Machine overview
The full bottle inspector "VFI" is an inspection unit and is used to detect fill levels, the presence of foam and the presence of caps on glass bottles that have already been filled. All inspection units work in transmitted light mode to ensure optimum image evaluation regardless of bottle and beverage colors.
This system can either be used on the conveyor belt after the filling machine or after an (existing) AMS swing stopper capping machine as a stand-alone inspection system, or it can be integrated into the overall concept of a new AMS swing stopper capping machine.
The inspection unit is mechanically height-adjustable via a handwheel.
suitable for:
Full bottles with
crown cork
screw caps
swing-top closures
twist-off caps
cork (glass, nature, etc.)
Functional description
The bottles on the conveyor belt are detected by trigger sensors in the infeed area of the full bottle inspector. A high-resolution camera system records images of the filled bottle while it is illuminated by a light source and compares them with the specified measured values. As soon as a bottle is detected as “bad”, a signal is sent to the bottle rejection system to reject the bad bottle onto a rejection table.
Functions
The fill level is determined by measuring the distance between the top of the bottle and the fill level foam line (for beer, mixed beer beverages and carbonated beverages) or the liquid level (for non-carbonated beverages).
A detection accuracy of 99.5 % is guaranteed for overfilling of 2 mm and underfilling of 2 mm.
The precise determination of foam presence in beer, mixed beer drinks and carbonated beverages is an important quality control step in beverage production. The foam presence can be determined by analyzing the light transmission. Denser foam structures allow less light to pass through, while looser foam appears more transparent.
Cap inspection is an essential part of quality assurance in the beverage industry. It is used to ensure that every bottle is correctly capped to guarantee product safety, hygiene and customer satisfaction. High-resolution cameras record the position and orientation of the cap. In this way, even missed or misaligned crown caps can be detected.
Bottle rejection system
The full bottle inspector can be combined with a bottle rejection system. This system is used to remove bad bottles from the production flow.