Westmill Industries Veneer Dryer Machinery Parts and Service



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Weldwood, Quesnel ‘Q-Ply Division’ Installs Their First Westmill 2-Zone Dryer Conversion
Weldwood of Canada recently started up their first Westmill Veneer dryer after a successful complete remodel and conversion. This 5-deck, 21 hot-section, 3 cooling-section dryer was rebuilt from an old Moore, Single Zone veneer dryer. By keeping the dryers existing conveyor components (rolls, sprockets, hangers, chain and roll-support structure) as Westmill commonly does for a rebuild, Weldwood was able to keep cost low while ending up with a “better-than-new” veneer dryer. Westmill supplied doors, frames, insulated dryer floor, manifolds, fans & motors, and controls per their usual supply. Making this dryer stand out uniquely was that Westmill supplied a 2-section extension on the green-end, complete with new rolls, sprockets, castings, and bearings. In addition, working with Weldwood’s Head Engineer Fred Wilke and Steam Engineer Ben Van Rhyn, Westmill replaced all existing steam heat piping with (2) large Superheater coil banks. Taking an idea from Westmill’s Sequential Dryer Unloader, which Weldwood also owns, Westmill supplied a new drive system for the main dryer chains including a separate motor/reducer/VFD for each deck. This simple yet rugged design is the cleanest dryer chain-drive in the industry, eliminating the clutter of gears, jackshafts and connecting chain, while allowing Weldwood the flexibility to shut-off 1 dryer deck and run the other 4 in the event of a problem on a given deck. This drive system allows the mill to salvage an entire dryer load of veneer in the event of a plug-up by clearing 4 decks before addressing the plugged dryer deck. Weldwood/Q-Ply also own and operate two of Westmill’s “Quick-Vak” Vacuum Feeders, two dryer infeed rollcase’s, a Dryer Sequential Unloader, a Tipple conversion from Cam to Hydraulic and over 80 sets of Westmill’s Patented Articulating Door Hardware.