PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2017

INSPECTION 18 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 03/17 www.petpla.net Inspection for advanced packaging designs No replication - no limitation by Spencer Whale, Technical Sales Manager – Plastic Packaging Torus Measurement Systems, Telford, UK The plastic packaging industry continues to push the boundaries of technology and inno- vation. Pressure on plastic converters to produce more environmentally friendly & low cost solutions has resulted in advanced packaging designs. This in turn has increased the need for more stringent quality controls with a focus on traceability right the way through the process. Leaders in the industry are realising the value of data recording to identify and resolve the source of quality issues. The industry is demanding a flex- ible and collaborative approach to meet their inspection requirements. It is imperative that the solutions are bolstered with reliable and efficient after sales support. Adopting this mind-set is imperative to meeting cus- tomers’ demands in an ever-changing industry. Two approaches to product development By researching the plastics market and listening to customers, it was evident to Torus certain areas of bottle and preform inspection had become stagnated. With the need for a fresh approach being apparent, Torus adopted a customer-centric philoso- phy, endeavouring to introduce new inspection systems and technologies to solve specific customer problems. Focusing on customer relationships, Torus aim to become a trusted partner rather than simply offering transac- tional exchange of equipment, creat- ing a collaborative environment bene- fiting both Torus and their customer partners. Traceable and discernible metrology The importance of true metrology to the plastics industry is a growing trend. Existing controls have relied on process monitoring which is not an absolute procedure with traceable measurement. Process monitoring evaluates part to part variation, focus- ing only on the difference between one result and the next as opposed to determining the true value. Due to stable production requirements, the PET packaging industry originally implemented inspection systems based on process monitoring rather than metrology. With a strong emphasis now for true metrology, many plastic bottle manufacturers and fillers have com- missioned Torus to help solve their inspection problems. Stringent test- ing and validation procedures are put in place to ensure that the stated repeatability, accuracy and R&R values are met with a technical speci- fication which is shared with every customer. Torus’ experience of integrating various sensing technologies, contact and non-contact enables them to offer a complete quality control solution. Fig.1: Torus B300 bottle wall thickness INSPECTION S P E C I A L