Profile line inspection of the outer walls of bottles and containers

At INTRAVIS, the specialists are aware that comprehensive quality assurance is a decisive factor in the production of plastic packaging. Their SpotWatcher covers a wide range of inspection criteria for bottles and containers, enabling manufacturers of plastic packaging to meet the highest quality standards. However, the challenges in the plastics industry are constantly changing. Increasing quality requirements, new methods in the production process or object handling as well as government regulations, such as the increase in minimum recyclate use in the European Union (PPWR), underline the importance of previously unknown inspection criteria.

INTRAVIS team is driven by the desire to continue meeting the dynamic requirements of plastic packaging manufacturers with regard to the quality assurance of their products. Therefore, they are steadily working to expand the portfolio of inspection capabilities with clever and innovative solutions.

Precise detection of deformations in container walls
The latest achievement of INTRAVIS developments is the profile line inspection, which specializes in the identification of dents and bulges in the outer walls of bottles and containers. The profile line inspection now enables INTRAVIS customers to reliably detect deformations in the bottle outer wall that are oriented perpendicular to the direction of flow and remain hidden from conventional inspections. High-resolution profile sensors are used here, which are installed on

both sides of the clamping belt conveyor in a SpotWatcher system. These sensors each cast a vertical light section onto the outer walls of the inspection object and determine the distance between the sensor and the surface of the inspection object at approx. 600 points. A two-dimensional diagram of the vertical depth profile of the outer walls of the container can be calculated based on the distance data obtained: The so-called profile line.

This is then compared with the corresponding profile of the reference object. Inspection objects with a strongly deviating profile line are identified as faulty and rejected.

The “all-rounder” can now do even more
The profile line inspection further expands the wide range of inspection options of the SpotWatcher Customized. INTRAVIS International Sales Manager, Roland Nagel, is also delighted with the new development: “We have already achieved great results with similar processes for inspecting caps and closures. Now we can also offer this notable solution to our customers producing bottles and containers. In the past, it has only been possible to identify dents and bulges using camera-based contour inspections. The focus here is on deformations that are visible in the side view of the object. This previous approach is reliable and proven but does not fully meet the requirements of all customers. With the expansion of our portfolio, we have now overcome this challenge. The SpotWatcher Customized is a universal system for customers with special inspection requirements. It is the “all-rounder” in our portfolio. Now the “all-rounder” can do even more."