50 | Panel Perspectives: States Industries
STATES INDUSTRIES
PLYWOOD PANEL PRESS LINE FOR
HARDWOOD
US plywood manufacturer States Industries LLC partnered with Biele in an upgrading and improvement of its production facilities
F
ounded in 1966, States Industries LLC is a leader in hardwood plywood manufacturing, supplying environmentally conscious, premium hardwood panel products to North American woodworkers. States was the first in the industry to
be FSC-certified, to introduce pre-finished plywood and convert to using soy-based adhesives in all of its panel products. The company is formed by more than 300 employees and two different facilities. The primary mill site is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it also operates from DrawerBox DBS, its brand for drawers, storage products for cabinets, in Orange, California.
With a passion for innovation, States Industries says it is committed to world-class manufacturing and is constantly looking for ways to improve products, support the changing demands of the industry and manufacture custom hardwood plywood for craftsmen, architects, and designers.
THE CHALLENGE As part of an expansion and growth plan, States Industries was immersed in a process of upgrading and improving the production facilities. Thus, this growth strategy included a project for a new hardwood plywood panel press line, for which a large investment was necessary.
This investment was a strategic move by
the company. The objectives were production capacity increase for high value panels, and the improvement of manufacturing product quality from a wide array of panel sizes, substrates, hardwood veneers, and order quantities. According to States Industries vice- president of manufacturing, Ted Downs, the deployment of capital toward manufacturing higher value hardwood plywood was well timed for the demand the company had been experiencing in the market.
The main challenge of this project lay
in developing a hardwood veneer press line that would enable States Industries to produce almost fully automatically what it had been always producing in a manual way.
THE PROJECT The solution consisted of an automatic line to produce hardwood plywood panels, up to 10ft in length, through a short cycle multi- opening press. International technology specialist Biele partnered with States on the project.
The project involves a fully automatic handling and cleaning of the substrate, gluing on top and bottom surfaces, and semi-automatic lay-up of top and bottom hardwood veneers that then feeds the four- opening press.
This happens in a non-stop basis using
a four-basket infeed and outfeed system. Regarding the press, it operates with 514 Tm pressure and 130°C temperature, resulting in a capacity to produce four boards/min. Behind the press, the line is also cleaning
Above: States Industries partnered with Biele on an upgrading project at its Eugene facility WBPI | April/May 2023 |
www.wbpionline.com
the overhanging veneer of the panels without any trimming of the substrate and includes a vertical putty section in
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