Kiln Moisture Sensors

In lumber manufacturing, kiln drying is an important step that creates value by removing moisture from the wood to provide dimensional stability and strength. However, kiln drying can be damaging to the wood if not done properly. Wood that remains wet, will fail moisture checks by inspectors and customers – potentially causing large moisture claims by construction contractors and/or end-users. Lumber that is over-dried becomes brittle and causes processing issues at the planer when it is dressed to the final dimension. Additionally, this over-dried lumber results in less throughput and lost profit for the mill.

In-Kiln Moisture Measurement Solution

Finna Sensors has been offering systems for the kiln drying process for over 15 years. In 2006, the company released its first generation, in-kiln moisture measurement solution through one of its subsidiaries, Signature Control System (SCS). Drawing upon years of experience measuring radio-frequency and our in-depth knowledge of wood science, the accuracy of those initial systems was +/-1%. KilnScout™, the latest generation of wired and wireless products for in-kiln moisture measurement have been improved to include advancements in measurement speed and accuracy, seamless integration with kiln controllers as well as, Internet of Things (IOT) data.

• Patented technology for moisture, temperature and humidity measurement inside a kiln.
• KilnScout™ has both a wired and wireless options available for moisture measurement, depending on whether the kiln is a continuous kiln (either counter flow or progressive flow) or a batch kiln.
• Internet of Things (IOT) alarms, including internal humidity, temperature, battery life, etc., can be sent via an email or text to operators and/or supervisors to ensure the system is operating properly.
• Advanced reporting is available to track shifts and production quality to optimize results at the planer.

The benefit of purchasing an in-kiln measurement sensors is that they can increase throughput as much as +10%. Payback on these solutions is as little as 3-4 months. For this reason, Finna Sensors has sold its in-kiln moisture measurement tools to the vast majority of lumber mills in North America. An added benefit is that these systems integrate with Finna Sensors’ related products in the sawmill and planer to allow users to track results through the entire production process.