Speed up the production line, while improving product quality with automated error proofing.

They say, “timing is everything”. This catch-phrase has never been more true than for today’s production lines, where eliminating errors and processing products at break-neck speed means more dollars for your company. Balluff’s UltraFrame™ self-contained thru-beam and Sharpshooter® vision families in combination is one example of how sensors can work together to speed up the production line while improving product quality with automated error proofing.

■ High performance and adaptability at an economical price
■ Simple to install, setup and run
■ Top notch diagnostic capability

In this application, a C-shaped UltraFrame thru-beam sensor and a Sharpshooter vision sensor are used to inspect the medical vials after the capping process. As the vials pass through the beam of the UltraFrame, its output triggers the Sharpshooter upstream to take a picture of the vial and initiate inspection. This is done by using the built-in trigger input on the Sharpshooter. A backlight is necessary in creating higher contrast for the image, which helps the Sharpshooter inspect attributes with a higher degree of reliability.

During inspection, the Sharpshooter simultaneously verifies that the cap is present and is the correct cap. Live images taken during inspection are compared to a known “good” image that is stored in the memory of the sensor. The sensor compares the two images and determines pass/fail of the vial currently being inspected. The 360° Pattern Match Tool is used to locate the vial within the ROI then moves the inspection tool to align with the vial’s position. If the Brightness Tool detects the cap is present and is correct, the vial passes on to packaging. If the Brightness tool does not detect the cap, the vial is rejected.

Output logic is used to activate output 1 for pass and output 2 for fail.

In other applications using a similar setup the Sharpshooter verifies other product attributes such as liquid fill level in the vials. The output logic can then be used to determine which attribute failed and a different output is activated for each failure. This way the control system can direct the vial to separate reject stations, depending on the failure.

Part Number	Decription
Sensors
BGL 50A-005-S49	50mm, PNP, Pinpoint Red LED, UltraFrame sensor
BVS OI-3-051-E	8mm lens, PNP, Advanced series Sharpshooter
BAE LX-VS-HR100	100x100mm, red LED, Backlight
Accessories
BMS BS-M-D12-0250-03 BMS CC-P-D12-A-00 BMS RS-M-D12-0150-00 BMS CU-M-D12-A040-00	Mounting rod for BGL sensors Mounting rod cross connector, plastic Mounting rod, 150 mm length Mounting rod base
C04 ANT-00-PB-050MS BKS AD-05RJ45/GS180-05 C04 AEL-00-VY-050M	Vision: 5m cable, M12 8-pin shielded connector Vision: 5m cable, M12 4-pin to RJ45 jack Backlight: 5m cable, M12 8-pin connector
BAE PS-XA-1W-24-025-002	Power supply – 2.5A @ 24V DC