The new DeltaPac from SICK Automation allows reliable detection of objects within continuous flow production and packaging lines. Generally, packages have to be separated in order to count or detect them by means of photoelectric sensors. DeltaPac renders such separation – frequently implemented using elaborate mechanical systems installed in the conveyor section – a thing of the past.
What makes this possible is the patented Delta-S-Technology from SICK. Four PinPoint emitters and two receivers are combined with SICK’s SIRIC and distance measurement technology. The functional principle of DeltaPac relies on the edge contours of objects. In a gapless transition from one object to the next, the edges present a change in the reflective behaviour of the package surface, which is used to generate the output switching signals. Object contours with radii of up to 20 mm can be detected reliably and the high-precision evaluation characteristic of DeltaPac ensures detection of even the smallest changes in angle. In this way, users can dependably detect up to 200 000 packages per hour at speeds reaching 3 m/s.
Implications for the construction of packaging machines
DeltaPac detects objects travelling in push-push mode. This affords new options when designing packaging machines as it is possible to do without both the machine elements traditionally used for buffering and the mechanical systems that were responsible for separation. This saves cost and improves the spatial balance of the machine, resulting in a smoother product flow since packages no longer topple over and collisions are avoided. Machine downtimes, incorrect picks during package grouping and quality loss due to crashes are prevented. Added benefits are the positive effects on the packaging machine’s utilisation of time, energy and availability.
Whether the requirement be fast commissioning without adjustment or well-directed process optimisation by means of individual parameterisation, SICK has translated the demands by manufacturers of packaging machines into pre-configured devices. Installing, connecting and detecting are easy and the user does not have to deal with extensive operating instructions. The sensor variant featuring IO-Link makes it possible to parameterise according to operating conditions, e.g. for different packages.
For more information contact Jacque Dreyer, SICK Automation SA, +27 (0)11 472 3733, [email protected], www.sickautomation.co.za
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| www: | www.sick.com/za/en/ |
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