MEDICAL DEVICES & EQUIPMENT u PLUS AUTOMATION Contrinex Analogue Photoelectrics are
‘vial’tal in checking test-tubes of blood When designing an automated handling system for picking and placing test-tubes of blood, a manufacturer of automated laboratory equipment needed to ensure the vials were orientated the correct way around
P
art of an in-vitro diagnostics system, the reliability, long operating distance and high resolution of Contrinex’s LRS-3030
Reflex Analogue Photoelectric sensors are trusted to detect the orientation of the vial and that a cap is fitted.
CUSTOMER APPLICATION To automate the placement of small test tubes into carrier racks, test tubes are picked from a conveyor. The vials must be placed into the racks the right way up, with the cap uppermost. A feed conveyor aligns the test tubes, but at this stage, they are presented in one of two orientations, with the cap coming before or after the rest of the vial. The shape and material of the test tubes
make measuring them difficult because they are round, transparent and filled with liquid in varying quantities, with indistinct contours and a lack of planar surfaces. Camera-based identification systems or profile scanners were considered to be too expensive and the customer wanted a solution that was both economical and reliable.
CUSTOMER SOLUTION A lightweight lever is used to trace the contour of the test tube as it passes beneath it on the conveyor. The side of the lever facing the photoelectric sensor provides a consistent planer surface, which helps ensure reliable distance measurement of the lever, as it rises and falls, tracing the tube’s profile. The sensor detects the fitted cap because it
has a diameter 2mm larger than the test tube. Therefore, the machine’s PLC polls the sensor’s analogue value every 20 ms to determine the position of the larger cap mathematically. Based upon this, the machine rotates the test tube if required, so that all vials are placed into the rack correctly.
The automation will pause the conveyor if it detects a test tube without a cap, because it did not see the increased deflection in the lever from the cap’s larger diameter. Integrating the analogue output from the sensor to the PLC is simpler, quicker and so lower cost than using a vision or profiling system. The reliability of the Contrinex photoelectric sensor enables an automated system which inserts one test tube, correctly oriented, into the carrier rack, every second.
Product advantages •
28 April 2023 Irish Manufacturing Economic. Fast and absolute reliability;
www.irish-manufacturing.com
•
• •
•
Non-contact operation to avoid mechanical wear;
Excellent performance in a small size;
Robust, offering high OEE and a long service life; and
Large operating distance and signal resolution.
PLUS Automation is the importer and
representative for Contrinex in the UK. It aims to help engineers and designers #MakeSenseofSensors to improve automation and machine performance using inductive, machine safety, photoelectric, pressure, process, RFID and Ultrasonic sensors from Contrinex, ReeR & Satron.
PLUS AUTOMATION
https://plusautomation.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42
