Introduction

Automation continues to reshape engineered wood manufacturing, but introducing new equipment often creates unexpected challenges elsewhere in the production process.

When a Southern Oregon LVL manufacturing facility implemented an automatic beam wrapping and stapling system, it successfully automated the packaging process—but also introduced a new downstream bottleneck. SWEED developed its Automated Beam Stacking System to solve that challenge, enabling a fully automated beam wrapping, stapling, and stacking process while reducing man-hours and improving production efficiency.

The Challenge

The customer wanted to automate the beam wrapping portion of its production line by installing an automatic wrapping system.

Before automation, wrapped beam bundles were stacked indoors using an overhead crane before being transported to storage. When the customer implemented an automatic wrapping and stapling system, the wrapping process became automated, but it also changed how finished beams exited the production line. Instead of producing completed four-high beam stacks, the automatic stapler discharged one wrapped beam at a time. Without an automated stacking solution, a forklift operator would have been required to manually build four-high beam stacks in the staging area before transporting them to storage.

SWEED’s Solution

To eliminate this bottleneck, SWEED engineered an Automated Beam Stacking System that integrates directly into the customer’s existing conveying system downstream of the automatic wrapping station.

As each wrapped beam exits the automatic stapler, the system automatically positions and stacks beams into uniform four-high bundles for products ranging from 20 to 66 feet in length.

Once complete, the finished stack is picked up by a forklift and transported directly to storage.

Because the system integrates with the customer’s existing conveying equipment, it adds automated stacking without expanding the production footprint or requiring significant modifications to the existing production line.

Results

By automating the stacking process, the customer transformed what would have been a manual downstream operation into a fully automated beam wrapping, stapling, and stacking process.

Implementation of the system:

• Eliminated the need for manual forklift stacking of individual wrapped beams.
• Eliminated one forklift and one forklift operator from the beam stacking operation.
• Reduced beam stacking man-hours.
• Improved overall production efficiency.
• Produced consistent, uniform four-high beam stacks ready for storage.

Why It Matters

Manufacturers often focus on automating individual production processes, but every automation project has the potential to create new constraints elsewhere in the operation.

Rather than simply automating beam stacking, SWEED solved the downstream bottleneck created by the customer’s new automated stapling equipment, allowing the full benefits of automation to be realized.

The result is a practical automation solution that integrates with existing equipment, minimizes labor requirements, improves production flow, and helps manufacturers maximize the return on their automation investment.