Vision – the innovation necessary to sort 180,000 parts per day

Vision – the innovation necessary to sort 180,000 parts per day

Innovative German machine builder, Schuster-Präzision found themselves faced with the challenge of providing a customer with a machine that could accurately sort 180,000 drill parts every day. They chose Cognex vision systems as the robust and innovative component that would make the difference on their sorting machines.

Many metal processing companies use their specialised machines for the production of what accounts for approximately 97% of all drill components produced globally. These range from large masonry and metal drills right down to fine drills for medical use. As a manufacturer of special machines, Schuster-Präzision, Germany, ensures that their customers can assure the smooth running of various processes such as sorting, turning, milling and cutting parts to the correct length. Quality assurance and automation technology are of the highest priority. When it comes to the sorting of large numbers of parts, it is essential that the systems performing the task are completely reliable and capable of enduring the rigors of continuous operation.

Key component – In-Sight vision systems

One of the most important components of these special machines are In-Sight vision systems from Cognex. For example, one of Schuster’s largest customers, who manufactures 180,000 drill pieces per day, can count on 100% accurate sorting thanks to these precise sensors.

In the first step of the sorting process, the container of the machine, which is equipped with an In-Sight 5100 from Cognex, is filled with several thousand drill components. A sliding mechanism then moves the individual pieces down a ramp and on to a conveyor line.

In-Sight guarantees correct part positioning and orientation

The In-Sight and a special gripper ensure that the heads of the drill bits point in the correct direction. With its precise sensors, the system detects the positions of the parts and transfers this information to the microprocessor of the container. If a drill component is positioned correctly, it is simply transported further on towards the output area. If a drill piece is not positioned correctly however , the In-Sight informs the gripper who grabs it and positions it correctly so it can continue to the output area with the other pieces. This is a simple process but it requires reliable machine components because of the large numbers of parts being processed.

In-Sight - robust vision for a tough industrial environment

As in many other areas of the metal processing industry, machines must be robust in order to achieve required precision, reliability and to operate round-the-clock. The vibrations caused by mechanical conveyors, jolts from pneumatic systems and the dust in the production areas present quite a challenge to precision machinery. Vision systems from Cognex are built to be particularly robust so that quality standards are always maintained, even under the most difficult conditions. Equipped with die cast housings, lens protectors and M12 connectors with seals, they can withstand even the roughest industrial environments.

The indispensable tool

Today, the In-Sight 5000 family is indispensable for Schuster-Präzision because it guarantees high-quality production systems. General manager and company founder Helmut Schuster can no longer imagine his special machines without Cognex systems, “With Cognex, complete reliability, innovative technologies and excellent service allow us to meet our quality standards 100% of the time and allow us to plan our business effectively. Another benefit is that In-Sight can be operated simply and reliably.”

Bottle crown and cap inspection

100% fault detection on high-speed bottle crowning line

Integrating a user-friendly vision sensors into a multiple-product bottle crowning line provides a simple solution to fault detecting for leading Australian brewery.

Tooheys currently produces more than 300 million liters of beer annually from its Lidcombe-based brewery in Sydney’s west. Any company operating in a production critical industry on this scale knows just how damaging undetected product defects can be to business and understands the true value of an effective product defect inspection system. At Tooheys, two product lines running multiple bottled products are required to make frequent product changes – often in the course of a 24-hour period. With each product change requiring a change in bottle crown or cap incorrect bottle crowning can occur. Add to this a line speed running at 1200 bottles per minute and it is easy to see why a fast and reliable defect inspection solution was necessary to satisfy Tooheys’ stringent quality controls.

A high-tech solution for high-speed production
Machinery Automation & Robotics’ (MAR) approach to the bottle crowning inspection project at Tooheys was simple. Use advanced technology to create a user-friendly solution. The Cognex Insight 5400 vision sensor was selected for its speed and interface ability, its capacity to detect defects in any 360-degree orientation and its robust design – the system undergoes regular wash downs. And the ability to make changes to the threshold determining acceptance of variable product qualities – detecting scratches, water blobs, misprints or print faults, for example – means that the defective product rejection accuracy rate of the Cognex Insight vision system is extremely high.

The vision system at work
Two Cognex Insight 5400 vision sensors are installed on Tooheys’ AB2 bottling lines, each inspecting for correct crown placement on the product selected. Product selection itself is achieved simply via a touch screen/HMI. The camera is mounted on an adjustable post, specifically designed to allow for bottle height variations. Upon product selection the camera is simply moved up or down to maintain a camera focal length of 125mm from the top of the bottle crown. Along with the camera itself, the mounting bracket houses a DOAL lighting system, used to emit a red light on to the crowns. The red-cut lens cover filters out ambient light, resulting in a highly accurate image being captured by the camera.

All controls for the vision sensors are wired back to the line’s main electrical panel. Within the panel lies the power supply for the DOAL lighting system and the Insight cameras. The panel also houses the I/O module. This module interfaces with the vision sensor and the PLC, allowing product changes to be loaded into In-Sight and output changes to be relayed to the reject mechanism. Consequently, if an incorrect crown is detected the bottle is rejected further down the line via a delayed signal sent from the PLC. For ease, the cameras can be monitored via an Ethernet connection back to a local PC. Program changes can also be made at this point with the Cognex Insight Explorer software, making new product changes very simple.

Working together for independence
By adopting a strong teamwork approach to this project MAR has designed and engineered a vision sensor solution employing user-friendly software, which Tooheys is able to fully operate independently. Acting in an advisory capacity MAR provided assistance with the initial integration process enabling Tooheys’ staff to undertake the vision system installation autonomously. Comprehensive training provided to Tooheys’ staff by MAR on software installation, programming and modifications, bottle crown changeover processes, and basic operational procedures for the Cognex Insight vision systems package has allowed Tooheys to undertake subsequent unit installations and programming.

