Control closure packaging

At AB InBev, Provoost Automation provided vision systems to control packaging closure. We developed this system because the previous system was causing too many unwanted stoppages.

Several images were taken per package to check the closure. This caused a lot of processing time and it was still difficult to check which closure was correct and which was not. This vision system for checking package closure was not very user-friendly.

Thanks to new vision systems where the closure of a package is checked with only one image, there is a better overview per package. The most recent errors can be recalled to analyze and then correct sporadic errors. The new vision system always receives a fixed trigger from the machine, so the image is always taken at the same time. After the camera detects the correct location of the package, the control windows are placed in the right place.

Using the vision systems, the closure of the package is first checked at the top. It is checked that the three black areas are present, indicating that the hooks of the closure are correctly placed. A tab is inserted into the center of the package. The camera checks that this tab is properly inserted and folded over.

After the vision systems have checked the closure of the package, and everything is correct, the PLC receives a signal that causes the package to continue in the process. Are errors detected at the closure? Then the packaging is ejected. All this happens in just fifty milliseconds. Read here for more information.