PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

INSPECTION 22 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net Meeting on-line rPET inspection challenges when producing PET bottles The Pilot Vision+ system, Agr’s latest generation of vision-based inspection systems, is designed to work in conjunction with today’s high-speed reheat stretch blowmoulding equipment. As part of Agr’s Process Pilot family of products, it is designed be used as a stand-alone system or in conjunction with Agr’s Process Pilot automated blowmoulder management system. INSPECTION The combination of Pilot Vision+ and Process Pilot provides bottle pro- ducers with the ability to detect random occurring defects, manage the process to maintain precise material distribu- tion, even with the lightest and/or most difficult-to-process bottle design. Modular design The compact design of cameras and lighting components, and an operating speed of up to 100,000 bph, make the Pilot Vision+ compatible with most blowmoulder models and brands. The open architecture of this vision-based inspection system can manage up to 6 cameras in multiple locations. The modular design makes it possible for cameras and lighting components to positioned at optimal locations within the blowmoulder in order to facilitate the most effec- tive inspections. Typically, units are configured in four separate inspec- tion stations; preform inspection in the oven area, and then immediately after mould takeout for bottle seal surface, base and sidewall inspection. Special attention to preforms, colour and rPET Agr states that the preform inspec- tion module of the Pilot Vision+ system makes it possible to identify defects that are visible in the preform, before the bottle is blown. Multiple colour cameras provide the imaging for 360° preform sidewall inspection as well as end cap and gate. Optics, LED illumination and image analysis routines are optimised to identify preform defects that impact bottle integrity, particularly the black specs and particle contamination some- times associated with recycled PET (rPET). With the increased use of rPET, chal- lenges related to colour consistency are an issue. In the Pilot Vision+ system, the colour preform cameras can be used to monitor the colour of preforms entering the blowmoulder and ensure that colours are consistent and within acceptable ranges. This feature is particularly valu- able with the variations in colour that can typically occur when higher percentages of rPET are used. Additionally, the Pilot Vision+ system incorporates another tool to help address rPET related colour issues. This tool provides the capability to learn multiple reference image sets for colour inspection. With this, it is possible to process a preform supply with slight colour variations and manage the range of colour by accepting those that match the reference images, while rejecting those that do not match.