PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2021

INSPECTION 16 PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 06/21 www.petpla.net Quality assurance developments in the rPET packaging industry Preform colour inspection The Lithuanian company Sprana Ltd is a well-known player in the fertiliser industry. After the focus of their analysing technologies was expanded to the plastics industry, their customer Retal encouraged them to develop a PET preform inspection system to assure production quality control on-line. The PET preforms colour inspection system PSIS is designed to enable an automated colour stability check on preforms on the production line as the preforms are being transferred from the moulding machine to holding containers. According to the 2019 EU Single- use Plastics Directive, plastic packag- ing manufacturers will need to integrate 25% of recycled plastic in their produc- tion process by 2025 in PET bottles and 30% by 2030 in all types of bever- age bottles. This not only confirms the stringent requirement to increase rPET concentration in PET preforms but also a need for methods and tools which could improve and guarantee high-qual- ity control and accurate analysis in the production process. Sprana states that there are still many issues that producers are facing in using post-consumer recycled mate- rial. The key challenges in increas- ing the amount of recyclates in PET preforms are to maintain high product quality and assure the overall perfor- mance of PET bottles. Therefore, the quality control of the production process is becoming an ever more crucial issue in the plastic industry. PSIS is designed to enable an automated colour stability check on pre- forms directly on the conveyor belt as the preforms are being transferred from the moulding machine to the containers. Common defects when using rPET Some of the most common defects in PET preforms with increased rPET concentration are different types of inclusions, haziness, and yellowing. Hence, for an upcoming R&D project funded by EEA and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021 Sprana intends to develop a new inspection system that enables the detection of black specks and other contaminations at an early stage of production. In this project, the company will carry out research and experimental activities in order to improve the qual- ity control of PET preforms in on-line monitoring and analysis and to increase recycled materials concentration in pro- duction processes. This is realised by using machine vision and AI technology. Sprana will also develop the system’s prototype, which will be tested and installed on-site. The company states that by optimising and improving qual- ity control of PET preform production, manufacturers will be able to reduce the routine human labour part of the quality assurance process, which is seen as inefficient, time-consuming, and increases the possibility of defec- tive products. Released from routine tasks, staff will instead be able to carry out higher value-added processes and focus on higher quality of the products. During this project, Sprana will be collaborating with local and international partners to carry out the R&D stages and achieve the main goals of the pro- gram. In cooperation with Lithuanian PET preform producer Putoksnis Ltd. and Norwegian consulting and projects management company IDN (Interna- tional Development Norway) Sprana’s objective is to adapt the resulting prod- uct/solution in a real industrial environ- ment and to commercialise it in the EU and across world markets. Overall, the project not only aims to promote the usage of secondary PET resin in the industry and to stimulate the market for rPET trading, but the partner- ship will also take a further step towards the EU goal of creating the circular economy for the PET plastic packaging industry. www.sprana.eu INSPECTION Machine vision and AI technology improve the quality control of preforms.