PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2020

51 PRODUCTS PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 09/20 www.petpla.net PET products Agr introduces the Gawis 4D high-precision laboratory thickness & dimensional measurement system for plastic containers and preforms The Gawis 4D is two systems in one; a thickness measurement system, and a dimensional gauging device. Built upon a new measurement platform, this system incorporates a number of advanced fea- tures and capabilities that are designed to simplify testing and maximise throughput including:  Large, customisable and intuitive user interface with swipe and zoom capabilities  Powerful yet simple job creation and editing tools incorporating AutoJob - automated job setup  Precise finish gauging and body measurement capabilities utilising high resolution, USB 3 camera technol- ogy, optimised lensing and telecentric optics with 360º imaging  Comprehensive, non-destructive thick- ness measurement compatible with PET and a wide range of polymers  Performance to ISBT, ASTM and equivalent international standards  Industry 4.0 communication protocols Vision technology for precise dimensional gauging A major design emphasis for the Gawis 4D is to provide measurements with a level of precision and repeatability that can document dimensions of production containers and have sufficient precision for the qualification and management of moulds. The vision measurement technol- ogy incorporated in the Gawis 4D utilises high pixel density camera components in combination with enhanced telecentric optics and lighting. This combination provides a crisp edge shadow, making it possible to achieve the high dimensional precision and repeatability as well as a low percent of process variation for individual measurements. The design of the Gawis 4D imaging system, along with measure- ment algorithms, provides the capability to measure an extensive range of finish dimensions on bottles and preforms. Jobs can be configured for single or multiple combinations of measurements without sacrificing throughput. A large library of industry standard finish measurement routines is provided with each system that are each customisable to meet the needs of the application. Simplified job setup with AutoJob Agr has developed AutoJob, a patent pending feature on the Gawis 4D that is designed to simplify job setup by provid- ing automated recognition of key finish measurements on a bottle or preform sample. With this feature, the operator selects the AutoJob mode and the work of locating and identifying finish features is performed automatically. The Gawis 4D scans the sample, identifies the standard finish measurements for that sample and incorporates them into the job within a matter of seconds. The operator can adjust the selection, add control limits to the selection and incorporate additional measurements as necessary. This feature greatly accelerates job creation, saving labor hours through the course of a year. Thickness technology Thickness measurement in the Gawis 4D utilises two approaches. For translu- cent materials, the Gawis 4D incorporates an all-new, patent pending Integrative Thickness Measurement method. This method takes advantage of the full IR bandwidth and expands the capabilities of the system to provide measurements on translucent plastic materials that were previously not possible with non-contact measurement. With this capability, most HDPE, PP, PE and heavily coloured PET containers that have IR light transmission as low as 5% can now be measured. For PET bottles, preforms and most transpar- ent materials, the system incorporates Agr’s traditional IR reference/absorption thickness measurement technology. Regardless of the methodology, Gawis 4D offers a means to perform measurements that are fast and pre- cise with un-matched repeatability. This system offers a wide range of measure- ment options including thickness at single or multiple discrete points anywhere on the sidewall or heel of the bottle or the ability to perform complete vertical or horizontal (circumferential) scans for analysing material distribution. Industry 4.0 communication Industry 4.0 standard communication protocols have been incorporated into the Gawis 4D to improve communica- tions and support Industry 4.0 objectives. This capability facilitates advanced com- munication with other devices, to share data, support remote job change and interface with factory robotic handling systems without operator intervention. www.agrintl.com In addition to discrete measurements, the Gawis 4D can perform horizontal or vertical scans of the bottle/preform for analysing material distribution.