Wood Furniture Manufacturing Research Articles

Online cutting stock optimization with prioritized orders

PurposeTo have all the required components of batches of product orders ready for timely assembly and delivery, the real time wood strip cutting patterns in a major solid wood furniture manufacturing plant has to be dynamically generated based on both the order priority and the minimum wood waste.Design/methodology/approachAn adaptive fuzzy ranking method and a recursive function for pattern generation were integrated into an optimization procedure to solve the real time one‐dimensional multiple‐grade cutting stock problem when orders are prioritized.FindingsThe simulation results illustrate that the optimization algorithm produce considerably less waste than the current approach. If implemented in the industry, the saving in raw material could be in the range of 5‐10 percent.Research limitations/implicationsThe optimization algorithm is for the cut‐to‐size decisions only with the consideration of the order priorities. The overall scheduling of the production shop floor is not addressed.Practical implicationsThe algorithm can be used on the cutting machines as an online patterns generator and cutting optimizer.Originality/valueThere is no literature available for the real time one‐dimensional multiple‐grade cutting stock problem when orders are prioritized. The few commercial optimizers have unknown algorithms with unpredictable waste.

Malignant neoplasms of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses: A series of 256 patients in Mexico City and Monterrey. Is air pollution the missing link?

Air pollution is a serious health problem in major cities in Mexico. The concentrations of monitored criteria pollutants have been above the US National Ambient Air Quality Standards for the last decade. To determine whether the number of primary malignant nasal and paranasal neoplasms has increased, we surveyed 256 such cases admitted to a major adult oncology hospital located in metropolitan Mexico City (MMC) for the period from 1976-1997 and to a tertiary hospital in Monterrey, an industrial city, for the period from 1993-1998. The clinical histories and histopathologic material were reviewed, and a brief clinical summary was written for each case. In the MMC hospital the number of newly diagnosed nasal and paranasal neoplasms per year for the period from 1976-1986 averaged 5.1, whereas for the next 11 years it increased to 12.5. The maximal increase was observed in 1995-1997, with an average of 20.3 new cases per year ( P = 0.0006). The predominant neoplasms in these series were non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, adenocarcinoma, Schneiderian carcinoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In the Monterrey hospital a 2-fold increase in the numbers of newly diagnosed nasal and paranasal neoplasms was recorded between 1993 and 1998. The predominant MMC neoplasm in this series, namely nasal T-cell/natural killer cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is potentially Epstein-Barr virus related. Nasal and paranasal malignant neoplasms are generally rare. Environmental causative factors include exposure in industries such as nickel refining, leather, and wood furniture manufacturing. Although epidemiologic studies have not addressed the relationship between outdoor air pollution and sinonasal malignant neoplasms, there is strong evidence for the nasal and paranasal carcinogenic effect of occupational aerosol complex chemical mixtures. General practitioners and ear, nose, and throat physicians working in highly polluted cities should be aware of the clinical presentations of these patients. Identification of this apparent increase in sinonasal malignant neoplasms in two urban Mexican polluted cities warrants further mechanistic and epidemiologic studies. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2000;122:499-508.)

Osha Compliance Issues: Solvent and Noise Exposure at a Wood Furniture Manufacturing Facility

Osha Compliance Issues: Solvent and Noise Exposure at a Wood Furniture Manufacturing Facility

Occupational wood dust exposures, lifestyle variables, and respiratory symptoms.

The quantitative relationship of occupational exposure to airborne wood dust with nasal and pulmonary health problems is not clearly established, particularly for low to moderate exposures in the wooden furniture manufacturing industry. We examined the associations of pulmonary and nasal symptoms, wood dust exposure, and lifestyle variables (cigarette smoking, alcohol use, overweight, physical inactivity, and stress) in a sample of 168 woodworkers. Levels of wood dust exposure were not systematically associated with symptoms. Statistically significant associations were found for cigarette smoking; after controlling for the effects of smoking, heavy drinking was significantly associated with pulmonary symptoms, and perceived stress was associated with both pulmonary and nasal symptoms. These findings suggest that studies of the effects of low-level occupational wood dust exposures should control for the potential effects of lifestyle variables.

Control of Wood Dust from Disc Sanders

Abstract Association between nasal cancer and other health effects and occupations involving exposure to wood dust has been clearly established in the literature. This article reports on the research that has been conducted by scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to reduce wood dust emissions from large-diameter disc sanders. An air jet stripper system was developed to be used in conjunction with existing local exhaust ventilation to reduce dust emissions. The system consists of a set of jets located inside the local exhaust hood. The jets are supplied with pressurized air. The control system, combined with currently existing controls, reduced wood dust emissions (area and breathing zone) by an average of 60 percent. Laboratory results were confirmed by field tests conducted at a wood furniture manufacturing plant. The control system does not interfere with the worker's activity, requires minimum maintenance, and is inexpensive to install and operate. This system also may extend the life of sanding discs by dislodging wood dust from the sanding surface.

Control of wood dust from horizontal belt sanding.

An auxiliary ventilation system has been developed to reduce the wood dust emission from horizontal belt sanders. This system consists of two devices: a hood and a jet stripper. The hood is a narrow low-volume, high-velocity slot hood located between a belt surface and a worktable; the push device is a jet stripper located inside a driven pulley hood opposite the operator site. In combination with a standard sander hood, both devices significantly reduced the wood dust emission into the workroom. Laboratory data were confirmed by field tests conducted at an oscillating edge belt sander at a wood furniture manufacturing plant. These devices work independently of each other and do not interfere with the operator's sanding activity. They do not require special maintenance and are economically feasible.

A Noise Hazard Evaluation of a Furniture Manufacturing Operation

A noise hazard evaluation was conducted at a wood furniture manufacturing company in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canadas' most western province. The firm studied was an 8 room plant with a 13 stage manufacturing process. Noise level measurements indicated that the existing 90 dBA (TWA) standard set by the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia, was exceeded in 3 main work areas: (1) the wood storage room, (2) the cutting room, and (3) the shaping/lathe room. Audiogram results, for 13 of the 23 workers studied, showed that 10 (77%) had some degree of hearing impairment, and 3 (23%) had normal hearing. Of workers in the former group, 7 (54%) had early warning hearing impairment and 3 (23%) had abnormal hearing loss. A systems analysis of noise sources was carried out to develop noise control techniques at the noise source, path, and receiver.