a stack very quickly.

The diversity of this system assures that the Timber Grader MTG is a wanted solution for both research workers and notified bodies. It is the only possibility to check wood that is already machine graded, by hand.

Because there are also companies who cannot grade economically with a handheld strengths grading device and because in 1995 Brookhuis already developed non-contact inline moisture meters for machine lines, we extended these developments with solutions to integrate in grading lines as well. The mtgBATCH is developed as “stop-and-go” system for grading up to 30 boards a minute. The mtgINLINE measures up to 180 boards a minute. Naturally, the mtgBATCH is the cheaper model for the small and medium size companies in the wood industry.

Both Timber Grader MTG and mtgBATCH are listed as machine strengths grading systems in the EN14081-4 standard. The mtgINLINE system is currently in the admission procedure and the progress report of the Technical University of Delft shows already today that this system is at least equal to all Brookhuis’ strengths grading instruments.

The advantage of Brookhuis is that settings for the Brookhuis’ measurements are used for all instruments wherefore one can affordably step into the world of machine strength grading.

SOURCE: AB Brookhuis