A firewood handling device for firewood pieces comprises a conveyor including one or more rotating, endless chains, wherein the conveyor extends from an input end to an output end. The conveyor chains are provided with carriers which project outwards from the outer sides of the chains and extend across and on a distance from each other in relation to the longitudinal extension of the conveyor such that spaces are formed between the carriers into which firewood pieces can be positioned. The carriers are formed with at least two, not cut through slots or recesses from below as well as from above which overlap each other. The conveyor in its output end is provided with at least two inner guiding members as well as with at least two outer guiding members.

An automated lumber handling system laser-scans the top profile of multiple stacks of lumber, each of which contain boards of a unique size. Based on the scanned profiles, the system determines the order in which individual boards from a chosen stack should be transferred to a numerically controlled saw. The saw cuts the boards to proper size and in the proper sequence to facilitate orderly assembly of a roof truss or prefabricated wall. In some examples, the system lifts individual boards by driving two retractable screws, or some other piercing tool, down into the upward facing surface of the board. A track mounted cantilever, holding the screws and a laser unit, translates over the lumber stacks to retrieve and deliver individual boards and, while doing so, the laser repeatedly scans the stacked lumber profiles on-the-fly to continuously update the profiles. The open cantilever design facilitates replenishing the stacks of lumber.

A board turner assembly may include an endless chain, first and second groups of turning arms pivotably coupled with the endless chain and disposed along opposite sides thereof, an upper guide with an inclined surface, an actuator selectively operable to move the upper guide between a resting position and an extended position, and one or more endless belts. The turning arms may be spaced apart at regular intervals that are offset on one side of the chain relative to the other. The groups of turning arms may be operated in an alternating fashion to turn selected boards to a desired orientation (e.g., wane side up). Corresponding methods and systems are also described.

An installation for separating and singulating non-uniform postal articles of the small parcel or packet type comprises a platform for temporarily storing a pile of loosely placed postal articles, a vision system adapted to form digital images of the pile of loose postal articles, which pile is static on the platform, a data-processing unit adapted to use these digital images to identify a postal article to be singulated, i.e. an article that has a pickup face that is not covered by any other postal article, the unit being suitable for delivering data indicating the three-dimensional position, the facing direction, and the dimensions of the pickup face, and a pneumatic pickup head of a robotized arm that is controlled on the basis of the data to lift up the postal article to be singulated via its pickup face, and to deposit the postal article on a deposition zone that is off the platform.

An improved separator for separating lumber in a stack of a plurality of layers has a primary profile for minimizing the contact area and maximizing airflow between the separator and the adjacent boards and a secondary profile for improving frictional resistance between the separator and the adjacent boards. The primary profile comprises a plurality of grooves and a plurality of ridges formed therebetween. The secondary profile comprises a plurality of depressions on the ridges.

Embodiments provide methods, systems, and apparatuses for loading workpieces in a flow direction into the spaced apart lugs on a lugged conveyor with the workpieces oriented transverse to the flow direction. The lug loader includes an array of pairs of endless conveyors configured to convey workpieces toward a lugged conveyor. The first and second endless conveyors of each pair are spaced laterally apart across the flow direction and aligned substantially in the flow direction. The array can form a continuous or discontinuous transport surface. Some pairs of endless conveyors in the array may overlap one or more other pairs of endless conveyors in the array. At least one pair of endless conveyors in the array may include two or more endless conveyors that are independently driven at different speeds and/or in different directions to de-skew a workpiece.

Embodiments provide an electric lug loader system. An electric lug loader may include a shaft assembly rotatably mounted to a frame that extends across a flow path. The shaft assembly may have shafts arranged radially around, and parallel to, the rotational axis of the shaft assembly, clamp members arranged along each of the shafts, support members arranged radially around the rotational axis and across the flow path, and electric drives coupled to the shafts. Conveyors may be coupled with the frame and spaced apart across the flow path upstream and/or downstream of the shaft assembly. Additional drives may be coupled with the shaft assembly and the conveyors. A controller may be configured to synchronize the drives to engage successive workpieces between the clamp members and the support members and deposit the workpieces onto a lugged conveyor. Other embodiments provide related methods and systems.

A stacking machine for stacking elongated members in a stack comprises a frame and a pair of cooperating stackers mounted thereto distant from each other. Each of the stackers comprises a driven master wheel, a slave wheel mounted eccentrically from the master wheel, a stacking arm assembly concurrently mounted to the master wheel and the slave wheel causing the master wheel to drive the slave wheel and a stacking arm assembly mounted to the stacking arm assembly, the stacking arm assembly comprising a stacking blade extending substantially parallel to the master wheel and defining a stacking face. The stacking faces of the cooperative stackers define a stacking plane supporting a layer of elongated members to be stacked, whereby the layers are moved one at a time on a stack.

A lumber stacking machine has a stacking mechanism forming a stack of lumber from the bottom upwardly. The stacking mechanism includes a lift mechanism formed with a plurality of stacking fingers that lift a layer of lumber vertically above a conveyor. With the formation of a new layer of lumber, the stacking mechanism moves below the new layer with the stacking fingers retracting to pass by the new layer and resting the growing stack of lumber on top of the new layer, and then extending below the new layer to raise the entire stack to allow another new layer to be formed. Stops are provided to control the movement of the individual boards from the infeed station into the stacking station and also to control movement of the new layer beyond the stacking station. Two conveyors cooperate to move the lumber with an overlap in the stacking station.

Embodiments provide methods, systems, and apparatuses for loading workpieces in a flow direction into the spaced apart lugs on a lugged conveyor with the workpieces oriented transverse to the flow direction. The lug loader includes an array of pairs of endless conveyors configured to convey workpieces toward a lugged conveyor. The first and second endless conveyors of each pair are spaced laterally apart across the flow direction and aligned substantially in the flow direction. The array can form a continuous or discontinuous transport surface. Some pairs of endless conveyors in the array may overlap one or more other pairs of endless conveyors in the array. At least one pair of endless conveyors in the array may include two or more endless conveyors that are independently driven at different speeds and/or in different directions to de-skew a workpiece.