Industrial Drying & Sterilization - Pallet Treating Procedures

The Pallet Treating Processes
Prior to the drying process:
1. Selected lumber is expertly milled according to the customer's specifications. No bandsawn lumber will be used. 2. The lumber is timely sent to the automated nailers for assembly. 3. The pallets are stacked on special built slips to keep all rocks, mud and moisture off the pallets. 4. The pallets or hardwood lumber products are stored in the "untreated product area" of warehouse #1 or loaded directly into the SII dry kiln where they are dried to the HT/KDHT requirements. 5. Before pallets or non-manufactured wood packaging materials are placed in the kiln, they are checked to ensure the product is constructed of non-coniferous wood.
Kiln Drying Process
1. Assembled pallets are loaded in all aluminum/stainless kiln chambers. Kilns are high temperature and reversing fans capable. 2. Additional heat is then added for a sustained period killing all major wood destroying fungi, stain, mold and decay. 3. High temperatures are maintained killing lyctus powder - post beetles, including their eggs and other insects. 4. Relative humidity is slowly decreased during the last stage allowing the surface of the wooden pallet to dry. 5. Sequentially reversing fans are used to dry the entire charge to a more consistent moisture content. Heat and humidity schedules are monitored, verified, and documented by dry bulb and wet bulb thermometers and recorded on calibrated recorder controllers. Lumber products marked KDHT must have kiln charts verifying moisture content is not more than 19 percent. 6. All pallets are inspected for mud, rocks, bird droppings and other contaminants before loading the pallets in vans. 7. The pallets are stored in enclosed vans for immediate shipment to the customer.
Heat Treating Process
1. Pallets are loaded in the chamber. 2. Temperature and moisture readings are recorded and verified. 3. The steam boiler is set to bring chamber up to 150 degrees and is maintained per USDA schedules. 4. Humidity and temperature are then lowered, removing all surface moisture. 5. Pallets are unloaded from the chamber and stored in enclosed vans for shipment. 6. Recorder controllers track the complete process by documenting the time, temperature and humidity per load. Lumber products marked HT must have kiln charts verifying they have been heated to 56 degrees Centrigrade for 30 minutes.
After the drying process:
1. When the products are unloaded from the kiln, they are stamped with the appropriate stamp. 2. The products are then loaded into empty trailers at our dock or warehoused in the "heat treated stamped products area" of warehouse #1 and shipped as the customer requires. 3. At no time is the product allowed to co-mingle with nonconforming products or materials. During all phases of manufacturing, care is taken to prevent contact with undesirable elements including moisture, bird droppings, mud, etc. All processes are performed in house on site to provide customers a single source for high quality pallets economically priced.