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Inspection optimally adapted

In order to guarantee the quality of WalderBräu AG's beverages, the company invested in a bottle inspection machine from Nagel Automationstechnik.

Beer has been foaming in the kettles of Königsegger WalderBräu AG since 1822. With the 200th anniversary of the brewery and after Corona, things are clearly on the up again economically. The company invested in a new bottle inspection machine from Nagel Automationstechnik to guarantee the high quality of its beers and soft drinks in the bottle.

„Our old inspector was 50 years old and we had to replace it. For speed, accuracy and today's requirements for detecting scuffing, embossing and the smallest thread defects, we needed a modern inspection machine.“

Manuel Baumeister, Technical Director and Brewmaster of Königsegger WalderBräu

Manufacturers of inspection technology were quickly queuing up to sell a machine to the Upper Swabian brewery from the district of Ravensburg. „We made it clear to each of them that the The only way into the bottling plant is via a narrow, steep staircase to the first floor“, reports Baumeister. Many immediately waved goodbye, others said that transport was only possible via the roof or by removing side windows.

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„The only person who assured us that he would not only deliver the machine with all our technical specifications, but also adapt it so that it would fit through the 93 centimetre wide doors and we could transport it up a steep staircase, was Joachim Nagel from the Nagel Automation Technology from Kaufungen.“ Baumeister and his colleagues decided in favour of the nail inspector and are now completely satisfied with this decision. „The The machine is logical and very easy to operate. Retooling is a piece of cake“, emphasises technical manager Baumeister.

Survives as a regional stock corporation

Twelve different beers and 15 non-alcoholic drinks are produced and bottled in Königsegg.
„This inspector has all the functions that a company of our size needs.“ Manuel Baumeister, Technical Director and Brewmaster at the WalderBräu brewery in Königsegg. Twelve different beers and 15 non-alcoholic beverages are produced and bottled in Königsegg. (Pictures: broesele)

The brewery has had a chequered history. The successful idea in 2003 was to turn the former „Härle Brewery“ into a public limited company. 2,500 shares of 500 euros each were issued, which today are distributed among 1,600 shareholders. The company produces with 18 employees around 8,500 hectolitres of beer per yearSeveral beers from the range have been awarded DLG gold. In addition, 8,000 hectolitres of non-alcoholic beverages are produced annually: the main brand is Cola-Mix. Bottling takes place in Königsegg brown 0.5-litre NRW, white 0.5-litre screw-top and green 0.33-litre long-neck bottles. The sales area extends from Lake Constance to Stuttgart and Reutlingen. Around a fifth of the beer is filled into barrels.

Fault detection and rejection

For 28 years, Nagel Automationstechnik has specialised in Empty bottle inspection machines in beverage and dairy plants specialised. The machines for small and medium-sized businesses are all hygienically designed. WalderBräu has opted for a Full inspection machine with base, neck finish, double side wall inspection, thread and embossing inspection as well as HF eye inspection decided. The machine's output is designed for 8,000 bottles per hour. On average, 6,500 bottles are filled per hour, so there is sufficient technical leeway. Nagel is known for placing his machine on a footprint of around one square metre, „and it's also very compact. designed as a corner machine, so it fitted perfectly into our bottle cellar“, says Baumeister. Defective bottles are even sorted out within the small footprint by means of rejection flaps and a pusher, which means that the bottles can be Sorting with upright bottles is realised. This system is very suitable for small and medium-sized filling systems. Elaborate belts or belt controls are not required.

However, in order to be able to transport the inspection machine up the long, narrow staircase, the side components were dismantled, the machine body was lowered by 40 centimetres and the whole thing was enclosed in a sturdy wooden frame. Using a stair lift and a lot of manpower, the new technology was successfully transported to the first floor. Within a few hours, everything was reassembled and the inspection machine was integrated into the filling line.

The full inspection machine from Nagel could be optimally integrated into the line.
The full inspection machine from Nagel could be optimally integrated into the line. (Image: broesele)

High-quality cameras in use

The control of the bottle conveyor belts was transferred to the inspector. After the washing machine, the bottles run on the conveyor belt into the inspection machine, where they are inspected by a High-quality control system with Ethernet CCD cameras and wear-free LED lighting technology checked. The sensitive base area is checked for damage and contamination with the utmost precision. Any foreign objects at the bottom of the bottle can be detected. Known and typical objects such as yeast residues, cigarette butts, foils, compressed crown caps or drinking straws are reliably detected. This is followed by a Repeated inspection of the side panels for damage and soiling. This check is carried out via the full rotation of the bottle, whereby four to ten images are taken and analysed depending on the bottle diameter.

All performance data and errors are visualised. This leads to reliable sorting of the bottles onto a rejection conveyor.
All performance data and errors are visualised. This leads to reliable sorting of the bottles onto a rejection conveyor. (Image: broesele)

Problem areas: orifice, residual fluids and co.

The finishes are a very important area for WalderBräu, especially for the white screw-cap bottles. One Special high-performance camera detects defective or broken bottle mouths. The four cameras of the thread inspection system not only check the thread precisely, but also whether there are any breaks under the neck finish bead in crown cork bottles. A neck finish camera alone would not recognise this. A This eliminates the risk of injury, but also prevents leaks during sealing and spoilage of the products.

Another problem is third-party bottles, especially the embossed bottles from competitors. „For a long time, we tried to sort out these bottles before they were unpacked, but this became increasingly difficult. With the new machine, these Bottles reliably recognised and ejected“, reports Baumeister. Nagel uses an additional colour camera for this.

All detected faults, damage or contamination lead to reliable sorting onto a rejection belt, when the fully inspected bottles leave the inspection machine. Here, the operating personnel can check whether there are only impurities that can be removed during a new run through the washing machine.

The inspection machine, filler and capper.
The inspection machine, filler and capper. (Image: broesele)

Remote diagnosis supports filling phases

All production data, test bottle logs and machine statuses are available in clearly organised logs and can be printed out automatically or on demand at any time for checking purposes. „The Inspector works very reliably, is easy to operate and can be changed over quickly when changing bottles. The fact that there is also the option of remote diagnosis in the event of faults is ideal. We get help quickly and don't have to wait for a technician. We are completely satisfied with the nailing machine,“ emphasises Technical Director Baumeister.

http://www.nagel-automation.de

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