Micro-Epsilon UK, a precision sensor manufacturer, is presenting two in-process measurement systems for flat strip materials and injection moulding, called thicknessSENSOR and moldCONTROL, at Interplas, along with presentations from its technical experts.
The company's Product Manager for Sensors, Manfred Pfadt, is presenting the new innovations during a talk on the Interplas Introducing stage at 10.40am on Thursday 28th September.
Micro-Epsilon stand is providing its sensors experts for technical support and the interactive product demonstrations of the inline thermal imager for injection moulded parts, moldCONTROL - for detection of defects and quality fluctuations in injection moulded parts, including multi-layered or transparent moulded parts.
The system is well suited to large, complex, multi-layered or transparent moulded parts and can be easily retrofitted to existing injection moulding machines.
Present inspection methods rely on the human eye, vision systems and weighing, which cannot fully identify quality fluctuations until after they occur. By looking at the temperature of the parts as they leave the injection mould, moldCONTROL can detect any defective areas of the component or fluctuations in temperature that may indicate a quality issue. Weaknesses or thinning in a part can also be identified, which can be used to modify the mould tool design to improve the process. Many different defects can be detected including incomplete injected parts; temperature deviations in extruded parts; temperature fluctuations in the mould tool; temperature deviations of individual cooling circuits; low or fluctuating pressures; and missing pieces inside a moulded two-component part.
ThicknessSENSOR is an affordable compact thickness measurement system for strip, plate and film targets. The fully assembled system is immediately ready for use ‘out of the box’ and costs less than £10,000. The system is designed to bridge the gap between customers’ own self-build solutions and the high cost, large investment thickness measurement systems that involve commissioning by the supplier’s own engineers.
The fully assembled system comprises of a stable C-frame onto which two laser triangulation sensors are mounted. These sensors measure the thickness of strip, plate and film material such as plastics, metals, composites and fabrics. The compact controller integrated into the frame calculates thickness values and outputs these via analogue or digital (Ethernet, USB) interfaces.
For colour measurement, the stand features a range of non-contact systems, including the colorCONTROL ACS7000 – an inline high speed colour measurement system that measures the actual colour of the target by identifying coordinates in the colour space. The system can be set up to continually monitor a production process and output the colour measurement via Ethernet, EtherCAT or RS422. The system can also be taught ‘pass fail/limits’ and then output out-of-tolerance alarms using digital I/O. Existing applications include automotive paint inspection, colour measurement of car interiors, coloured glass, transparent film and sheet production, printing, packaging, medical technology, cosmetics, and in the processing of plastics, paper, veneer and textiles.
Other in-process measurement systems from Micro-Epsilon include its thicknessCONTROL family of C-frame systems that measure the thickness profile of plastic strip and sheet. These systems can be installed in plastic extrusion and calendar lines, providing reliable, high precision measurement results that create a basis for controlling the production process and product quality.
Other products for the plastics industry include reflectCONTROL, an in-process inspection system based on the principle of deflectometry, which analyses the reflections from smooth surfaces (including plastics), detects defects and marks these up automatically for quality control purposes.
The thermoMETER CTP7 is a non-contact infrared temperature sensor that operates at a wavelength of 7.9µm. This spectral range allows the sensor to measure accurately against thin plastic film materials such as PET, PU, PTFE and PA.
The company is inviting visitors to hear more about the equipment and technology on the Interplas Introducing Stage, on Thursday 28th September at 10:40am.