{"id":91839,"date":"2024-04-19T10:21:19","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T08:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=91839"},"modified":"2024-04-19T09:04:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T07:04:52","slug":"30000-images-analysed-manually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/30-000-bilder-manuell-ausgewertet\/","title":{"rendered":"30,000 images analysed manually"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every day, 450,000 glass bottles are filled at N\u00fcrburg Quelle Hermann Kreuter GmbH in the Vulkaneifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate. The company now relies on artificial intelligence (AI) from Indspect for bottle recognition: to achieve a recognition accuracy of well over 99 per cent, the experts created a large number of images in advance and evaluated them manually one by one. The AI then takes over ...<\/strong><\/p>\n

N\u00fcrburg Quelle uses white 0.7-litre pearl bottles and green 0.75-litre GdB bottles. However, the crates in the return flow often contain new 0.75-litre bottles (N2) as well as individual bottles from competitors. They are indistinguishable from above and with normal cameras. It took a great deal of effort and a new AI software that works on a high-performance graphics card<\/strong>, for the possibility of detection with Indspect inspection technology.<\/p>\n

Development milestones<\/h2>\n

Hermann Kreuter senior founded N\u00fcrburg Quelle as a limited partnership in 1932. The early years for the company were difficult because the company owner did not want to share the political views of the National Socialist rulers. But from 1950 onwards, things began to improve rapidly. N\u00fcrburg Quelle grew continuously from ten employees and one million bottle fillings in 1950 to currently 115 employees and an annual output of around one million hectolitres.
\nMineralbrunnen set a milestone on 28 November 1968, when it became the first fountain company in Germany to introduce the practical and used a hygienic screw cap<\/strong> thus demonstrating its innovative strength and customer-orientation. Seven years later, on 11 July 1975, the company once again made history: the \u201eVulkania\u201c mineral water spring was officially recognised as medicinal water.<\/p>

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The Indspect AI has to differentiate between these bottles, for example (on the right, those of N\u00fcrburg Quelle, next to it those of other competitors).(Image: broesele | Montage: packaging journal)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bottled in pearl bottles<\/h2>\n

Every year, well over 100 million bottles filled, 65 per cent of which are made of glass<\/strong>. Three PET lines (one-way and two-way PET) and a glass line with a capacity of 30,000 bottles per hour are in operation at the plant in Dreis-Br\u00fcck. Brown and green 12-bottle GdB crates are used for the glass bottles.<\/p>\n

\u201eWe have been using camera systems from Indspect for years to recognise the \u201agood\u2018 bottles. However, for some time now, we have increasingly been registering the new GdB bottle N2 as well as individual bottles from other wells in our crates. The previous camera systems were no longer able to differentiate between these foreign bottles, so we ended up having to sort out many foreign bottles manually.\u201c<\/p>\n

Hermann Kreuter<\/strong>, is the third-generation managing director of N\u00fcrburg Quelle and asked his long-standing partner Indspect for a solution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Innovative detection technology<\/h2>\n

For over 20 years, Indspect from Neuwied has been designing a wide variety of Process for checking bottles and crates in the beverage industry<\/strong>Cameras, high-frequency technology, laser light section systems, ultrasonic sensors and light barriers detect the colours, shape and size of containers, the presence, correct fit and intact retaining rings on closures, labels and their dating, as well as fill levels. Added to this are the Detection of foreign substances and residual liquids<\/strong> in the bottles, completeness in the full crates, broken handles, incorrect crate colours and logos, foreign objects or incorrect bottles in the empties.<\/p>