Marposs for the Glass Containers Industry
The Glass Containers Industry is currently experiencing a period of growth thanks, at least in part, to the ongoing campaigns against the use of plastics, both for ecology and health reasons, associated with the potential release of particles. In fact, glass is a non-toxic and inert material. It neither releases nor absorbs substances from the content, which also means that it does not affect its organoleptic qualities.
Marposs provides to the Glass Containers Industry, its extensive know how in metrology, acquired during 66 years of experience in highly demanding markets, such as the automotive and aerospace ones. Its strengths lie in a wealth of experience and worldwide sales and service network cooperating and supporting customers wherever they are.
Today, this Industry is undergoing an important technology evolution.
Many glass container manufacturers, even in the most technology advanced countries, still rely on manual instruments such as go/no go gauges and profile projectors to monitor their production process. This approach requires a lot of manpower, and does not allow to collect data and perform statistical analysis on them.
This technology gap will have to be reduced over the next few years.
Glass container manufacturers will have to deal with the increasing necessity to improve the efficiency of their production process.
Due to the high temperatures required to melt the glass and the considerable quantity of compressed air used when forming the containers, the manufacturing process involved is notoriously energy-intensive.
In addition to that, glass containers manufacturers will be required to guarantee an increasingly higher quality of their products.
Marposs products for the Glass Containers Industry
Marposs’ flagship product is VisiQuick: a flexible, automatic machine for dimensional and geometric inspection of glass containers on sample basis at the “cold end”. This modular system is designed to integrate multiple measuring stations, based on different technologies:
- optical with cameras for measuring the external dimensions;
- contact for measuring the mouth inside diameter and profile;
- load cell for weight measurement;
- ultrasonic for measuring the push-up, i.e. the concavity present on the bottom of some bottles, especially those used for sparkling wines and champagne;
- optical with a chromatic confocal sensor for measuring the wall thickness ;
- optical with laser and camera for measuring the external profile in the labelling area.
VisiQuick is used for an accurate, periodic inspection of production batches.
Measurements are performed on one sample for each mould mounted on the forming machine, and for each type of container in production.
The aim is to monitor the state of the moulds present on the machine and detect the presence of trends in the production process.
The operator loads the batch of containers to be measured onto the input conveyor belt.
The machine automatically handles and measures the containers, without the supervision of the operator.
Upon completing the measurements, containers are placed on the output conveyor belt.
Why choose VisiQuick
VisiQuick is a state-of-the-art tool allowing users to monitor the quality of their production process, in order to improve efficiency.
What’s more, VisiQuick is manufactured by Marposs, a company employing over 3,500 people, able to establish a partnership with its customers, listening to their needs and providing support and solutions to all their gauging necessities.
VisiQuick is modular.
The machine can be configured with just the optical measuring station with cameras or can integrate one or more optional stations (inside mouth diameter and profile, weight, push-up, wall thickness, labelling area profile). These optional measuring stations may be the object of future upgrades to the machine.
VisiQuick is flexible.
No job change is required on the machine when the container to be measured changes, irrespective of its size and shape.
This is a big advantage for manufacturers who produce hundreds of different types of articles.
VisiQuick can be customized.
Despite being a product, to all intents and purposes, VisiQuick may be also customised. For example, the lenses installed on the optical measuring station with cameras are selected according to the dimensions of the containers manufactured by the customer. The length of the input/output conveyors are designed based on the customers’ necessities.
Measurements algorithms may be customized based on the actual needs of the customer, in order to achieve the best correlation with the other gauging instruments used in the facility.
Marposs VisiQuick guarantees immediate benefits:
- Flexibility
- Modularity
- Quality
- Connectivity
- Customization
- Technical support
- Possibility of upgrades
VisiQuick can be perfectly integrated with production monitoring systems.
Software applications gathering data from all the gauging and testing equipment present inside the plant - the so-called “big data” - in order to carry out analysis and obtain information to be used to set-up and improve the manufacturing process.
The future position of Marposs in the Glass Containers Industry
Marposs is currently working on a robotised gauging machine, designed for the most demanding customers in terms of cycle time.
Another product under development is a cost effective semi-automatic bench, based on optical technology, to be used in the laboratory or close to the manufacturing line. It will meet the needs of price-sensitive customers, interested in the inspection of external dimensions only, without compromise on flexibility.
Despite having approached this Industry quite recently, Marposs has already gained an excellent reputation for quality, reliability and customer care.
The satisfaction of customers who, after purchasing a first machine, then buy a second, and even a third, and who also express the interest in other inspection systems, leads us to commit ourselves more and more to enlarge our products range.
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