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Inline and offl ine use with the new PreWatcher 4

The next step in preform inspectionNo blind spots in the quality control-up to 100,000 tested preforms per hour and orderly outlet for further processing. These are some of the highlights of PreWatcher 4, the new preform inspection system from Intravis GmbH presented at the NPE show 2018.

With the new adjustment concept, which eliminates the need for any change parts, it is now possible to set the PreWatcher 4 to a new type within a few minutes, and therefore not lose valuable time by long conversion.

Speaking of time savings: One can also achieve this with a test perfor-mance of up to 100,000 preforms per hour. “Currently, the PreWatcher 4 is the fastest, turnkey inspection system for preforms on the market,” reports Klaus Schönhoff proudly. With all these features, the PreWatcher 4 is an optimal solution for offl ine use, states Intravis.

Inline use also possible

While the PreWatcher 4 was designed with the idea of offl ine use in mind, it can also be used inline, i.e. in front of a SBM machine. Again, this system has some innovations to offer.

The most important novelty in this context: an outlet rail, which, for the fi rst, allows an orderly and direct further processing of the preforms after the test. So what is offered in addition to a hardware saving is that downstream handling accessories are no longer necessary. This benefi t also offers time saving possibilities since the preforms no longer need to be stored and transported.

The PreWatcher 4 can also be inte-grated very fl exibly. Intravis offers the system as standard with a correspond-ing feeder. However, the company emphasises that their system can also be used with any other preform feeder on the market. Customers therefore have the freedom to choose whether

“If one of the world’s largest bever-age bottlers comes to you and says he’d like to have a new preform inspec-tion system, then you’ll just ask when it’s needed,” Gerd Fuhrmann, CEO of Intravis GmbH, says, as he describes the fi rst steps taken towards the Pre-Watcher 4. The Aachen, Germany-based provider of vision inspection systems, which is one of the world market leaders with its systems for quality control of plastic packaging, caused quite a stir at this year’s NPE. Many innovations and, above all, the focus on delivering added value to the customer, have also been very popular.

No blind spots

What makes PreWatcher 4 differ-ent from other systems on the market Mr Klaus Schönhoff, CTO of Intravis explains it this way: “First of all, we have no blind spots in the test. We have always kept it this way. We think that a 100 % inspection has to mean that you are really testing the complete preform.This,” says Schönhoff, “can

be achieved by resorting to innovative possibilities during the transport. The 17 cameras in total, of which 13 check in colour, therefore consistently have an optimal view of the preform.”

“The increasing use of opaque preforms worldwide, for example for milk bottles, has also been taken into account,” said Schönhoff. Thanks to a switchable illumination one can switch between white and infrared light – the PreWatcher 4 is able to test trans-parent, strongly coloured and also opaque preforms. This makes it the fi rst inspection system that can control opaque preforms inline.

Benefi ts of offl ine usage

Furthermore, the setting concept has changed and thereby a short changeover time is achieved. Dr Gerd Fuhrmann reports from practical expe-rience “In offl ine mode, an inspection system is often used to sort stock. It can happen that you drive several dif-ferent types of preforms within a day.”

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to buy a new feeder or use an existing feeder to save money.

Collecting reference sam-ples also makes PreWatcher 4 easier. Thanks to the installa-tion of a second ejector unit, the tedious search of good parts can be eliminated. If the fi rst station is always used to sort out the parts qualifi ed as faulty, then the second station basically has various possible uses. Most important, how-ever, is certainly the collection of reference samples.

And what about the meg-atrend Industry 4.0? The Pre-Watcher 4, like all Intravis sys-tems, is also future-proof and Industry-4.0-ready. By using standardised interfaces, it can be easily integrated into existing lines and provides quality-rele-vant information for improving and stabilising the processes.

Conclusion

And how satisfi ed was the customer, one of the world’s largest beverage bottlers? “By the end of March 2018, the system had arrived at the cus-tomer site. And after the fi rst months in action, the customer is absolutely thrilled,” says Gerd Fuhrmann. “And we are also very satisfi ed. With all the innovations for inline and offl ine use, we can safely claim that we’ve achieved our self-imposed goal: The Pre-Watcher 4 is the next step in the preform inspection!”

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The new PreWatcher 4 - the next step in the preform inspection

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Three questions for Dr Gerd Fuhrmann, CEO of Intravis GmbH

PETplanet: How was the NPE show 2018?

Fuhrmann: “NPE 2018 was a huge success for Intravis. We generated hundreds of leads from our booth as well as from our partner booths at Engel and Sumitomo-Demag. Activity was high – we fi nalised purchase orders for fi ve systems during the show, including inspection systems for bottles, preforms and closures (our major markets).”

PETplanet: You displayed a new preform inspection machine – the Pre-Watcher 4. How was the resonance?

Fuhrmann: “The PreWatcher 4 was the highlight of our display. Customers were really intrigued by such a compre-hensive number of inspections available within an affordable system requiring no change parts. One customer gave us a letter of intent to purchase immediately after seeing the system and followed-up with an order the next week. A number of projects became active and are expected to evolve into business in the third quarter.”

PETplanet: Where do you see potential for inspection in the Ameri-can market?

Fuhrmann: “Our major Ameri-can customers continue to invest in equipment to inspect bottles, closures, preforms and decorations, with no slowdown in sight. The market where

we expect the most growth to emerge near term is preform inspection. The major suppliers are planning invest-ments for lab, offl ine sorting, and inline inspection equipment.”

www.intravis.de

F.l.t.r.: CEO Dr Gerd Fuhrmann and Scott Heins, Director of Sales & Marketing atIntravis, in front of the new PreWatcher 4 at NPE 2018.