EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 04/22 www.petpla.net 35 tures inside of tethered closures - such as the re-closing functionality. In terms of the contactless variant, the closures slide under the inspection unit without the need for immersion or any contact. This is a great advantage in terms of process stability, and also a hygiene factor, Sascha said. Three cameras are used for the inner inspection of the closure. A large focus is placed on the important, functional elements. The scope of inspection includes the integrity as well as cosmetic aspects of the sealing surface, the seal cone, the closure aids, the thread, the area between the closure and the tamper-evident band, as well as the tamper-evident band itself. Moreover, functional elements, such as hinges or locking aids, are taken into account during inspection. To offer a complete outer inspection, the CapWatcher Q-Line transports the closures hanging on a vacuum belt. Four cameras inspect 360 degrees of every closure whereas the fifth camera inspects the headplate from the bottom. The outside inspection pays special attention to the new features of tethered closures - no matter whether they are moulded hinges or slitted elements. Short shots, flashes or defects caused by worn blades can be identified at an early stage. All these inspections are summarised in a clear and intuitive software user interface which also displays the machine condition and provides deep, statistical analyses. The CapWatcher Q-Line brings the quality laboratory inline. Sascha continued by presenting the IntraOne. The smart camera solution is particularly space-saving. Thus, it can for example easily be integrated into the feeder of the capper before the filling process. With a dedicated inspection setup, the system is able to inspect closures for deformation, colour or dimensional accuracy, as well as the key functional elements inside the closure which could be damaged during the transportation and after the initial inspection at the closures producer. The third system presented by Sascha was the CapWatcher FC. It assures the quality of closures in the outfeed area of the filler after they are applied to the bottles. The system is equipped with seven cameras and inspects the filled bottles for proper closure fit, important features of tethered closures such as hinges and bridges, colour, the gap between the closure’s tamper-evident band and the bottle’s neck support ring, as well as the correct fill level of the filled bottle. As a highlight, the Cap Watcher FC also offers an inspection of the closure’s application angle on the bottle. At the end of his presentation, Sascha summarised how the presented vision solutions help at different stages of the production process: Whereas the CapWatcher Q-Line measures the closures with a repeatability of two-hundredths of a millimeter right after their production and the IntraOne supports the process right before the application of the closure to the bottle, the CapWatcher FC is used at the outfeed of the filling line to inspect the closures after their application to the bottle. Overall, Intravis offers a solution for every step of the closure process, and these solutions can be combined with the rest of the high-performance inspection systems. Intravis provides for the plastic packaging industry: From the preform, to the closure, to the PET bottle in the blow moulding machine, to the labelling of the filled bottle, and finally with the CapWatcher FC in the outfeed area of the filling line - all inspection systems are available from a single source. In connection with the IntraVisualizer, an analytics software for production quality data, this offers the possibility of traceability and documentation of the packaging quality in each individual production step. Finally, Sascha pointed out that all inspections are in accordance with Cetie Quality Guideline No.18. After these three very interesting presentations, a lively discussion began. The PETplanet Insider Team would like to thank the speakers and the numerous international participants for their interest. On the PETplanet homepage you will find all information: a video recording of the PETinar, as well as the presentations of the speakers for download. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us! https://petpla.net/2022/03/25/ review-tethered-caps-design-produceand-inspect/?s=
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