The name Anthon has become a synonym for solid mechanical engineering. With in-house software solutions, Anthon’s high quality products and innovative technology takes into account the demands of its clients. Evergreen is a leading manufacturer of high-quality Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) and particleboard with an annual output of more than 1.3 million m³. The Malaysian-based company began in 1972 as a timber trade and veneer manufacturer, and has since focused on improving the utilisation of resources and application of advanced technology.
The partnership between Anthon and Evergreen was established beginning with a very demanding task, where large panel stacks had to be delivered to a new Anthon sanding and cut-to-size line. The required processing steps, and in particular, the limited space increased the complexity of this task. “The excellent implementation of our ideas into the concept of the line was a decisive factor for placing the order with Anthon,” said Kuo Jen Chiu, Executive Director of Evergreen Panel Sizing Technology Fiberboard. “Adapting the definition of the project for the existing constructional specifications and considering the drawn up specification 100% was a ‘Masterstroke’. A standard line here would not have been of much use for us.”
The resulting solution is as follows: The raw panels to be cut to size come from a stack storage to the feeding system of the sanding machine. The feeding system is designed such that a continuous sanding of 120 m/min is maintained. It is equipped with an intermediate buffer system, which takes over the rest stacks. So the feeding of the sanding machine is maintained, while at the same time a new stack can run in and be positioned correspondingly. This newly designed intermediate buffer device makes sanding loss by a stack change a matter of the past. Arriving panel stacks can be with or without base and coverboard. The disposal is taken over by a separate vacuum destacking system, which removes base and coverboards from the line and de-stacks them accurately. Following up to the sanding machine, there is a surface inspection station. It allows the automatic identification of B-panels. They will not be fed to the saw, but will be removed from the production process over the separate drop-box de-stacking system. The B-panels can be removed with a forklift truck or be fed into the line again later for a cut-to-size process. The station for the book forming is integrated online. It allows book forming for the book saw without reducing the sanding speed. The saw itself is designed as a book saw with a cut height of 180 mm. The rip cut saw has a cut length of 6.500 mm; the crosscut saw, 2.700 mm. Behind the cut-to-size there is a fork destacking station. It is equipped with three de-stacking places, in order to make the corresponding sorting of the cut-to-size images. Each place is equipped with an automatic base and coverboard handling system, so that these can be supplied according to the de-stacking instructions. Next, the stacks can be removed by a forklift truck or be supplied to the automatic strapping line. It allows foil wrapping and also cross and longitudinal strapping. The automatic packing line implements all known packing instructions. The control of the line is by means of a Siemens Simatic S7- 1516. With it, all in- and outputs of the line, like sensors, valves, and drives are linked. The obvious advantages are performance, storage size and data safety function. The HMI is realised with a Comfort panel. It allows the operator to influence and control all parameters of the line, as well as move each individual drive manually. The control can be maintained over remote VPN access, such that Anthon’s service engineers have comprehensive access to the control and are able to analyse the causes of faults quickly and at best remedy them. “We have delivered the line to Evergreen after a complete commissioning in Flensburg. After the installation and start-up phase, it will be fully operational at Evergreen beginning summer 2015. Anthon will be listening to customers’ needs, in order to deliver lines developed with them in 2015, the year of our 150th Anniversary,” sums up Sales Manager Bernd Jochims.