Sensors & transducers Image courtesy of Fruitières Chabert
SenSorS take the biScuit
and so ideal for conveyor and packaging applications. An example application for the C23 is the food processing industry in biscuit production, where ‘shingling’ is a common technique.
C THE APPLICATION
In the food processing industry, shingling, or overlapped layering, is commonly used to optimise space utilisation during secondary packaging operations. Confectionery, sealed in gusseted bags
with predominantly triangular profiles, is packed in alternating, overlapping layers in preformed cardboard cartons. Once each carton is full, it passes to a case-sealing station prior to palletisation and dispatch. Pre-aligned bags of confectionery
before it goes into the cellar for maturing, the industrial director of the Chabert cheese dairy, underlines the importance of Fine-Spect’s expertise, “This installation will sometimes be subject to extreme conditions of use, for example, dismantling and daily cleaning using high pressure steam according to food industry standards. It is therefore essential that the equipment is robust and, at the same time, of the highest standard so that our technicians have no problem solving problems quickly. The work carried out by Fine-Spect using HBM’s FIT7A transducers is a source of efficiency and success.” For Fruitières Chabert, the individual weight of the
products is decisive. In this way, the sorting machine separates non-conforming weight products and gives the cheesemaker an exact overview of the day's production. A precise knowledge of the post production cheese weight is also an indicator of the draining process and allows control of the yields. Hottinger Brüel & Kjær offers innovative sensor solutions for each of these issues for each of these operations. The HBM brand has 70 years of experience and know-
how in the field of packaging line instrumentation and weighing and offers a globally recognised level of expertise and unique leadership in any industry. Fruitières Chabert is yet another example of a successful collaboration.
HBM (an HBK company)
www.hbm.com Instrumentation Monthly May 2021
arrive at the packing station in regularly spaced rows. At each station, a multi- axis pick-and-place packing robot lifts a row of bags, aligns it and lowers it into a preformed carton. Successive layers overlap each other, ensuring that space within the carton is fully utilised. Once the predetermined number of layers has been packed, the carton is conveyed to the sealing station. From time to time, one or more
incorrectly formed layers occur. Individual bags may be missing from a row on arrival at the packing station, or might be damaged or misaligned. A non- contact sensor is needed to sense the height of the top layer of bags, rejecting any defective cartons. It must be reliable and require minimal maintenance.
THE SOLUTION
Rugged photoelectric sensors with background suppression from the Contrinex C23 range are ideal for this application. A pinpoint red LED with a 10mm-diameter light spot at the maximum sensing range of 300mm ensures highly reliable detection of objects of almost any colour against light or dark backgrounds. These
ontrinex’s C23 photoelectric sensor family, available from PLUS Automation, is small but powerful
sensors are well suited to both the task and the environment. Immediately after packing, a single
sensor is mounted centrally above the conveyor. As each carton passes below on its way to the sealing station, the sensor detects the top surface of the packed bags. If the height of the top layer falls outside preset limits, the sensor triggers a reject mechanism that diverts the carton to a holding area for investigation. Mounted in 20mm x 30mm x 10mm miniature plastic housings, C23 photoelectric sensors are available with industry-standard PNP or NPN 3-wire or 4-wire output.
Connection to the customer’s
control system is via a PVC-sheathed cable with the choice of an integral M12 connector or a hermetically sealed entry. A second output provides a stability alarm in the event of reduced sensitivity, flagging the need for preventative maintenance before any performance degradation occurs. Locating sensors optimally is simple thanks to a custom-designed range of multi-position mounting brackets. An operating range between 15mm and 250mm accommodates a variety of carton sizes without any need to reposition the sensor. A simple electrical adjustment via an onboard potentiometer suffices, while remote adjustment via IO-Link, a standardised point-to-point serial connection protocol, is available as standard at no extra cost for PNP versions.
www.PLUSAx.co.uk
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