PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

INSPECTION 15 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net Sacmi presents four AI-equipped preform vision systems Preform quality control Sacmi says that its new preform computer vision systems make extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI) concepts at a specific stage of the production process. This is to deliver easier quality control and format changeover tasks, even for workers who have not been specifically trained on the machine, plus changeover times of less than one minute, compared to about an hour on traditional systems. The PVS10 off-line preform quality control machine, which is equipped with the new CVs20 (Computer Vision software 2020) app, features an HD camera vision system that performs polarised light inspection and auto- matic size changeover control both on the machine and on the preform sorter/ feeder. This replaces the previous grid system and uses AI algorithms to simu- lates the behaviour of human eyes. The company says that the system is capable of identifying any sort of defect, over the entire preform, whether transparent or opaque, faster and more accurately than conventional technologies. It is designed to perform off-line inspection of lots or sample checks on output and enables manu- facturers inspect every aspect of the preform, from body to bottom. It can read the cavity number and inspect the thread area. Eliminating manual input errors CVs20 control software incorpo- rates the Sacmi Drive and Recognise through Intelligent Vision Algo- rithms, (DRIVA) platform. Sacmi says that this enables autonomous format change-overs and thus makes the machine much easier to operate, even by non-specialised workers. The operator submits the preform to the system, which uses a photograph of the object to recog- nise the format, including colour and dimensions. It then makes any necessary adjustments - not just to the inspection machine but also the preform feeder. This cuts change-over times to less than a minute and eliminates any chance of error due to manual intervention. The new system performs targeted checks on preform dimensions, such as top seal diameter and oval- ity, and offers offline inspection rates of up to 72,000 pph. New production control systems PVS3, which is equipped with CVs20 software, has a compact footprint and is designed to operate either off-line or in-line, with new or existing presses. It uses AI algo- rithms to provide the same inspec- tion quality off or on-line, at rates in excess of 70,000 pph. The smaller PVS5, with a footprint of just 4.5 m 2 , including sorter/feeder, can also be installed on existing systems. Its centrifugal positioner enables speeds of up to 55,000 pph. The range is completed with PVS2, which is designed to carry out in-line or off-line sample checks or provide additional quality control lab support. It runs a full check by taking diameter measurements of the top seal, of three or more points on the body, of the thread zone and by measuring wall thickness and perpendicularity, at rates of up to 1,100 pph. PVS-2 uses cavity rec- ognition to produce a comprehen- sive set of preform measurement and weight data, by cavity number, while calculating minimum, maxi- mum, average values and standard deviation for each measured param- eter. The PVS-2’s CVs20 AI algo- rithms include polarised light inspection. All data is saved on SQL databases and made available via HTML pages that can be consulted on any fixed or mobile device with access to the corporate network, including smartphones. The new AI algorithms simplify quality control management and minimise production downtimes associated with changeovers and management of new materials, such as recycled PET. Advanced soft- ware and user interfaces enable production of targeted statistical reports on each stage of the pro- cess, which can be made available via the corporate network. www.sacmi.com INSPECTION