Finding finger-joint faults

AN AMERICAN COMPANY HAS DEVELOPED a system for detecting faults in fingerjointed wood that could cause premature failure of structural components, such as CLT panels or laminated beams.

California-based Airstar Inc specialises in the non-destructive testing of products and at last month’s WoodTECH 2018 conference in Rotorua, it outlined a way of identifying faults in wood components using a combination of scanning and ultra-sound technology.

Airstar’s President, Jan Strycek, says that by linking conventional scanning with ultra-sound systems it is possible to detect defects in finger jointing down to the size of a pin hole.

“That’s very important, because these sorts of faults can lead to bonding issues,” he says.

The system can also be used for detecting end splits and checking in boards.

NZL