PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2018

INSPECTION 32 PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 07+08/18 www.petpla.net Inline and offline use with the new PreWatcher 4 The next step in preform inspection No blind spots in the quality control-up to 100,000 tested preforms per hour and orderly outlet for further processing. These are some of the highlights of PreWatcher 4, the new preform inspection system from Intravis GmbH presented at the NPE show 2018. With the new adjustment concept, which eliminates the need for any change parts, it is now possible to set the PreWatcher 4 to a new type within a few minutes, and therefore not lose valuable time by long conversion. Speaking of time savings: One can also achieve this with a test perfor- mance of up to 100,000 preforms per hour. “Currently, the PreWatcher 4 is the fastest, turnkey inspection system for preforms on the market,” reports Klaus Schönhoff proudly. With all these features, the PreWatcher 4 is an optimal solution for offline use, states Intravis. Inline use also possible While the PreWatcher 4 was designed with the idea of offline use in mind, it can also be used inline, i.e. in front of a SBM machine. Again, this system has some innovations to offer. The most important novelty in this context: an outlet rail, which, for the first, allows an orderly and direct further processing of the preforms after the test. So what is offered in addition to a hardware saving is that downstream handling accessories are no longer necessary. This benefit also offers time saving possibilities since the preforms no longer need to be stored and transported. The PreWatcher 4 can also be inte- grated very flexibly. Intravis offers the system as standard with a correspond- ing feeder. However, the company emphasises that their system can also be used with any other preform feeder on the market. Customers therefore have the freedom to choose whether “If one of the world’s largest bever- age bottlers comes to you and says he’d like to have a new preform inspec- tion system, then you’ll just ask when it’s needed,” Gerd Fuhrmann, CEO of Intravis GmbH, says, as he describes the first steps taken towards the Pre- Watcher 4. The Aachen, Germany- based provider of vision inspection systems, which is one of the world market leaders with its systems for quality control of plastic packaging, caused quite a stir at this year’s NPE. Many innovations and, above all, the focus on delivering added value to the customer, have also been very popular. No blind spots What makes PreWatcher 4 differ- ent from other systems on the market Mr Klaus Schönhoff, CTO of Intravis explains it this way: “First of all, we have no blind spots in the test. We have always kept it this way. We think that a 100% inspection has to mean that you are really testing the complete preform.This,” says Schönhoff, “can be achieved by resorting to innovative possibilities during the transport. The 17 cameras in total, of which 13 check in colour, therefore consistently have an optimal view of the preform.” “The increasing use of opaque preforms worldwide, for example for milk bottles, has also been taken into account,” said Schönhoff. Thanks to a switchable illumination one can switch between white and infrared light – the PreWatcher 4 is able to test trans- parent, strongly coloured and also opaque preforms. This makes it the first inspection system that can control opaque preforms inline. Benefits of offline usage Furthermore, the setting concept has changed and thereby a short changeover time is achieved. Dr Gerd Fuhrmann reports from practical expe- rience “In offline mode, an inspection system is often used to sort stock. It can happen that you drive several dif- ferent types of preforms within a day.” INSPECTION S P E C I A L