The packaging machine experts at SN Maschinenbau GmbH, Wipperfürth, have rethought and innovatively implemented the overall concept of a pouch filling system used by well-known companies in the food industry and relied on smart camera technology from Leuze electronic GmbH + Co. KG, Owen/Teck, for the verification of codes and best-before dates.
Whether sauces, snacks or ready meals are filled and packaged - in packaging technology and the food industry, it all comes down to high throughput and Fast format changes with the highest quality and hygiene standards. To achieve this, the sensors used must be able to do one thing above all: impress in terms of performance, flexibility and hygiene.
Three tasks, one visualisation
When developing the new FMH 80 moulding, filling and sealing machine, the designers at SN Maschinenbau had a Integrated solution for different tasks with just one and the same camera system came up with new ideas. They scrutinised existing processes and principles and looked for new, creative and flexible solutions.
The aim was to improve the monitoring of the Best before date (MHD) economically, on the other hand Reference codes (the latter can be switched automatically when changing products). A third application with the same camera measures the position of the Print mark on the packaging with the output of a manipulated variable in millimetres to a servo drive and corrects the sealing stations of the vertical sealing seams during the process. This automatically corrects the pressure fluctuations on the packaging.
[infotext]Sensors must combine high demands on performance, flexibility and hygiene[/infotext].The result is impressive: „The result was an innovative design concept that lays the foundation for a new generation of pouch packaging machines,“ says Thomas Berger, Head of Electrical Development at SN Maschinenbau, with satisfaction. With the new machine concept, a Open, hygienic machine design with reduced parts volume This has been realised in a design that eliminates hidden areas and edges, making it very easy to clean. At the same time, it was possible to fulfil the increased customer requirements for hygiene and freedom from allergens. Every single element, from the safety concept to the visualisation, was put to the test and rethought where necessary.
Visualisation and checking of reference codes
„The first task was to verify reference codes,“ explains Michael Fahr, a long-standing sales specialist at Leuze electronic. The products and recipes programmed in the machine are changed directly via the control system without manual intervention by an employee. „It must also be possible to check that the correct contents are filled into the correct packaging at all times,“ he adds.
This requires a Visualisation optics, which reads and synchronises the reference codes accordingly. Figuratively speaking, it could otherwise happen that a customer suddenly receives a carbonara sauce instead of their favourite bolognese pictured on the packaging. In case of doubt, this would not only be annoying, but in an age of increasing allergies, it could even be life-threatening.
The new visualisation system used with the LSIS 462i is a camera-based technology. This becomes an absolute high-end solution in combination with the RTM20 contrast scanner, which can store different contrast values of the print marks on the packaging and can be called up directly from the control system.
„I had been dreaming of such a convenient and economical solution for a long time - but until now I hadn't found a way to realise it,“ says Thomas Berger and is very satisfied with this high-end version.
In the past, reference codes could either be recognised in the form of a barcode or as 2D codes. „It is important to be equipped for our customers' future tasks, a solution for barcodes, data matrix codes and QR codes alike to keep on hand,“ says Berger. Michael Fahr also found a suitable solution to this problem with the smart camera, as the LSIS 462i is a multi-code-capable high-speed reader that can recognise different types of reference codes.
The inspection takes place while the packaging is moving at a speed of up to four metres per second. Due to the strict hygiene regulations in the food industry, the LSIS 462i in the new pouch packaging machine has also been installed in a stainless steel protective housing with a high IP protection rating, which in no way impairs its detection capability.
Checking best-before dates
Another challenge in this application was checking the legibility of the best-before date labelling (BBD). In the past, if best-before date codes were printed with poor quality, the data was illegible due to incorrect embossing in the packaging technology or the print was missing altogether, such bags could only be recognised in this high-speed application with significantly more expensive systems.
The new smart camera technology, on the other hand, evaluates the best-before date labelling on each individual bag based on several quality features both in the Standstill as well as in the Movement. A second LSIS 462i detects the quality of each code in the same way and also records a Reference code comparison so that the packaging really does contain what it promises.
All-round convincing overall solution
Jan Kronenberg and Thomas Berger agree: the overall solution is convincing across the board. The LSIS 462i stationary smart camera from Leuze electronic used in this application combines decades of expertise in the field of 1D code reading with innovative smart camera technology. It reliably reads barcodes, 1D and 2D codes, both printed and directly marked. At the same time, it recognises best-before dates. The measurement technology inside the smart camera can incorporate measurement results into the process or provide an adjustment aid for format changeovers to quickly find the position of the print mark.
This will Three tasks with a single camera variant is fulfilled. This represents an economical and cost-effective solution compared to OCR reading for high-speed applications. Thanks to its memory function, the KRTM20 contrast sensor can also store up to 128 contrast values simultaneously. This enables fast product changes and therefore high throughput, even in the area of print mark control. Thanks to its integrated homogeneous and extremely ambient light-independent LEDs, the LSIS 462i Can be flexibly adapted to a wide range of packaging designs.
The smart camera can be easily integrated using reproducible mechanical fastening (designed by SN Maschinenbau). Reference code specification and programme change are carried out directly by the control system without the need for manual intervention. Mechanical intervention or even opening the camera is not necessary, even if the focus needs to be changed.
Configuration is carried out directly via webConfig, so no separate parameterisation software is required. This web-based software tool, which is independent of the operating system, makes commissioning much easier and saves costs. This ensures simple quality assurance and identification using high-performance camera technology.
Leuze at the SPS IPC DRIVES 2018: Hall 7A, Stand 230
[infotext icon]SN Mechanical engineering is a manufacturer of forming, filling and sealing machines as well as FS rotary machines and looks back on a long tradition. Over five decades of experience, entrepreneurial spirit and innovative strength have made the company the global market leader in the manufacture and processing of side-sealed and contour pouches. Products of various types and consistencies from the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and pet food sectors can be packaged. Its customers include numerous market leaders such as Unilever, Dr Oetker, Kraft, Erasco, Nestlé and Dehner[/infotext]. [infotext icon]Over 50 years of experience have Leuze electronic as an expert for innovative and efficient sensor solutions in industrial automation. The focus is on intralogistics and the packaging industry, machine tools, the automotive industry and laboratory automation. The portfolio includes switching and measuring sensors, identification systems, solutions for image processing and data transmission, as well as components and systems for occupational safety[/infotext].
