Glass WorldWide > issue twenty seven 2010 Subscribe online at www.glassworldwide.co.uk22

buyers Guide> process control & inspection

deep roots, new shootsSteve Stimson informs us of an updated concept in automated on-line inspection

Global leadership in industry comes to those who under-stand their markets and

develop products that fill these markets’ needs. In the early days of automated on-line glass container inspection, Hartford-Empire (which later became Emhart Glass) and Powers Manufacturing became synonymous with market leadership.

On-line inspection for glass containers began in the mid-1940s with the introduction of a Hartford-Empire automatic finish detector machine, but it was the late 1950s when Whitney ‘Bud’ Powers established Powers Manufacturing and developed a portfolio of machines, that the production of automated online

glass container inspection began which revolutionised the industry.

The Powers Dual Head Gager, Check Detector and Combined Inspection Machine (CIM) quickly won acceptance in the industry as reliable, easy to set up and fast (up to 230 bpm) inspection solutions, becoming an industry standard for mechanical online inspection – there are still thousands of these devices in operation in glass container plants around the world.

Emhart Glass and Powers Manufacturing combined efforts in 1982 and went on to become a leading company in glass container process innovation and equipment solutions. The success of the Dual Head Gager, Check Detectors and CIMs is based on their robust mechanical design, reliable operation, simple functionality and repeatable performance but, as good as these machines are, line speeds, technology and the intense glass quality requirements are outpacing this simple, well-established design.

updatinG the oriGinalsThis year Emhart Glass will release two new product offerings that will build on the mechanical inspections of the past with new controls, electronics and handling. The Emhart Glass CIM and the new FleXinspect M will serve existing and new markets based on needs and budgets.

For those who want better inspection capability but not necessarily the sophistication provided by higher-end products such as those offered in the FleXinspect range of inspection equipment, the new Emhart Glass CIM is a low cost, fixed functionality offering that has the same robust in-line design with the newest electronics. Although the option list is limited, this machine will serve markets needing improved performance in a basic design.

The FleXinspect M is a low-cost rotary design machine with universal handling that provides the same increased inspection functionality as the CIM, but is capable of higher speeds and can be upgraded to add more inspections and rotate stations. The FleXinspect M outpaces the CIM in speed capability (over 300 bpm), additional inspection capacity and up to four rotate stations.

The new modulated check detection system, conventional MNR (Mold Number Reader), non-contact wall thickness and mechanical plug, dip and ring is offered as standard equipment on both the CIM and FleXinspect M. All electronics are easily accessible from the front of the machines and are housed in an industrial Nema 12 electronics enclosure with air conditioning.

in conclusionMore than half a century ago, the innovations of two companies combined to transform automated inspection for the glass container industry. These advancing technologies allowed manufacturers to replace outdated, inadequate manual inspection techniques with automated solutions that improved the quality of the inspections and the integrity of the packaged containers.

Today, products such as the Emhart Glass CIM and FleXinspect M are reliable, robust machines that are simple to use and easy to maintain, providing a solution for the standard glass container manufacturing industry at an affordable price. n

about the author:Steve Stimson is Manager, Inspection Product Management and Technical Service at Emhart Glass

Further inForMation:Emhart Glass, Clearwater (FL), USAtel: +1 727 535 5502fax: +1 727 532 8513email: webmaster@emhartglass.comweb: www.emhartglass.com

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