Application Report Quality check
at high speed thanks to high-
performance camera technology
Whether sauces, snacks or ready meals
have to be filled and packaged, high
throughput and quick format changes
matter in the packaging systems and food
industry – And to the highest standards of
quality and hygiene, too. For this purpose,
the sensors used have to be able to do
one thing above all: meet high demands
for power, flexibility and hygiene all at
the same time. To do this, the packaging
machine experts from SN Maschinenbau
have rethought the entire concept of
a bag-filling system used at notable
companies in the food industry, tackled
this subject innovatively and have opted
for the smart camera technology from
Leuze electronic for verifying codes and
expiration dates.
THREE TASKS, ONE VISUALIZATION
When developing the new FMH 80
forming, filling and sealing machine, the
designers from SN Maschinenbau came
up with a complete solution for various
Reference code check LSIS 462i in the IP67 housing
tasks using one single camera system.
They scrutinized existing processes and generation of bag packaging machines,” a sales specialist at Leuze electronic for
principles and sought new, creative and states Thomas Berger, Head of Electric many years. The products and recipes
flexible solutions. The objective was to Development SN Maschinenbau, with programmed in to the machine are
make the monitoring of the expiration satisfaction. With the new machine changed directly via the control, without
date economical on the one hand, and concept, an open, hygienic machine any manual intervention from staff. “In
to identify reference codes on the other. design with reduced component sizes was addition, quality
With the latter function even being able to realized, which excludes hidden points and control to check the right contents are
changeover automatically when products edges, thus enabling very simple cleaning. actually being filled in the right packaging
are changed. A third application using At the same time, increased customer intended for it must be provided every
the same camera measures the position requirements in terms of hygiene and time,” adds Fahr. To this end, visualization
of the print mark on the packaging with allergy containment were able to be optics are required which will read the
the output of an actuation variable [mm] addressed. Every single element – from reference codes and match them at the
to a servo drive and adjusts the sealing the safety concept to the visualization – same time. Otherwise, customers could
stations of the vertical sealing seams was placed on the test bench and end up getting a carbonara sauce in the
in the process. As a result, the pressure re-conceived. package displaying a picture of their
fluctuations on the packaging are
favorite Bolognese! This is no longer
automatically corrected. VISUALIZATION AND CHECKING OF merely something that could cause
The