Moulded glass
More than 94% of consumable containers is produced from a “cullet” of molten glass which is blown into moulds. The final mould shapes the glass and cools it down to keep the product in the right shape after the mould opens to release the product. The mould separation leaves a mark in the shape of a thin line on the product, this is an inherent feature of Individual Section machines. Typically, moulded-glass products are produced at low-cost, high-speed and in large series. Products in this segment include containers for consumables, such as:
- wine, beer and spirit bottles
- perfume bottles
- food jars
Typical inspection needs for these types of products include shape, dimensions and cosmetic features. As in pharmaceutical solutions, we provide high-end quality inspection solutions which can be applied either in-line or off-line.
Off-line inspection system: Mimas
VIMEC’s dimensional inspection application Mimas has been designed to automatically measure a batch of bottles. It acts in an off-line manner, but is capable of processing a batch of samples automatically.
Periodically, a batch of bottles, consisting of different mould numbers, is collected and placed on the Mimas conveyor belt in sequence.
Once the samples have been collected and placed on the conveyor, Mimas inspects autonomously.
During the automated inspection-cycle, Mimas will automatically:
- place the next bottle onto the inspect position,
- start the measurement cycle
- store measurement data and conclusions
- place the bottles back onto the conveyor belt.
The measured bottles are collected on a collection table, situated at the end of the conveyor belt.
The number of samples to inspect is unlimited and is only pysically determined by the conveyorbelt capacity.
All relevant handling in the use of Mimas has been designed to allow fast setup, within one minute you will adjust the system for a new product. The output of the measurement results is provided on screen and is electronically available to be shared. This allows real-time feedback to the hot-end part of production. Mimas includes most common measurement definitions (“Glass packing institute”; “glass finish number”) but also customized measurements are included, meeting specific customer requirements.
The Mimas has a proven inspection performance supported by Gauge R&R studies (Gauge R&R <10, ndc >5).
In-line inspection solutions
Two in-line solutions are available to monitor quality in moulded glass production.
Line-over-finish inspection, Cold-end, in-line
As health-aspects result in ever more stringent rules to limit the use of chemicals, the sealing properties of the lid change. For glass containers which are closed by such a lid, it’s crucial to have a smooth sealing surface. Practice proves that the surface can suffer from minor defects, which are hard to prevent. The only option to make sure these details won’t lead to complaints is to remove them from the line. Practice also proves that standard vision solutions have difficulty in detecting the small features. Increasing sensitivity is known to lead to high reject-rates or cost cycle-time: two aspects which lower capacity.
Vimec developed an extremely fast line-scan solution which can be integrated in the cold-end product handling. Next to the usually installed leak-testing, we provide a standard unit which scans the sealing surface while the product is rotating at normal process-speed.
Inspection reliability is unprecedented, both False Approve (FA) and False reject (FR) are in the area below 0.2 %. Get the datasheet!
Dimensional and Formcheck, Hot-end, in-line
The challenges are high, inspection in hot-end is far from easy, but the gathered insights are even more valuable. By monitoring the behaviour of moulded glass, just after it was released from the moulds, a quick response feedback can be given to optimize the forming process. The latency-reduction compared to a cold-end inspection is huge, sometimes thousands of products (!)
Contact us for a good advise on the best solution for your hot-end in-line inspections. We know the challenge and the achievable benefits which can only be met in a well-defined and customized solution.