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Innovative New Machinery at PACK EXPO: Inspection and Detection

PMG editors fanned out across PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2023 in search of packaging innovation. Here's what they found in Inspection and Detection.

Teledyne TapTone
Teledyne TapTone

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.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Trends for Food at PACK EXPO Southeast
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LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Trends for Food at PACK EXPO Southeast