Closeup of wood saw blades and log in a saw machine.

Setra Heby to monitor reducers with online condition monitoring system from SPM

Swedish sawmills are increasingly realizing the potential of condition-based maintenance, and more and more mills are choosing to equip all or parts of their sawlines with condition monitoring equipment. Swedish Setra Heby sawmill is now in the process of introducing online monitoring of its two reducers from sawline supplier Linck.

Introducing condition-based maintenance can reduce the proportion of urgent and remedial activities in favor of more planned maintenance, leading to more stable production, more efficient maintenance work, and increased plant efficiency.

The ordered online system Intellinova Parallel EN is SPM's most advanced. The powerful measurement system measures in parallel on all sixteen channels and offers, among other things, the possibility of triggered measurements based on signals from the sawline's control system, such as measuring only during log gaps–the short spaces between logs passing through the sawing machine.

Measurement data is stored in a database residing in the sawmill's local network and analyzed in the Condmaster Ruby 2022 software, including the user-friendly Condermaster.NET web interface. The deal includes the condition monitoring service SPM ServiceNet, where SPM analysis technicians closely monitor machine condition via secure remote access to the Setra database. In the event of deviations, clear and easy-to-understand monthly and alarm reports are sent to Setra and stored in its portal for further follow-up.

Production manager Niklas Thorén at Setra Heby said in a comment on the investment: “We have been in talks with SPM for quite some time and have also had the opportunity to test their products and services. We are confident this will help our continuous improvement and condition-based maintenance work. We will avoid emergency breakdowns, which cost our process time, energy, and money. But above all, we look forward to continuing to participate and take part in developments in condition-based maintenance and shock pulse measurement."

The Setra Heby sawmill northwest of Stockholm produces sawn wood products for delivery to industrial customers, the prefab housing industry, and glulam factories, among others. The sawmill has 94 employees and produced 265,000 m3 of sawn wood in 2023.

Setra Group is one of Sweden's largest wood industry companies. The Group includes seven sawmills, a wood industry center that produces glulam, components, and KL wood, and a processing unit in Great Britain. Setra also sells bioproducts such as bark, chips, and shavings to customers in the pulp and paper industry and for energy production. Setra has approximately 860 employees and a turnover of about SEK 5.5 billion.

Setra Heby’s sister sawmill Setra Skinnskatteberg has also chosen an SPM online system in conjunction with its investment in a new HewSaw sawline.