Hot-end Ampoule Inspection: Prospero with Stem Diameter Control

The Prospero is mounted in the carousel/forming machine and measures the outer dimensions of the ampoules’ stem. The measurement is performed when the ampoule is moving.

Burner control

The glass tubing of which the ampoules are made can vary in diameter within their respected tolerances. This variation can cause small deviations in the diameter of the stem and this may result in additional rejects. To compensate for the variation of the tube diameter the Prospero can provide feedback to the burners.

How does this work? The stem diameter can be influenced by adjusting the burners.  To perform this adjustment the Prospero uses a PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative control) control loop mechanism. What happens is that the Prospero measures and tracks the produced stem diameter for each individual chuck. When a diameter is found to be out of tolerance the PID adjusts the burner settings to compensate and get the stem diameter within tolerance.

Using this control loop variation within the tube diameter can be compensated and the number of rejects due to out of tolerance stem diameters can be reduced.

A dedicated optical design ensures a clear image for high accuracy measurements. The Prospero performs measurements on the top, stem and body of the ampoules using a side view camera. Examples of measurements; body and stem diameter, eccentricity and stem on closing height. For a full list of measurements and definitions please contact us.

Interested to find out how the Prospero can help you improve your inspection capability? Get in touch via the contact form or call us at +31 (0)40 255 06 07

Download the Prospero – Hot-end Ampoule Inspection brochure

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