NaviVision System

How NaviVision Works

NaviVision turns a standard rip line into a scanning, defect-detecting, value-optimizing operation. Here’s the sequence:

1. Scan. As each board passes the infeed, multiple color cameras capture its full surface — reading width, length, crook, and the location and size of defects. Single-face scanning is standard; scanning both faces and wane detection are available options.
2. Detect. The vision software identifies surface defects — including knots and other flaws as small as 1/4″ — and maps exactly where they fall on the board.
3. Optimize. NaviVision calculates the cutting solution that yields the most value from that board against your part values and cut list — optimizing on rip width alone, or on rip width and cross-cut requirements together.
4. Report. Every board feeds a detailed production record — part production, yield, board quality, vendor performance, and shift productivity.

The result is a board scanning system that doesn’t just measure size — it sees defects and makes a value-based cutting decision on every board, at line speed.

What NaviVision Detects

As a wood defect detection system, NaviVision’s color cameras read both the shape and the surface of every board:

• Width & length — the usable dimensions of each board.
• Crook — edge curvature that affects how a board should be ripped for best yield.
• Surface defects — knots and other visual defects as small as 1/4″, with their exact location and size.
• Wane (optional) — bark or missing edge material along the board.
• Two-face scanning (optional) — read defects on both faces for higher-accuracy solutions.

By locating every defect before the cut, NaviVision recovers clear, usable material that a geometry-only system would miss — and lets you cut around defects to hit grade and part-value targets.

Applications

NaviVision fits operations where surface quality and part value — not just width — drive the cutting decision:

• Value-based rip optimization — cut each board for the highest-value mix of parts, not simply the most square inches.
• Cross-cut / defecting optimization — remove defects and optimize length as well as width.
• Grade and clear-cutting recovery — pull clear, defect-free material for higher-grade parts.
• Salvage & reclaim — recover usable material from lower-grade or short stock.
• Line upgrades — add camera scanning and defect detection to an existing rip infeed without replacing it.

Whether you’re building a new line or upgrading an existing one, NaviVision is the camera scanning system that raises both yield and part quality.

Industries Served

NaviVision supports high-production solid-wood operations across:

• Rough Mill — clear-cut and value-based recovery from rough lumber.
• Cabinetry — defect-free stile, rail, and face-frame stock.
• Furniture — high-grade dimension components.
• Flooring — clear strip recovery from solid hardwood.
• Mouldings — defect-managed blanks for profile lines.
• Doors & Windows — quality component stock for frame and panel production.
• Custom Millwork — flexible, value-driven cutting for varied stock.

Emerging applications: As mass timber and pre-fabricated / modular home components move into higher-volume production, camera scanning and defect detection help hold quality while maximizing yield.

Works With Your Existing Rip Line

NaviVision is designed as an upgrade, not just a new machine. It integrates with most existing Mereen-Johnson Scout, Group 7 DYSYS, and Barr-Mullin rip infeed systems — so you can turn a rip saw you already own into a camera scanning rip saw with full defect detection and value optimization. That protects your existing investment while adding the yield and quality gains of vision scanning.

Improved Efficiencies and Increased Profits through Technology

NaviVision utilizes multiple color cameras fro single face board scanning, providing rip solutions based on either rip width only, or rip width and cross-cut requirements.

Cameras scan for each board’s width, length, location / size of defects, and crook.

NaviVision is also the perfect scanning and system upgrade to integrate with most existing Mereen-Johnson Scout, Group 7 DYSYS, and Barr-Mullin rip infeed systems.

Get detailed reporting on part production, yield, board quality, vendors, shift productivity and more!

Optimize your business today! For more information call to speak with a sales representative.
Let us help you get the right solution for your production needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NaviVision System?

NaviVision is a color-camera lumber scanning system for rip lines. It scans every board for size and surface defects, then calculates the highest-value cutting solution — improving both rip and cross-cut yield recovery.

What does NaviVision detect?

Its color cameras read each board’s width, length, and crook, and locate surface defects such as knots as small as 1/4″. Wane detection and two-face scanning are available options.

How is camera scanning different from geometric (width-only) scanning?

Geometry-only scanning measures a board’s shape — width, taper, crook — to optimize rip width. A camera scanning system also reads the board’s surface, so it can detect and cut around defects, optimizing for part value and quality rather than square inches alone.

Can I add NaviVision to my existing rip saw?

Yes. NaviVision is designed as an upgrade and integrates with most existing Mereen-Johnson Scout, Group 7 DYSYS, and Barr-Mullin rip infeed systems — turning a rip saw you already own into a camera scanning rip saw.

Does NaviVision optimize cross-cut as well as rip?

Yes. It can optimize on rip width alone, or on rip width and cross-cut requirements together — removing defects and optimizing length as well as width.

What is a wood defect detection system, and why does it matter?

It’s a vision system that automatically finds defects such as knots and wane on each board so the saw can cut around them. That recovers clear, higher-value material and reduces the manual grading and rework that slow a line down.

What reporting does NaviVision provide?

Detailed production reporting on part production, yield, board quality, vendor performance, and shift productivity — available at the machine or remotely.

Is NaviVision made in the USA?

Yes. Mereen-Johnson designs and builds its systems in the United States, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with U.S.-based parts and service.