Innovative New Machinery at PACK EXPO: Inspection and Detection

Inspection and Detection weren't the only areas of interest at PACK EXPO. Click the links that follow to read more about innovations in:  Cartoning  |  Case and Tray Packing  |  Coding and Marking  |  Conveyors and Material Handling  |  Labeling  |  Form/Fill/Seal  |  Food Processing & Packaging  |  Sustainable Packaging   |  Robotics   |  Pharma  |  Controls

100% inspection system is a ‘game changer’

Leak and fill-level inspection of (increasingly aluminum layer-free) liquid-filled, brick-style paperboard carton containers from the likes of Tetra Pak and SIG hasn't been a reality without damaging the containers—until now. The Teledyne TapTone ECLIPSE inspection solution 18 was designed to perform leak inspection of steam flushed and hot-filled liquid paperboard cartons such as the SIG Combibloc- and TETRA BRIK-style cartons. This new technology from TapTone allows cartons to be inspected at full production speeds for possible leaks occurring in the seal area, cap closures, or internal membranes that might otherwise not be detected. The inspection system with cantilever design is a non-contact solution and capable of 100% inspection in-line at full production speeds.

According to the company, the device will alter the process of leak inspection for producers using paperboard cartons. The current leak testing process involves sampling a percentage of production with a labor intensive and slow method using dye testing. ECLIPSE will change how leak testing is conducted.

“This will be a game changer,” said Teledyne TapTone product line manager Mark Bussard. With ECLISPE, it will find the leakers immediately and will reject them off the line as compared to today where thousands of containers may have already left production. The savings are substantial in both wasted product and labor time. In addition, there is the peace of mind knowing that 100% of production has been inspected, greatly reducing the risk of spoiled product reaching the consumer.

The ECLIPSE design takes up minimal line space. With the cantilever design the inspection head can be positioned over the output conveyor from the capper/sealer and upstream from any labeling or packing area. The controller is separately mounted on its own stand allowing for convenient positioning and easy operator access.

On top of 100% non-contact inspection and speeds exceeding 800 cartons/min, benefits include a large, PC touch screen HMI operating on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise OS, Industry 4.0 compatibility, remote support-readiness, diagnostic analytics compatibility, stainless steel construction, and a NEMA 4X water washdown rating for the user interface enclosure and control enclosure.

Added the company, ECLIPSE is an acronym for shortening of: Essential Carton Leak Inspection at Production Speed Efficiency. Watch a video of the Teledyne TapTone ECLIPSE in action.

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, Wipotec debuted an X-ray technology designed specifically for food and beverage applications with filled and sealed glass containers. In addition to detecting micro-leaks as small as 0.1 mm, the SC-S 5020 X-ray Scanner can provide foreign body detection, fill level check, and confirmation of proper screw cap or lid closure.

With previous X-ray systems geared toward a range of food packaging or bulk materials, this is Wipotec's first focused on glass jars, according to Kelvin Binns, sales director for Wipotec’s CPG group. “We’re using various different spectrums to look through glass jars,” he says. “Any product—like pickles, peanut butter, olives, any product that’s in some kind of clear jar—we have the ability to look through and decipher contaminants.”

The system provides full inspection of upright containers in various heights and angles, enabling optimum product handling—even for tall or slender containers—at throughput rates up to 60,000 products per hour. Easily integrated into existing filling lines without the need for opening an additional transport route, the SC-S 5020 features ejectors capable of sorting faulty products into lockable rejection bins, or conveying them upright into a sort lane.

Its modularity also enables the X-ray machine to grow with you, Binns notes. “If the line continues to change over time, because our equipment is 85% vertically integrated, we have the ability to change and modify the equipment if you need add-ons in the future.”

Like all Wipotec X-ray scanners, the machine comes with a user-friendly operator interface highlighted by a 15-in. color touchscreen that displays real-time inspection statistics.

Inspecting big bags

Recently introduced by Fortress Technology and featured at PACK EXPO Las Vegas was the big bag combination system. It’s an inline combination of a BBK metal detector and a Raptor XL checkweigher. Large bags of dry product like dog food is what this combo is designed for, says regional manager Jake Murray. Bags passing through the two detection systems are discharged onto an innovative discharge conveyor that sends bags with incorrect weights off to one side and bags having metal off to the opposite side.

“It’s very easy to implement into any operation that does these large bags weighing 50 to 100 lb.,” says Murray.

Watch a PACK EXPO video of the system operating.

Mettler ToledoFalling within the trend toward ease of use, Mettler Toledo showcased its X2 series of X-ray inspection systems—the X12 and X32—that can not only detect hard-to-find physical contaminants such as glass, stone, and bone, but can also provide easy access for cleaning and maintenance.

