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WHAT IS A LUMBER GRADE MARK READER?

A Lucidyne M5 Grade Mark Reader (GMR) is an optical instrument that reads handwritten lumber grade, trim, and sort marks. The GMR system interprets these marks and converts them into instructions and communicates them to another device: trimmer or sorter control, trimmer optimizer, grade stamp machine, ink-jet printer, bar code labeler, or other control system.

Samples of lumber grade marks

Lucidyne's M5 GMR deciphers symbols that are similar to commonly used lumber grade marks. They have been simplified for fast, clear marking, and accurate interpretation. Graders physically apply these marks to boards using fluorescent markers that are either chalk or wax-based. Because they fluoresce, the marks stand out from the background of the boards. Lucidyne GMRs that are configured with the color recognition feature not only interpret the written mark but also recognize the color of the marks, thereby allowing the system to also identify the grader or lumber inspector.

As shown in the photo to the right, Lucidyne's patented "snapshot" technology uses an array camera coupled with an intense strobe light. It captures the entire image of the board's grade mark in the scan window within 1/10,000 of a second. Snapshot technology applies tremendous light energy to the board enabling the scanner to read faint marks that other systems miss.

The M5 GMR can be used for green or dry lumber applications in either hardwood or softwood mills. They are ideally suited to replace manual data entry. Examples of this include inputting lumber grade to a trimmer optimizer, a trim instruction to a drop saw trimmer, or a tally instruction to a lumber package tally system.

Lucidyne's M5 GMR can be customized to meet the requirements of the mill. The basic M5 GMR is a single symbol (per board) recognizing GMR that provides ten outputs for basic sorter, edger, or trimmer optimizer data input. The Multiple Instruction feature gives the M5 the ability to identify more than one symbol per board, allowing the graders to indicate not only grade but an assortment of trim commands as well. The Color Recognition feature adds the ability to detect the color of the symbols written on each board. Assuming each grader is assigned a unique color, the M5 can associate each board with a specific grader.

Installation is simple. In the planer mill, for example, the M5 GMR scanning head mounts on the trim line between the lug loader and the trimmer. It can mount directly over the lug loader facilitating cut-in-two solutions that require retarding trailing lugs. High-speed processing allows short coupled retrofits in most operations. The system most often used in the planer is the basic M5 system enhanced with both the Multiple Instruction and Color Recognition features. This system recognizes grade, all trim instructions, as well as the person who graded the board.

Graphical Grader Display (GGD) Option for your Grade Mark Reader

Lumber Tally System (LTS) Option