Only from American Wood Dryers can you get the original patented Loadmaster in-kiln weighing stations combined with American's proven, Windows-based Drystar computer control system to give you an In-Kiln WEIGHT-based drying system.

The weighing stations are positioned "out-of-harm's way" on the rear wall of the kiln and on portable stands placed in front of the lumber.  No special baffling is required.  Chance of damage to the delicate load cells is virtually eliminated, as is the possibility of forgetting to remove them or unhook them before unloading the kiln.

University tests show excellent correlation between the Loadmaster readings and the MC of conventional sample boards in the load. Users report results within 1 or 2 percentage points from dead-green all the way to final moisture content.

When used "reactively" running MC-based schedules with automatic schedule advance the Loadmaster system can reduce drying times by as much as 15% or more.

It is recommended to have at least four Loadmaster stations per kiln. Many customers have six stations to improve statistical sampling.

Multi-zone Thermal Oil Heated Double-Track Hardwood Kilns

The Roy O. Martin Lumber Company, also known as "Martco", in LeMoyen, Louisiana has some unique American hardwood kilns. Finished in July of 1996, the 40’ wide 54’ long, 100,000 board foot capacity double track kilns shown here are fitted with ten heating zones: (the four overhead zones are: left & right both north & south; the six center coil zones are: top, middle & bottom both north & south).

The overhead zones are further prioritized so that if the vents are open, only the downwind heating coils (downwind of the roof vents) are energized at first, conserving energy by venting only cool, wet air. The upwind coils come into play only when the vents are closed, or if the downwind coils can’t handle the required heating load. Total heating capacity of each kiln is 14 million Btu’s per hour (140 Btu/board foot!).

Another unique feature of the new kilns is the fan power. Seven fans were installed, 6 ft. in diameter with six fully adjustable, fully reversible "S" shaped aluminum airfoil blades. Each fan is powered by a 20 horsepower, 870 rpm motor, producing air flow in excess of 850 ft/min exiting the lumber packages!

Since the fan motors weigh 625 lbs. each, overhead lifting rings were furnished and special trolleys designed to transport the motors to one of the overhead access doors at each end of the kiln whenever they need to be removed for maintenance.

Martco produces ten different species of hardwoods including red & white oaks, cottonwood, cypress, elm, gum, pecan, shugaberry, sycamore and willow in addition to some pines from their 500,000+ acres of Louisiana timberlands.

The heating medium for all the kilns at the site, including the 16 other American kilns installed over the past 15 years, is 350 degree Fahrenheit thermal oil. Thermal oil heated steam generators are used to create low pressure steam for equalizing and conditioning. The photograph shows the insulated thermal oil piping, walkway, and eleven control valves (10 heat + 1 spray) for one of the kilns.

For more information on Martco, be sure to visit their web site: www.martco.com

The following evaluation of our new predryer at Juken (Shanghai) Ltd. was prepared by Mr. Eishi Hirata, Consulting Forestry Engineer formerly with Maruni, Inc.:

"Temperature and humidity are following perfectly on the degrees as settled previously on the equipment."

"We surveyed the moisture contents of the dried timber treated by your predryer and compared it with the conventionally dried timber without the predryer. The numbers of the moisture content beyond the limits were very rare in the former case (with the predryer), but in the later they were more than half (without predrying)."

Especially, the decreasing of collapse was remarkable, we could not find them on the former case (with the predryer), in spite of being quite common in the later case (without predrying). These are also the evidence that the predryer is useful to improve the quality of dried timber from many other drying defects"

Before using the predryer, the period for finishing kiln drying was more than 20 days, but after using the predryer it became only 9 days with better quality than before. So, the production from finishing kilns increased more than two times compared with what used to be."

"All the staffs at Juken gave their thanks to me before I leave Shanghai to my recommendation to select your equipment. I am very happy, as we have had completed their aims by your predryer, and done something useful for you together."

"Thank you for your help and best regards, (Signed: "Eishi Hirata, Consulting Engineer, Hiroshima, Japan")

1,300 cbm (550,000 bf) predryer - Juken (Shanghai) Ltd., Shanghai, China

With installations in 19 countries, American Wood Dryers is truly an International Preferred Provider of Dry Kilns World-Wide

From drying Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil to Pometia pinnata (Taun) in Japan and China, Swietenia macrophylla (true Mahogany) in Honduras, Virola in Ecuador, Juglans neotropica (Peruvian Walnut), Brosimum uleanum (White Mahogany) and Cedrela in Peru, Triplochiton scleroxylon (Obeche) and Etandophragma cylindricum (Sapele) in Ghana and Pinus Radiata in New Zealand, American Wood Dryers has pretty much seen it all.

Six kilns, 50 cbm (21,000 bf) capacity - Maruni, Inc., Yuki-Cho, Japan

From customers all over the world we get notes like this one from Egypt: "First of all, I'd like to Congratulate and thank you for your thankful, great effort & support you gave to us in drying the 12/4 longleaf Pine charge. The charge ended on Thursday 4th of January and we took it out of the kiln on Sunday 7th and it was a great drying trial. We didn't lose any Piece of wood and the moisture content was 11% in average. So thanks a lot!"

And this one from New Zealand: "The new kiln is a real racer! Charge times are about 2 hours faster. 50 mm timber drys in 8 hours from sopping green. It rises to temperature a lot faster also, 100°C. in 1/2 hour, 120°C. in about 1 hour. We are drying a little over 140°C. but it can do 150°C. when required."