ACL container inspection: Simply covering everything!
Inspecting ACL empties all around without any blind areas is a real challenge. We at HEUFT face it right from the start.
Modular systems from the HEUFT InLine II series not only make it possible to check whether empty bottles or jars really have Applied Color Labels (ACL) on them. As befits genuine ASEBIs they now also make a sidewall inspection possible which covers all the areas between such branded labels without gaps.
And brand new is the special optics that precisely inspect each individual ACL itself to identify, among other things, cracks, tears, scuffing, inclusions, contamination, misprints, non-brand labelling, logos and colouring in that area.
From ACL detection to ACL quality inspection
This ACL quality inspection is the latest stage in a continuous innovation process for full detection reliability in empty container inspection. The pure presence check has been working for a long time. In the second step it was then a question of making the inspection of the container walls as complete as possible by using the colour and shape information of the ACLs to completely or partially hide them during the image processing by means of filters based on artificial intelligence and thus to considerably extend the area which can be inspected: HEUFT reflexx A.I. makes it possible!
However, verifying the ACL presence and examining everything around it for safety risks and quality defects was still not enough for us. This is why we have further developed our detection technologies so that the HEUFT InLine II IS empty bottle inspector, for example, can now also examine the ACL area itself completely and with high precision. A total of four HEUFT reflexx A.I. cameras including a specially further developed incident light illumination have been integrated into the two cabinets for the sidewall inspection of the system for this purpose.
Complete inspection of all surfaces – including the ACL area
This now makes it possible to generate four views of the bottles or jars which are conveyed through the linear inspection system in an unoriented manner. These views are then assembled and centred in real time by our smart HEUFT reflexx A.I. image processing system in such a way that the front and back of each individual container – and therefore also each ACL – can always be completely viewed and inspected. To achieve this, there is no need for productivity-blocking gaps between the individual containers; they are conveyed through the unit close together. Thus, an all-surface inspection without blind spots is finally ensured sustainably.
So whether it is checking their presence, their targeted blanking for full coverage during the sidewall inspection or the precise quality inspection of Applied Color Labels: HEUFT really has it!
