21 May 1998: AGR International, Inc. of the USA has announced the release of its Hot End Trend Analyzer for the glass container industry.
The company says it is a camera-based inspection system whic…
21 May 1998: AGR International, Inc. of the USA has announced the release of its Hot End Trend Analyzer for the glass container industry. The company says it is a camera-based inspection system which includes hardware and software designed for use by hot-end operators to monitor the quality of ware going into the lehr. The system will identify defects such as birdswings, inclusions, stones, mould dope, oil marks, slug bottoms, and heel taps. Other visual defects such as blisters, large seeds, and grossly misshapen ware can often be detected. The Hot End Trend Analyzer also monitors diameter, height, and lean, and detects fallen or stuck ware. When desired, defective containers can be automatically rejected in the hot end, thereby reducing the load on cold-end inspection equipment. An important asset of this tool is that the display on the monitor retains pictures of the last few rejects which, according to the company, means that forming machine operators can have real-time information about the quality of the ware the IS machine is producing and therefore a high degree of confidence in the operation of the inspection system. The operator can in fact call up the stored images of the last three rejects to see the defects as recognized by the system. The system also displays cavity correlated information for each parameter for the last 100 containers produced by a cavity, giving the operator a picture of where problems are occurring. All components have been engineered to withstand the hot-end environment. The camera and light source of the Hot End Trend Analyzer are located a few feet downstream from the forming machine. The camera itself is contained in an industrialized housing to protect it from dust and dirt. A stainless steel shroud further protects the camera from radiated heat, while a fan inside the shroud provides cooling. The computer and monitor occupy an air-conditioned console, which can be located at a convenient spot in the hot end.