Heuft extends sidewall capacity of beverage crate inspection unit

Stephan Bachmeier, product manager at the quality assurance equipment manufacturer, speaking to BeverageDaily.com at the German event, said that the company upgraded its returnable crate evaluation equipment, LGX, to ensure inspection of several sidewalls was possible with one device.

He explained that unwanted and acceptable crate characteristics can be specifically pre-programmed by the operator.

“The unit can be programmed to permanently recognize and reject damage such as holes in the crate wall, chips in the recessed grip, contamination, scratches, label remains, unreadable markings and coding or non-brand colours and logo. ​

Faults which have been ‘taught in’ once remain saved in the system and all empty crates which deviate from the standard will be consistently rejected as the LGX learns and remembers the selection criteria made by the operator.”​

Positive attributes can also be pre-programmed, continued the manufacturer, with only the crates that correspond exactly to the template allowed to get through the grips.

LED illumination, new camera technology and the Heuft reflex image processing system are combined to provide easily readable high resolution images, states the supplier.

Bachmeier explained that the system marks faults independently and submits an initial assessment whether and with what probability these are real deviations. “It is then up to the operator, using the Heuft Pilot touch screen, to decide if such a crate warrants rejection or not.”​

However, if reject rates prove to high for a bottler and the company thus wants to adjust the parameters, the developer added that the operator can update the system, with an object previously characterised as being faulty on the sidewall subsequently being allowed to enter the product flow again.

The equipment manufacturer said that it is sufficient to send between 20 and 30 empty cases into the LGX in order to generate between 100 and 150 standard and faulty crate characteristics.

Bachmeier stressed at the Nuremburg show that what sets the German supplier apart is its reliance on its own systems and thus the ability to upgrade its machinery when the market demands it and not when leading software producers release new versions of their programmes than render previous obsolete.