PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2019

INSPECTION 32 PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 07+08/19 www.petpla.net The in-line quality lab CapWatcher Q-Line Killing two birds with one stone The CapWatcher Q-Line was recenly rated as one of the top ten innovations at Plastimagen in Mexico City. The high inspection speed of up to 70 closures per second was impressive and convincing. The CapWatcher Q-Line, referred to by Intravis as the in-line quality lab, checks for typical features such as diameter, ovality or contamination. For the first time, an in-line inspection system records the temperature of the closures. Why? “With the help of temperature we can kill two birds with one stone,” says Dr Gerd Fuhrmann, CEO of Intravis. “Firstly, we can help the operator make an accurate pre- diction of the shrinkage behaviour of his closures. The operator can then determine if the promised sizes are precisely met or if something should be switched around the system to be on the safe side.“ He continues: “On the other hand, the temperature measurement allows our system to detect how long ago the production time of the closure approxi- mately goes back. For statistical evaluations and trend determinations, which are nowadays regularly used to optimise the production line, it would be fatal if an older closure that “hid” in the bunker for some time would have the same influence on selected trend statistics as a newly produced closure under new settings. By determining the temperature, we can weigh the influence of the individual closure accordingly.” Industry 4.0 For many years, the company has been committed to offering more than just sorting out bad parts. Extensive data is collected from each individual object produced. If they are prepared in statistics and condensed into trends, this provides a unique insight into the production processes. And that’s exactly what Intravis systems have been doing for a long period of time, states Dr Fuhrmann: “Back in 1996, I came up with the idea that the quality of previous batches needed to be able to influence and optimise the quality of future batches. Unfor- tunately, at that time the technology was simply not ready to return the data to the producing machine in a timely manner”. Today, with the com- puting technology available, it is easy to collect all the impor- tant information and prepare it in a timely manner. This makes it easy for an operator to make better deci- sions when setting up the production line. A first example of the practical applica- tion of this idea was shown in 2017 at the Drinktec together with Netstal. The two global play- ers jointly presented a closed loop solution. Netstal’s injection moulding machine regulated the operation, fully automatically, based on the feedback provided by an Intravis CapWatcher. Targeted deviations from the desired standard were detected immediately and the injection moulding machine responded immediately with appropri- ate countermeasures. Within min- utes, the closure was back within the desired tolerance ranges. Cooperation with Henkel Intravis provides another example of the possible influence of trends and statistics provided by its inspection systems in cooperation with Henkel AG. Recently, they were part of a comprehensive information campaign on the digitisation strategy for the supply chain of the Düsseldorf-based company. An important element in this: the inspection systems which have been in use in Henkel’s pro- duction lines worldwide for over 15 years now. The spectrum ranges from bottle to label to closure inspection systems. Dr Dirk Holbach, Manag- ing Director, Global Supply Chain, says: “The Intravis systems take a picture of each bottle and its label. For example, they check whether the right label is on the bottle, whether it is in the right position or whether there are wrinkles in the label.“ The data of the inspection systems are decisive in the optimisation of the production line. “In addition to inspecting, the systems help us to set machine parameters correctly to get the perfect result,” Dr Holbach continues. The team behind it And who is behind all these inno- vative ideas? Dr Gerd Fuhrmann, who was named one of the Leading Lights in the PET world in the last issue of PETplanet 6/2019. He says, “I could never handle it all alone. Surely I give one or the other thought-provoking idea, but without my staff none of this would be feasible. More than 50 engineers as well as skilled employ- ees and trained technicians work here in Aachen. Each one of them contrib- utes to the innovative power of this company.“ www.intravis.de INSPECTION