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Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

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February 2009 Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

High-speed packaging lines can run smoothly with the help of fast digital imaging systems using slow-motion technology to detect potential equipment problems that the naked eye cannot see. Even though a production line may not seem to be running at high-speed, individual operations, such as: filling; capping; sealing and cutting, may require precise adjustment and timing,

When it comes to setting up machinery and timing devices, a high-speed camera eliminates all of the guesswork. Users can see exactly what is going on. The camera records, typically, up to 4 seconds of video at 1000 frames/second, and can be set to record events that occur before, during or after a trigger. Timing is not critical – users can set up the camera to start recording, then when a fault occurs, press the trigger to record the previous 4 seconds.

Fastec’s TroubleShooter can play back images on the camera in a single step or can loop automatically in forward and reverse modes allowing operators to review an event or examine a single frame and target particular details. Other cameras can be connected to a computer via GigE or USB-2 cables.

On all high-speed cameras, the whole or a partial image sequence can be downloaded to a computer as an AVI file for later review or archiving, using viewing software supplied with the camera.

The ability to see, measure and understand events in slow or stop motion permits increased cost recovery, greater quality assurance and higher throughput.

Conventional video cameras (25 frames/second) give blurry and incomplete images of fast moving objects, since:

* The slow shutter speed blurs moving objects.

* The video lines on the picture are interlaced.

* Any event that takes less than 1/25 second will be missed.

Portable high-speed cameras provide clear, detailed, non-interlaced digital images at up to 16 000 frames/second using shutter speeds that can be set down to 1/20 of the frame time.

It does not take too many hours of packaging line downtime to pay for the camera. Its portability helps to pay it off faster – everything is built in. Unlike earlier cameras that were not as portable and cost a lot more, modern high-speed cameras are about the size of a regular, conventional camera. They can also be used to videotape images as a training tool, educating new personnel on how machines like a form/fill/seal system works.

Westplex markets a wide range of high speed cameras in South Africa, and has cameras available for rent on a daily basis.

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