Many of the items that we purchase on a regular basis, such as 12-packs of bottled water, are sold in bulk. To ensure these items are securely packaged, Hartness International, a premier manufacturer of top-load case packers, provides high-speed shrink film technology as well as other packaging solutions. Hartness‘ GlobalShrink TFS is a highly precise, yet simple shrink-wrapping machine that collates containers into specific pack patterns, feeds any type and quality of fibreboard blanks, and then wraps the package in printed or unprinted shrink film, which is then sent to the shrink tunnel. It also offers a 30 minute tool-less change over, making it easy to switch products.
When Hartness needed a reliable solution capable of sensing various targets, including clear PET bottles for its GlobalShrink TFS machine, it turned to Sick. The solution Hartness selected had to be able to detect various packing material, clear objects, as well as shiny shrink wrap material, a challenging application to solve. Hartness chose the Sick W18 photoelectric sensor with background suppression because of its immunity to reflections from the shrink wrap, which can cause false trips and slow production time.
The W18 sensor has a custom ASIC that incorporates Sick’s proprietary OES3 technology. OES3 technology offers excellent background suppression and enables the sensor to ignore stray background reflections from the shrink wrap, which can cause false triggers. Hartness International also chose the KT5 contrast sensor for film registration detection. The KT5 offers a built-in bar graph display, superior optics, a variety of teach-in options and unique automatic selection of the three-colour LED light source. These features enable it to inspect and adjust parameters easily in the field. Also on the machine is the W11 photoelectric sensor with background suppression for detecting the presence or absence of containers and paperboard trays. The W11 offers a high level of immunity from ambient light and adjustable sensitivity. In addition, the Sick UM18 ultrasonic sensor is used for film diameter measurement for its GlobalShrink TFS system. The UM 18 is a non-contact sensor that offers a high level of measurement accuracy even on transparent objects, making it ideal for this application.
With the help of Sick’s sensors, Hartness’ shrink-wrapping machines ensure that products are wrapped in an efficient, flexible and quality manner. Hartness has been able to reduce production line down time and maximise efficiency.
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