Hey Everyone,

Well at the moment Im working on my year 10 assignment and it involves researching 5 new and upcoming technologies in the timber industry. Well so far I have contacted Multicam Systems and they were generous enough to supply a large amount of brochures and information sheets to me.
Although one thing I am missing is certain impacts this machinery might have on the environment / society? Would anyone happen to know of any?

And if anyone knew of other 'new and upcoming' technologies in woodworking that would be great.
Thanks in Adance.

Hey Everyone,

Well at the moment Im working on my year 10 assignment and it involves researching 5 new and upcoming technologies in the timber industry. Well so far I have contacted Multicam Systems and they were generous enough to supply a large amount of brochures and information sheets to me.
Although one thing I am missing is certain impacts this machinery might have on the environment / society? Would anyone happen to know of any?

And if anyone knew of other 'new and upcoming' technologies in woodworking that would be great.
Thanks in Adance.

you dont give enough info for people to comment on.

well, if this helps here is the full question:

Investigate at least 5 new and emerging techniques available in the timber industry. Include some form of CAM (computer aided manufacture).

- State the name of each technique

- List the Pro's and Con's of using such techniques / their effect on the environment and society.

- Provide diagrams and pictures to illustrate and support your research.

- Explain how such techniques could be applied to your current timber project.

The only ones that are proving difficult are the Pro's and Con's, but it would be great if I could find some information on some other new and emerging technology.

If you need anything more, ill be here.

That's a great assignment and full marks for lateral thinking in putting it out to this community.

I'm not in the industry but I believe that grained timber is making way for composite timber as composite timber can be milled by CAM through CNC irrespective of grain.

Pros of composite timber (such as MDF) is ease of milling but con is reliance upon glues. Glues are often harmful to the environment and to some people's health, especially those in the manufacturing industry but certainly consumers.

Another con is the loss of needing to discern one timber from another which means that all trees are fair game to the chipping industry. Thus, automation of manufacturing of composite timbers such as mdf are displacing workers.

Composite timbers and ease of their use lends itself to a consumer oriented society where people lose sight of the value of timber and see it purely as a commodity.

The pros are obvious. Efficient, automated, cheap, etc but the cons are often brushed aside as being insignificant. Its called progress but always at a cost.

Good luck

Andy

dig around the internet for the chip separators which separate dark unwanted chips from clean chips , this is generally used in pulp and paper , but infrared picks the unwanted chips and air nossles blast the unwanted chips away ,cool to see

Thankyou to everyone that replied. I shall put this information to good use. Thanks again!

Don't forget another pro/con would be that a machine can do the work of many craftsmen. True, this reduces costs to the consumer but also reduces employment opportunities.

cheers!

Some guys use a veneer lathe to turn banana plant trunks into paper and plywood products. Cool stuff, yearly renewable until the cyclone, the paper chars and does not burn. Look out for Bamboo plywood too.

Gavin

Don't forget another pro/con would be that a machine can do the work of many craftsmen. True, this reduces costs to the consumer but also reduces employment opportunities.

cheers!

i agree the machine can do the work of many , cost reduction for the industry , but i have yet to see reduced cost of lumber to the consumer
they're outright greedy