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Abstract
In the secondary hardwood industry, rough mills convert hardwood lumber into dimension parts for furniture, cabinets, and other wood products. ROMI 4.0, the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service's ROugh-MIll simulator, is a software package designed to simulate the cut-up of hardwood lumber in rough mills in such a way that a maximum possible component yield is achieved. ROMI 4.0 simulates the cut-up of lumber using two common processing modes: rip first and chop first. Additionally, this latest version of ROMI includes a novel feature that allows users to analyze each board's yield when processed in either rip-first or chop-first mode. This permits yield gains to be achieved, resulting in lower material costs for industry participants. The software also allows a user to model, simulate, and examine the complex relationship among cutting bills; part dimensions, quantities, and qualities; processing options; and lumber grade mix. ROMI 4.0 includes many improvements over the previous version, including the combined rip-and-chop option and various improvements to the user interface. We subjected the software to a complete review to assure functionality and user-friendliness. This article discusses these improvements and demonstrates the usefulness of ROMI 4.0 for hardwood dimension mills for researching yield and process improvement opportunities.
Citation
Grueneberg, Timo; Thomas, R. Edward; Buehlmann, Urs. 2012. ROMI 4.0: Updated Rough Mill Simulator. Forest Products Journal. 62(5): 373-377.
