Robots play key role in sawmill upgrade project
An integrated project of control room technology, power distribution and robotics, implemented by ABB Process Automation have driven pioneering levels of productivity and efficiency at Metsä Fibre’s technologically advanced sawmill.
The customer’s Rauma mill is Finland’s largest ever sawmill investment at €260 million and uses machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI) and integrated information systems for consistent quality and cost efficiency.
Building on a long-term relationship with parent company Metsä Group, ABB provided Extended Operator Workplace (EOW) tables for maximum ergonomics, visualisation and communication, as well as electrical power distribution, transformers and robots.
Since the technologies were commissioned a year ago the sawmill has turned out 40 logs per minute on a 130-metre sawline with a maximum sawing speed of 250 metres per minute, all managed from an ABB-designed central control room. The sawn pine timber is exported worldwide and can be used in construction – including windows, doors and general joinery, woodworking, furniture and packaging.
“With the support of partners, including ABB, we are achieving productivity that is at least three times higher than what is possible across the rest of Europe,” said Jaakko Vierola, technical director of the Rauma sawmill project, Metsä Fibre. “The durability of components and the service ABB provides exactly when we need it are crucial.”
The electrical distribution system with medium voltage and distribution transformers was designed and delivered by ABB. ABB’s robots, motors and drives were connected to other equipment, with 1,000 variable speed drives considered to be crucial to automation optimisation. The overall speed of the process is also due to a group of six robots equipped with machine vision.
Metsä Fibre and ABB specialists have worked together to maximise automated data collection through a third-party automation system. The strategy has been to use high levels of monitoring for quality and performance, minimise wood waste through sawing and sizing optimisation and eliminate manual handling through robots and automatic loading at the 24/7 mill. The sawmill’s by-products such as wood chips, sawdust and bark are used to produce pulp and bioenergy.
“The Rauma sawmill operates much like a process industry plant, where equipment cannot be maintained at night or on weekends, but electrical devices must always be reliable,” said Esa Kivioja, industry segment manager for ABB in Finland. “Here, we implemented the sawmill’s power distribution with the same quality standards as we did in Metsä Fibre’s bioproduct mills in Äänekoski and Kemi. This is a whole new concept in mechanical forest industry facilities.
“The energy efficiency of motors and other electrical equipment also plays a role. The impact of ABB’s deliveries is even more evident in the fact that production can continue without disruptions, and there is no idle time for the equipment.”
To support the Metsä Fibre team and the installed technologies on site, ABB also offers its spare parts and spare equipment services, as well as technical support.
