Why Terahertz Technology is Unique for Wood Product Industry?
A number of various applications like X-ray density scanning, infrared moisture sensors, visible light profilers and microwave kiln drying, employ different parts of electromagnetic spectrum to provide imaging in wood processing industry.
Terahertz part of the spectrum was not in the list until now and not because the THz are not useful to the wood industry, but due to the absence of technology in this frequency range. Every new step in the development of the terahertz technology opens the doors to many applications in number industries including wood processing.
Why it is so interesting particularly for the wood industry? Transparency, resolution, safety and ability to probe gross fibre structure, all these 4 characteristics make the terahertz unique for the industry, as terahertz is the only part of the spectrum that can access all four characteristics.
Comparing to X-ray, THz technology is essentially less invasive. Terahertz radiation has no ionising effect, thus absolutely harmless to people and other living beings therefore allows usage in all public places without strict regulations obligatory for X-ray do when implemented in working environment.
In addition to this, the polarisation state of THz radiation is sensitive to fibrous structures which offers more information about the system being probed than can be obtained with X-rays.
Therefore, the THz technology offers the possibility for transmission imaging that can simultaneously probe internal structure of non-conductive dry material with sub-mm spacial resolution.
To summarise, the ability to image non-conductive dry materials in 'transmission' mode with sub-mm spatial resolution and sensitivity to fibre structure makes terahertz technology ideally suited for applications in the wood processing industry.
For non-destructive test of wood products, TeraSense offers a unique Terahertz High Speed Line Scanner which fits most of conveyors with belt running speed up to 15 m/s. Due to our original patent-protected technology the scanner is a low-cost and compact solution.
