A Fast and Continuous CT scanner for the optimization of logs in a sawmill

CT Log is a CT scanner used in an industrial process at very high speed in order to optimize the production of wood boards and other wood products. The scanner can reach 160 m/min, the typical speed at which wood logs are sawn in the sawmills. After the logs pass though the scanner, the images are reconstructed and processed in order to allow the automatic optimization of the cutting pattern according to the constraints set by wood defects and the value of the different products. Building a a buffer between the scanner and the sawing line is expensive and often not possible because of constraints on the plant layout The time available for the entire processing is therefore very short, because it must be completed before the log reaches the breakdown equipment. In this paper, we present the structure of the scanner and the way we implemented the different stages of processing in order maximize the speed of the elaboration.