| SENSOR USED
IN BOTTLING INSPECTION STATIONS
The automation solutions deployed in
the Ottakringer Brauerei AG, Vienna, are now able to guarantee that
beer crates and boxes of canned beverages contain the correct amount
of product. Image-based sensors are increasingly taking over the tasks
previously performed by standard sensor technology. In this brewery,
intelligent sensor technology improved production lines and sales and
also proved to be an important factor for the company's activities in
the competitive contract bottling market.
The main priority of the brewery's maintenance department is the inspection
of beer crates and boxes of cans to ensure they contain the correct
amount. Ottakringer contacted the image processing department of Cognex
partner Schmachtl GmbH to establish the brewery's production automation
needs and priorities. These tasks are now successfully performed by
'Checker 101', the vision sensor solution from Cognex. The ease of installation
and operation as well as the simple programming of the system using
a laptop computer allowed the brewery to start automatically inspecting
the boxes of beverage cans. The procedure involves passing each box
along a running conveyor belt equipped with the Checker sensor to determine
whether it contains 24 correctly inserted cans before the box is shrink-wrapped.
The results of the check are transferred directly to the production
control system. Production flow is improved and batch production statistics
are easily obtained.
Their positive experiences with the checking system for boxes of cans
encouraged the maintenance department to introduce the solution to further
applications. The next step was to introduce a completeness check on
the beer crates. This inspection method needed to be replaced with a
more modern, more flexible and more reliable checking technology. Checker's
simple, space-saving design meant that no fundamental changes to the
conveyor line were required. Checker inspects the beer crates on the
running conveyor belt to check they have the correct amount. Checker
can also differentiate whether the bottles have light or dark tops thus
performing an extra quality inspection on the bottling line. The intelligent
sensor automatically adjusts to the respective product determining whether
an 18, 20 or 24 bottle crate is on the line. The operating staff do
not have to modify the checking station when changing the job type.
The checking station now operates on a two to three-shift basis and
reliably inspects beer crates at a rate of approximately one per second.
Integration of Checker into the control technology of the production
system was easy due to the standardized interface. Checker also causes
the production belt to stop automatically if a fault is registered.
The operating staff are able to program new jobs quickly and easily
at any time using a laptop. With the new "Train and Go" capability,
new characteristics can be programmed into a sensor even without a PC.
When the job type on the production line is changed, the Checker can
automatically switch over to as many as 16 different sensor configurations
in real time. As a result, this checking station still possesses significant
flexibility potential in terms of product range and characteristic selection.
Cognex Corporation
|
