PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2016

INSPECTION 22 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 03/16 www.petpla.net The Innocheck PPI (PET preform inspection) KHS InnoPET Blomax machines with in-house developed preform inspector Better checking I NSPECT I ON S P E C I A L The German supplier of filling and packaging systems has been equip- ping its KHS InnoPET Blomax stretch blow moulders in series III and IV with inspection devices for many years. This equipment detects errors and damage to preforms and containers. Around 40% of all stretch blow mould- ers are now fitted with an inspection system. With immediate effect KHS is now integrating its own Innocheck PPI preform inspection unit developed in- house into its plant engineering. This supplements the Innocheck portfolio which also includes the Innocheck PCI PET container inspector. Typical faults detected by a preform inspector can be foreign objects in the preform or the slightest damage to the preform’s sealing surface which could cause leaks and products to spoil at a later date. If the preform which enters the stretch blow moulder is faulty, this can thus be clearly detected. The Innocheck PPI preform inspector is directly integrated into the stretch blow moulder’s preform separator where it first assesses the quality of the sealing surface. A second end cap imaging camera then reliably detects any distortion or contamination of transparent and practically opaque PET preforms. Even the smallest deviations in colour are detected and the preform length determined with an accuracy of ±1mm. Special image processing soft- ware evaluates any possible errors in real time, enabling up to 81,000 pre- forms to be inspected per hour. Faulty preforms are reliably rejected prior to stretch blow moulding. This saves on compressed air and increases both line availability and consumer safety as only preforms of perfect quality are blown to form bottles. The number of rejected blown bottles is reduced. Thanks to their modular design, all KHS inspection systems integrated into Blomax models or retrofitted into existing Series IV machines are also centrally and conveniently operated through just one control unit. www.khs.com Under the name of Innocheck PPI (PET Preform Inspection) KHS is offering a multistage preform inspection program which it has developed in-house. This is intended to recognise faulty preforms, to find foreign objects in preforms and to detect even minor damage. The Innocheck PPI is therefore said to assist operators with their quality assurance and to help to ensure a trouble- free, efficient stretch blow moulding process with a detection rate of almost 100%. Preform sealing surface