When a pallet plant catches fire, the fuel load is everywhere
A friction event at a saw or bearing can reach stored product in minutes. Once pallet stacks ignite, suppression systems are quickly overwhelmed.
200+ firefighters
responded to a single pallet facility fire — Oak Creek, WI, 2023
Where friction meets the largest fuel load in the building
In pallet manufacturing, the fuel load is never far from the heat source. The goal is to catch abnormal heat before it reaches stored product or suspended dust.
Saw and cutterhead friction
High-speed saws generate heat by design. Avian flags rising temperatures at blades and cutterheads before friction ignites surrounding dust or wood debris.
Bearing and drive failures
Bearings on conveyors, stackers, and production equipment run hot before they seize. Catching the trend early keeps the repair routine and the line running.
Combustible wood dust
Dust collectors, ductwork, and processing areas accumulate fine wood particles. A heat source in the wrong place can turn settled dust into a fire or explosion.
Pallet storage areas
Thousands of stacked pallets represent a concentrated fire load. Thermal monitoring adds an early warning layer around storage zones where a small ignition source can become catastrophic.
Where friction meets the largest fuel load in the building
In pallet manufacturing, the fuel load is never far from the heat source. The goal is to catch abnormal heat before it reaches stored product or suspended dust.
Saw and cutterhead friction
High-speed saws generate heat by design. Avian flags rising temperatures at blades and cutterheads before friction ignites surrounding dust or wood debris.
Bearing and drive failures
Bearings on conveyors, stackers, and production equipment run hot before they seize. Catching the trend early keeps the repair routine and the line running.
Combustible wood dust
Dust collectors, ductwork, and processing areas accumulate fine wood particles. A heat source in the wrong place can turn settled dust into a fire or explosion.
Pallet storage areas
Thousands of stacked pallets represent a concentrated fire load. Thermal monitoring adds an early warning layer around storage zones where a small ignition source can become catastrophic.
From the field
Recent case studies
New to the Planer Mill? Four Mistakes That Will Break You Down
Every new planerman makes the same mistakes. The machine doesn't care how eager you are or how badly your supervisor needs board feet. It will punish bad habits the same way every time: loud, expensive, and in the mid...
Schilliger Holz Starts Up Lignatherm: A Milestone for Swiss Wood
When we first spoke with Schilliger Holz AG, they were already thinking about fire risk differently than most wood processors.
The Top 5 Sawmill Equipment Failures and How to Get Ahead of Them
We've watched a lot of sawmills go down. Not all at once. Usually one piece of equipment at a time, in ways that were entirely predictable.
Our Pallet Manufacturing Package
One system across your saws, conveyors, and storage areas.
Built for pallet plants that need earlier warning on friction, bearing heat, and dust ignition — before a small event reaches stored product.
Coverage
Watch saws, conveyors, bearings, and the storage zones around them
Thermal cameras are positioned around saw lines, conveyors, drive sections, and pallet storage areas — focused on the assets where heat can reach fuel fastest.
Detection
Catch friction and heat buildup before it reaches stored product
Avian tracks thermal patterns in real time across your production equipment so a hot blade, trending bearing, or dust system anomaly is caught before it becomes visible damage or ignition.
Response
Get alerts your operators can act on during production and after hours
Your team gets setup support, alerting, and ongoing tuning so critical heat events reach the right person fast — whether the plant is fully staffed or running overnight.