The early detection of dangerous trends

Aug. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- Diagnosis successful – patient dead!  It does not help anybody if the results are only available when it is too late.  In fact illnesses should be diagnosed as early as possible.  This is the only way to have enough time to react and to avert the worst case.  This applies to medicine as well as to the technical sector.  The ageing process also leaves its mark on machines.  Consequently the detection reliability of inspection systems can gradually diminish – for example as a result of adverse ambient conditions and wear and tear.  Dirty or scratched protective screens on optical modules are typical examples of this.

Such losses in inspection quality must be detected early enough.  Tens of thousands of containers may have to be put into quarantine if this only happens when a standard test bottle run has not been fulfilled – the risk of the fault slipping in shortly after the last successfully completed check is too great.  In addition there is the threat of standstills and costly production downtimes.  The patented test bottle analysis, which only the HEUFT InLine empty container inspectors (see: http://www.heuft.com/en/heuft-inline-leerflascheninspekti...) have to offer, can remedy this.  The optional tool which can be integrated requests very specific containers, at short intervals, to check whether the selectivity of the inspection is still guaranteed.  The results are documented for each individual detection area.  Quarantine measures are no longer necessary because a drop in performance is already found before critical limit values are undershot.  Production does not need to be stopped immediately either.  This not only saves valuable time but also money.

Classifying losses in inspection quality exactly

It is sufficient to simply teach in two analysis bottles to a new or recently serviced HEUFT InLine in order to form the reference values of a hundred per cent inspection quality.  They are prepared so that typical foreign objects, contaminants and damage in the base, sidewall, finish and thread areas of the empty containers as well as possible oil, varnish or lye remains contained therein are simulated.  Both analysis bottles are continually added in regular, freely configurable intervals whilst production is in progress.  In the course of this the number and the type of each identified fault is always compared with the stored reference value.  Consequently losses in detection performance can be precisely determined and exactly classified:  if the quality of the inspection is close to the reference value it is evaluated as "good" - the test bottle check is considered to be fulfilled.  However if it falls below a certain level the preventive warning message "maintenance recommended" is displayed on the HEUFT PILOT user interface.  On the other hand "maintenance required" means that the detection reliability has suddenly worsened severely due to external influences so that product safety is no longer guaranteed.

Only then is a switch-off pulse triggered in order to prevent empty containers, which have not been sufficiently inspected, from entering production and becoming a safety risk to the consumer.  The detection performance still suffices completely in all other cases; costly production line stops and complex quarantine measures are not necessary.  Maintenance can wait and be carried out when the line in question is not running anyway.  Specifically cleaning the detection modules often suffices in order to restore the full detection performance.  The HEUFT TeleService (see: http://www.heuft.com/en//service-engineer_206.html)provides help for self-help should in-depth measures be required.  Otherwise spare parts and on-site visits by experienced HEUFT technicians can be requested in good time.  The results of the check can be transferred to a PC via DDE and SQL connections, can be sent as an email and linked to production data acquisition systems such as the HEUFT PROFILER elemental (see: http://www.heuft.com/en//new-pda-tool-increased-efficienc...) in order to fulfil important documentation and archiving obligations.

Qualitative assessment of the detection reliability

The advantages of the prevention tool exclusively available at HEUFT are obvious:  in contrast to conventional methods losses in inspection quality are already identified before they are detrimental to the safety of the product and the efficiency of a complete production line and cause enormous costs.  Whether base, sidewall, thread or finish:  all the detection areas are completely covered with only two analysis bottles.  The patented procedure provides a qualitative assessment of the functionality of each individual inspection unit whereas standard test bottle logs merely offer yes / no statements whether a fault to be detected is also actually detected.  The precise analysis makes trends recognisable early on which not only ensures the highest standards of safety but also maximum efficiency and sustainability.

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HEUFT SYSTEMTECHNIK GMBH is the leading manufacturer of a wide range of innovative autom-tion solutions for the food, beverage and healthcare industry. Besides devices for the quality assurance and quality control of empty and full containers the product portfolio includes high-performance labelling machines and conveyor systems as well as applications for precise line analysis. HEUFT is a real global player with locations in 14 different countries and a comprehensive network of distribution companies, service companies and agencies embracing the whole world as well as local service tech-nicians. Time and cost saving remote maintenance of the HEUFT systems is possible via the Internet with the HEUFT TeleService at any time. The service technicians have the full operator guidance for the respective device as well as comprehensive online diagnostic and repair tools available all over the world. HEUFT ... knows how. For further information: http://www.heuft.com