Hasslacher: “Drying technology you can rely on”
In Carinthia, Austria, you will find one of Europe’s most modern glulam production facilities – Hasslacher Norica Timber. When it came time to invest in new drying capacity, the requirements included both increased capacity and improved drying quality to meet the needs of further processing. After a thorough selection process, the choice fell on two OTC continuous kilns from Valutec.
“The result is less checking, less twisting and a much more uniform final moisture content. Valutec has kept its promise,” says Bernhard Spitzer, Project Manager and Site Manager at Hasslacher Norica Timber, at the time of the investment.
The OTC continuous kilns are used for drying glulam lamellae made from 44 mm spruce center-cut lumber down to a final moisture content of 12%. The high and consistent quality is proof that Hasslacher made the right decision in choosing continuous kilns – a kiln type still relatively uncommon in Central Europe.
“When you are drying larger volumes, with high quality requirements and access to a consistent inflow of raw material, continuous kilns offer major advantages,” explains Bernhard Spitzer.
Fast and precise drying
One advantage is the continuous operation of the kilns, which provides an even load on the boiler. This avoids the energy consumption peaks that can occur when several batch kilns need to be heated in parallel. In addition, the facilities are both efficient and highly reliable.
“Today, our drying times are only 80 to 85 hours for the large dimensions we dry. For every package, we save up to a full day of lumber drying compared to our traditional batch kilns,” says Bernhard Spitzer.
