This year at Interphex, Mettler-Toledo showcased their CV35 ‘combination’ system, which integrates a C35 AdvancedLine checkweigher with vision inspection. This combo solution detects and rejects under- and overweight packages to ensure legal weight requirements are met and reduce product giveaway, while offering a variety of label inspection capabilities including verification that the weight printed on each label matches the weight of each product.

Additionally, Metter-Toledo displayed their newest x-ray system, the affordable X12 for small- and medium-sized packaged products. In addition to detecting hard-to-find physical contaminants including glass and metal, the X12 can perform a variety of product integrity checks, such as correct product placement within a package, to further ensure product quality.

The M31R, Mettler-Toledo’s newest metal detector, was also on exhibit at the show. This entry-level system features their advanced SENSE™ software, which utilizes sophisticated algorithms to deliver improved detection sensitivity with minimal false rejects.

Another metal detector on display was the Tablex-PRO for inspecting bulk tablets and capsules. With an easy-to-use color touchscreen, failsafe reject design and reject confirmation, the Tablex-PRO features ultra-high frequency operation and enhanced noise and vibration immunity to achieve exceptional detection sensitivity.

Mettler-Toledo’s ProdX™ software, available on virtually all their inspection systems, was also showcased at Interphex. By enabling customers to monitor their equipment remotely and easily collect, save, search and share data, ProdX improves product safety and increases production efficiencies while ensuring regulatory compliance.

For more information about Mettler-Toledo’s product inspection equipment, visit mt.com/pi.

For carbonated beverages like seltzer, soda and beer, this enables CO₂ levels and pressure concentration to be measured quickly and accurately, revealing whether a leak or micro-leak is occurring. Leak-determining pressure inspection also can be performed on nitrogen-dosed products such as water and teas, as well as hot-filled beverages including various juices. For the wine sector, PCS 700-IoT enables the in-line oxygen measurement to evaluate the efficiency of inertization process after bottle closing.

Crucially, the PCS700-IOT is a smart system: the unit can monitor not only total pressure, but an average across complete or partial product runs. These metrics are presented in real-time on a user-friendly dashboard, making for expedient and exacting assessment of products deviating from the norm. Critically, the system performs these tasks without necessitating changes to existing production line setups.

Antares Vision Group’s PCS700-IOT offers several advantages over the acoustic technologies widely used in the beverage market. For starters, detection via laser spectroscopy is significantly more precise, meaning false rejects are substantially diminished. Perhaps even more importantly, though, is the system’s ability to inspect containers inline without production slowdown, as well as its consistency regardless the type of cap used.

A strong example of the PCS700-IOT’s value is its inline utilization in beer bottling operations. In this scenario, laser spectroscopy inspection can be conducted immediately following pasteurization. This strategic positioning reliably intercepts any leaks or micro-leaks due to the heating and subsequent cooling of the container during pasteurization, as well as any micro-cracks in the bottle mouth. Bottles with pressure below a certain level are automatically rejected, with persistent pressure level monitoring allowing operators to adjust for minor deviations before they become major, line-stopping issues.

The PCS 700 IoT, like all Antares Vision Group inspection machines, is part of the company’s DIAMIND Line suite.

However, bits of the tortillas can sometimes get into the seals during the packing process and cause leaks. Other potential sources of defects include wrinkles in the seal. The stage of the process that comes after the films are changed on the thermoforming machinery is also critical. If the films overlap at this point, the packaging may not be sealed correctly.

For these reasons, Sinnack Snacks has always made sure to test the integrity of its protective atmospheres. The company previously used a system with a vacuum chamber to check the entire content of fully packed boxes for leaks.

“This was a very time-consuming quality control exercise, because when a reject was found, we didn't know first which of the packs was the one with the leak,” said managing partner Jana Sinnack. “Not only that, but quality control was also not 100% reliable.”

With growing sales of its tortillas, Sinnack Snacks needed to automate the end-of-line packing on one of its lines and this required a new means of leak testing. “We were looking for an in-line system that was capable of checking every single pack at high speed and picking out any rejects,” Sinnack explains.

The Ishida solution is the company’s fully automated AirScan, which uses a laser module to detect the specific vibrations caused by leaking carbon dioxide molecules. The machine can reliably detect leaks measuring just 0.5 mm. As a result, users not only gain the security of knowing that leaks will be found but can also cut down on material costs because the inspection process exerts minimal pressure and is therefore non-destructive.

In addition, the Ishida AirScan is compact in size and can easily be integrated into existing packing lines. Another factor in Sinnack Snacks' decision was the fact that Ishida had already successfully deployed the system in a similar application in the bakery industry.

The Ishida AirScan has enabled quality assurance at Sinnack Snacks to reach a new level. Up to 2,500 packs can be inspected per hour, with the system checking both the top and bottom sides for escaping carbon dioxide. The leak detector compiles all the process data in reports that can then be viewed. As Sinnack explains, “We scrutinize any rejected products in minute detail, because identifying the causes of problems ultimately makes our processes more efficient.”

The success of the first machine has led Sinnack Snacks to install Ishida AirScan systems on two further lines as part of its ongoing automation process. Ishida customized the machines to suit the company's specific requirements in terms of pack dimensions and its reject system.

The Vue Inspection System was designed and engineered in Norwalt’s dedicated Vision Systems Lab. Outfitted to accommodate up to eight programmers simultaneously, the state-of-the-art facility incorporates next-gen visual inspection and deep learning tools, including emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) vision innovations and 3D profiling. Norwalt also integrates advanced optical character recognition (OCR) and verification via optical character verification (OCV).

With the Vision Systems Lab, Norwalt also designs machines that utilize closed-loop data for machine adjustments and continuous production improvements. The lab also provides gauge repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R), and Type One studies when needed, as well as full evaluation of a project’s field oriented control (FOC).

“Norwalt is increasingly committed to enhancing our vision capabilities,” said Keith Harman, Director of Business Development & Technical Sales for Norwalt. “As industry demand increases, we’re seeing an increasing number of requests for our advanced and more sophisticated systems.”

To learn more about Norwalt, please visit norwalt.com.