Overview
A large-scale wood products operation modernized its sawmilling lines with advanced cutting and profiling technologies to increase throughput and productivity. While these upgrades improved primary processing efficiency, they also generated significantly higher volumes of wood chips with increased levels of fines in downstream material handling.
To maintain pulp chip quality and reduce unnecessary fiber loss, the operation required an innovative screening solution capable of keeping pace with higher production rates without sacrificing efficiency or product recovery.
Challenges
The screening process faced several industry-wide challenges:
- Increased fines generation due to higher saw line speeds
- Conventional screening equipment unable to handle higher volumes effectively
- Enlarged screen openings used as a workaround, leading to loss of acceptable pulp material
- Excessive good fiber reporting to fines handling systems
- Reduced overall screening efficiency and product yield
- Limited flexibility to optimize screening performance as process conditions evolved
The existing approach forced a trade-off between throughput and fiber recovery.
Solutions
An advanced gyratory wood chip screening solution was engineered to address both capacity and performance limitations.
Key elements of the solution included:
- High-energy gyratory motion to keep smaller screen openings clear and effective
- Larger screening decks designed to manage increased chip volumes in a single machine
- Balanced machine design enabling higher operating speeds without compromising reliability
- Application-specific screen sizing based on fines content rather than capacity alone
- Laboratory-based material testing tools that replicate full-scale screening behavior
- Custom screen configurations optimized to maximize acceptable fiber recovery
By matching screening technology to modern saw line output, the system eliminated the need to sacrifice product quality for capacity.
Results
The upgraded screening solution delivered significant operational improvements:
- Improved recovery of acceptable pulp chips
- Reduced loss of good wood fiber to fines streams
- Consistent pulp chip quality without opening screen apertures
- Enhanced screening efficiency under high-throughput conditions
- Lower waste generation and improved material utilization
- Increased overall process profitability and operational stability
The operation was able to align screening performance with modern production demands while preserving fiber value.
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