A notable design aspect of the X2 series is its accessibility. The system is designed with independent panels that, when opened, provide complete front access. “This gives us great space to reach in there, remove any product that may have fallen over or in fact clean the system itself, whether that be a wipe-down or a harsh wash-down that you may perform as part of your cleaning regime,” Pipe says.

Maintenance, too, has been made simple for users. The X2’s curtains can be swiftly removed from their rails. As demonstrated at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, the process of changing these curtains—often a time-consuming task—has been streamlined to just seconds, significantly reducing maintenance downtimes.

“Of course, our main objective is to keep food producers running—to reduce planned downtime and avoid unplanned downtime,” Pipe comments, noting that much of the new product design is geared toward improving those efficiencies.

With safety of utmost importance for X-ray systems, the curtain rails come with an interlock system, ensuring the machine will not operate unless the interlock is correctly engaged. Additionally, if a curtain rail is incorrectly placed, the machine remains non-operational, helping to protect operators.

The X2’s conveyor belt system is designed for effortless tension adjustment. During the presentation, the ease with which the belt could be removed and reinstalled was evident. “If you’re looking to potentially replace the conveyor belt itself over time, as you can see here, we have quickly removed the belt within seconds and can quite easily put it back just as quickly,” Pipe notes.

Beyond the machine’s core functionalities, Mettler Toledo has introduced a new bin design aimed at enhancing product rejection management. This design offers increased visibility of rejected products. Typically equipped with a bin-full sensor, this bin also provides a visual indicator, helping operators anticipate when the bin might reach its capacity, potentially preventing unnecessary production halts.

The bin’s design is versatile. If a facility already uses specific bins or totes, they can still be used with the X2. Radiation safety has been taken into account, ensuring that all emissions remain contained within the X-ray system’s hood. For those seeking added convenience, the bin can be accessorized, allowing for options with or without casters.

Within the X2 series, the X12 and X32 are mechanically the same in terms of the features described above. “But in terms of performance, there is a differentiation from simple applications to advanced applications,” Pipe says. “The X12 is targeting simpler applications whereas the X32 is targeting advanced applications.”

Watch a video of the new X2 series X-ray inspection system in action.

Scanware Electronic GmbH’s new vision inspection system is designed for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food industry applications. The system has a customized mounting setup that can be placed above vibratory rails or tracks and be trained to recognize good product visual cues from the recipes created and added to the system’s repertoire.

When an erroneous product passes under the inspection system, it transfers signals to reject the product automatically. This helps avoid cross contamination and remove product that is the wrong size and color, or product that is damaged.

“When we're talking about capsules, for example, with one system we can inspect up to 6000 products a minute, maybe a bit more. So that will be 360,000 an hour,” says Roland Berger, head of software at Scanware Electronic GmbH.

As Scanware provides both software and hardware development, the vision system’s customizable mounting can be applied to retrofit and new machines, to meet the needs of a wider range of clients. The vision inspection system can be connected to a third-party mechanical system to reject the erroneous product, all without the need for an operator’s intervention.

PTIPTI’s new Seal-Sensor PQX 20 is a fully automated handling and pouch-seal inspection system that features a built-in conveyor that can be integrated into a production line. The system uses PTI’s Seal-Sensor airborne ultrasound technology to automatically scan the final pouch seal online at high speed.

According to PTI, in order to use ultrasonic inspection effectively, the seal must be placed in a direct line between a pair of transducers, and the transducers moved along the seal. The ultrasound is transmitted and reflected at the transition from one media to the next. The greater the acoustic difference between mediums, the more sound is reflected and the less sound transmitted through. The variation of the material thickness has only a minor effect, the company explains.

Any material fold, foreign media inclusion, and even a microscopic air gap between layers of pouch material causes a significant reflection, so the transmitted signal is lower. A small cut, abrasion, or missing layer in a material causes less reflection, so the transmitted signal is higher. Therefore, the level of a signal received after passing through the seal is a function of the seal quality. In this way, various types of defects, visible and invisible, leaking and non-leaking, process-related and random, are detectable.

PTI’s Seal-Sensor airborne ultrasound technology is an ASTM Test Method F3004 and a recognized FDA consensus standard for seal quality inspection.

Detailing the features of the Seal-Sensor PQX, Noba Ebaid, global manager for Automation & Strategic Partners for PTI, says, “This easy-to-install system features a small footprint, with full-screen HMI to display test result data as pouches are scanned. Inspection rates range up to 350 mm/sec. A rapid linear scan of the pouch seal provides immediate seal check/verification of seal quality in-line at high outputs. Test result data is produced in seconds. A built-in reject chute quickly removes defects from the line, and a built-in stack light provides easy identification of pass/fail results.”

The sensor is also said to be easy to integrate into production lines, is adjustable for different size pouches, and offers the option of manual load or robotic pick-and-place. Says Ebaid, “For the food, nutrition, and medical device industries, this is the ideal automated solution for 100% seal quality assurance.”