Adding up the benefits
Addressing the issue of defect detection on high speed, multiple product production lines with a simple yet effective integrated vision system solution has provided Tooheys with many benefits including:
• An integrated vision system including electrical and mechanical design, software and functional design, vision I/O interface to PLC, installation, modification and on-line commissioning
• A user-friendly vision system solution and comprehensive training package enabling independent installation, programming and operation by the client
• An effective partnership of world-leading Cognex vision technology and MAR’s extensive vision system integration experience
• Expertise in lens, lighting and camera selections
• A robust and reliable vision system designed for high-speed lines

Technology at work for Tooheys
• The control system features a Siemens S7 PLC and uses software code and field sensors to detect product to be inspected by the vision sensors and provide relevant outputs to operate the reject mechanism
• Two high-speed outputs are standard with the vision system.
• The interface between the Cognex Insight 5400 cameras and the Siemens PLC is via a Cognex I/O module and a field cable link. The I/O module then inputs to the Siemens PLC in the same panel
• A single Cognex Insight 5400 camera inspects multiple defects in one image capture and recognition process at the above line speed
• The recognition tools available with the Cognex Insight Vision system detect incorrect, damaged or misprinted bottle crowns in any 360-degree orientation at typical line speeds
• Custom selected lighting solutions provide adequate lighting for each inspection station and remove ambient light changes adversely affecting the visual inspection process
• The Cognex Insight vision system has a high wash down rating IP67

Bottling line upgrade for defect elimination

Bottling inspection guaranteed by Cognex Checker

The automation solutions deployed in the Ottakringer Brauerei AG, Vienna, demonstrate the effectiveness and attractive cost/performance ratio of the Cognex ‘Checker 101′ sensor. Their inspection stations are now able to guarantee that beer crates and boxes of canned beverages contain the correct amount of product.

Check it with Checker!
Customer satisfaction is a decisive factor in face of tough competition in the brewery business. Ottakringer Brewery needed to guarantee packaging units contained the full number of defect-free products, as a quality measure to prevent customer complaints. The second-largest Austrian brewery was able to make significant production and quality improvements while reducing costs by using the intelligent ‘Checker 101′ high-speed sensor from Cognex. Image-based sensors are increasingly taking over the tasks previously performed by standard sensor technology. In this brewery, intelligent sensor technology benefited production lines and sales and also proved to be an important factor for the company’s activities in the competitive contract bottling market.

Quality and quantity ensured by smart sensor technology
The main priority of the brewery’s maintenance department is the inspection of beer crates and boxes of cans to ensure they contain the correct amount. Ottakringer contacted the image processing department of Cognex partner Schmachtl GmbH. The brewery’s production automation needs and priorities were established by the Schmachtl team. These tasks are performed successfully by ‘Checker 101′, the vision sensor solution from Cognex. In order to allow the brewery to develop an in-house solution, Schmachtl provided a test unit and specialist advice giving the maintenance team the flexibility to set up the checking station themselves. The ease of installation and operation as well as the simple programming of the system using a laptop computer proved significant advantages. The brewery was able to start automatically inspecting the boxes of beverage cans for in January 2006. The procedure involves passing each box along a running conveyor belt equipped with the Checker sensor to determine whether it contains 24 correctly inserted cans before the box is shrink-wrapped.. The results of the check are transferred directly to the production control system. Production flow is improved and batch production statistics are easily obtained.

Fast and scalable: from cans to crates
Their positive experiences with the checking system for boxes of cans encouraged the maintenance department introduce the solution to further applications. The next step was to introduce a completeness check on the beer crates. This inspection method needed to be replaced with a more modern, more flexible and more reliable checking technology. In the past, a complicated system technology using many individual sensors was used. The in-house maintenance department decided to use ‘Checker’ in February 2006 and the job was complete by March. The simple, space-saving design proved to be of great benefit, meaning that no fundamental changes to the conveyor line were required. Checker inspects the beer crates on the running conveyor belt to check they have the correct amount. Checker can also differentiate whether the bottles have light or dark tops thus performing an extra quality inspection on the bottling line. The intelligent sensor automatically adjusts to the respective product determining whether an 18, 20 or 24 bottle crate is on the line. The operating staff do not have to modify the checking station when changing the job type. The checking station now operates on a two to three-shift basis and reliably inspects beer crates at a rate of approximately one per second. Integration of Checker into the control technology of the production system was easy due to the standardized interface. Checker also causes the production belt to stop automatically if a fault is registered.

Operating staff are able to program new jobs quickly and easily at any time using a laptop. With the new “Train and Go” capability, new characteristics can be programmed into a sensor even without a PC. When the job type on the production line is changed, the Checker can automatically switch over to as many as 16 different sensor configurations in real time. As a result, this checking station still possesses significant flexibility potential in terms of product range and characteristic selection.

Internal success shows on the outside
An intelligent solution that means quality improvements are clearly noticeable right down to customer level ultimately contribute to an improved company image and the brewery is already checking the possibility of additional applications.
Checker – facts and figures

· Compact, independent all-in-one solution
· Small and robust, protection class IP67
· simple configuration and installation
· Integrated LED illumination and lens
· Analyses up to 500 images per second
· Direct process integration (no PLC required)
· No external trigger necessary
· Industrial I/O interface
· Integrated USB 2.0 interface
· 24 VDC operating voltage
· “Train and Go” capability
· Dimensions: 53.2 x 129.2 x 45.9 mm

Checker Application Summary

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