PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

INSPECTION 13 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net footprints of inline and offline 100% inspection systems. One of the latest monitoring sys- tems on the market is the PreMon. Due to its new transport technology it inspects up to 70% of preform produc- tion, and costs only one fifth the price of a 100% inspection system. There- fore, it offers the optimal compromise by having a fast ROI, small space requirements and still delivers the security of high product quality. PreMon special features include an optional ejector that sorts out defective preforms. It offers grading statistics in which the system col- lects and visualises real-time data, as well as, the most important informa- tion of the last 24 hours and assigns the information to the corresponding packaging units (octabins). By indicat- ing the error rate, the corresponding error images and the corresponding evaluation statistics; the PreMon pro- vides a stable foundation for making the right decision on whether or not an octabin meets quality requirements with certainty. With this information, the producer can reliably decide how to proceed with an octabin: recycle the entire packaging unit, send the octabin into storage and re-sort it with offline inspection, or release it for sale or for further processing. Offline re-sorting systems When an octabin lands in the blocking warehouse, the hour strikes for an offline inspection system. On one hand, these systems are charac- terised by higher inspection speeds and on another hand they are so flexible that they can be converted from one preform design to another very quickly. Compared to 100% inline inspection systems, offline inspection systems often offer a similar scope of inspection capabilities. Laboratory systems support analysis and reporting For comprehensive quality audits, preform producers require extensive reporting on the quality of the pre- forms that are made. If a company wants to offer its customers the high- est possible level of detail in this area, it will use a laboratory system such as the Sample-PreWatcher. It is common practice to sort out the first and the last complete shot of a shift and to subject it to a precise inspection in the laboratory. The Sample-PreWatcher with its circa 30 inspection criteria replaces the laboratory. It offers an additional weight check, and a higher precision during inspection compared to an inline or offline vision system. Other capabilities include a polarisa- tion test with which stress points in the preform can be detected. As far as speed is concerned, it must be considered in a differentiated way. Compared to an inline, offline or monitoring system, a laboratory system with up to 1,200 tested pre- forms per hour is considerably slower. However, a comparison with conven- tional test methods within a laboratory is more appropriate. Here, the labora- tory system offers a higher test per- formance with up to 30,000 individual quality data points collected per hour; it gives a decisive advantage of an objective and reproducible test situa- tion. The “human” influence factor is thus reduced from quality control and has no influence whatsoever on the accuracy of the measurement results. In addition, the measurements of the laboratory system can be output directly as a report with one click, thus providing comprehensive support for laboratory personnel. Data summary and optimisation with software All inspection systems whether they inspect inline or offline, 100%, or only partially, have one thing in common. They produce a very large amount of product-related quality data. With the right tool, a compre- hensive analysis software, important insights can be drawn from this col- lected data. With the help of these findings, producers can then optimise their processes and compare at a glance which lines and settings may require changes for improvement. As an example of a benefit of data col- lection, the mould diagram function of the IntraVisualizer analysis software is described here. This feature uses the cavity numbers of preforms to create a three-dimensional graphic of the distribution of a defect within the mould for each individual defect type. Based on this graphic representation it is possible to see that the clamp- ing force of the mould needs to be adjusted because defects such as long shots (flash) occur more fre- quently in one area of the mould. The benefits of timely information and find- ings such as these can demonstrably increase the performance of a produc- tion line and result in a large savings of material and time. Conclusion In summary, given the large number of different inspection solu- tions available, each has its own advantages and could be the best choice for certain situations and requirements. For future production, which is increasingly controlled and optimised by data and information, a combination of different system types together with additional analysis soft- ware is the best choice. If a company is aware of the accuracy and speed required for its needs and to fill its orders, the optimal quality inspec- tion concept can be found for every producer. The right quality informa- tion can help to identify production advantages and provide a decisive competitive edge in the global preform market. www.intravis.com Monitoring systems like the PreMon are the latest development in the field of preform inspection.