Modern sawmills are increasingly like process industries, running continuously with very large volumes flowing through the process every second. This fact makes it vital for every company to utilize its equipment and raw material as effectively as possible to maximize yield and value. The objective of this simulated breakdown study was to analyze the potential to increase volume yield in Swedish sawmills. While the commonly used horns-down position performs well on an average basis, the results show that the optimal rotation position for an individual log is most often found at another position.

Results from extended simulations show that the average volume yield can be increased further by applying the optimal combination of rotation and parallel positioning in cant and deal saw. An increase in average volume yield by 4.5 percentage points (8.6%) would enable a typical Swedish sawmill to produce a further 17,300 m³ of boards per year and thereby increase potential annual income by US$3.7 million per year. This optimization concept requires a preevaluation of every log in order to define the optimal combination of settings.

Some of these procedures must be performed online within a split second to accommodate production speed demands. Modern technology such as industrial x-ray in combination with traceability methods, multivariate models, breakdown simulation software, and high-performance computers enables evaluation and optimization of every log online at full production speed. Sawing machines will need development in order to be able to perform optimization online without loss of production capacity.