The present invention relates to a consolidated nonwoven consolidated by treatment with an aqueous binder composition comprising: a polymer P, a polyvinyl alcohol, optional a starch compound S and optional at least one metal compound M selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium and zinc, in the form of an oxide, hydroxide, carbonate or bicarbonate,
wherein the polymer P is obtainable by free radical aqueous emulsion polymerization of a monomer mixture of 75 to 99% by weight of one or more monomers a) selected from the group consisting of esters of acrylic and/or methacrylic acid with alkanols of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, aliphatic conjugated diene and aromatic vinyl compound 1 to 25% by weight of one or more monomers b) selected from the group consisting of N-methylolacrylamide, N-methylolmethacrylamide, glycidyl methacrylate and carboxylic acid-functional ethylenically unsaturated monomers ?0 to 15% by weight of one or more further ethylenically unsaturated monomer c) different from any of monomers a) and b)
wherein the amounts of monomers a) to c) sum to 100 wt %,
the water-based binder composition, the process of for producing the consolidated nonwoven and its use as reinforcing insert for bituminized roofing membranes.

An apparatus for profiling a shake, includes two opposed sets of rollers configured and arranged to support a wooden blank and to transport the wooden blank from an infeed end of the apparatus to an outfeed end of the apparatus along a transport path, the wooden blank having a pair of opposed major faces, and a pair of opposed rotatable cutting heads, configured and arranged to engage the major faces of the wooden blank as it is conveyed through a cutting region of the transport path, wherein each of the cutting heads comprises a plurality of knives having respective varied profiles such that as the wooden blank passes between the cutting heads, a selected profile is imparted to each of the major faces.

In a first aspect, there is provided a system for picking sawed shingles against a saw in movement. Further, F in a method for maintaining a database of images of shingle defects, wherein a front-face image and a backside image of a shingle are associated with each other in that database. To increase shingle quality, each shingle is inspected on five faces thereof, to detect surface defects and core defects. Comparison is made of images of the front-face to images of wood defects in the database. When the image of the front-face of a shingle matches an image of an acceptable defect, and that front-face image is tagged as predisposed to backside defect, the shingle is edged to remove the acceptable defect. In the shingle manufacturing process, each of these backside images is considered to be a mirror image of a next shingle to be sawed.

An assembly, and a machine for constructing the assembly, that provides a much faster and more precise shingle installation with optimized keyway spacing and offsets, and with built-in ventilation that improves the performance of the shingles and protects the wall assembly. Also providing a pleasing distribution of shingle widths with no apparent patterns.

A computer-assisted shingle sawing method for recovery optimization using a 0-1 defect relative to the clear line, comprising the steps of taking an image of a next slab to be cut from a wood block; defining from that image, a clear line there-across; and locations of defect on that slab relative to the clear line, determining edge lines of shingles recoverable from the slab according to optimal shingle grade recovery; sawing the next slab along these edge lines, and sawing the next slab from the wood block, thereby releasing an optimum recovery of shingles from the slab. In another aspect there is provided a method for shingle recovery optimization using an optimization by inversion strategy, wherein the inclination of a parting line for cutting the next slab from the wood block is determined for optimal shingle grade recovery. There is also provided an installation for carrying out these methods.