COMPLEX SANDWICH PROCESSING AIDED BY 'SMART' SENSORS
'Smart' sensors have become an essential component in many manufacturing
systems as the demand for ever more sophisticated automation
continues apace across a huge range of processing applications.
In many automated processes specific information is essential
to ensure the smooth running of systems, typically provided by
optical, inductive, ultrasonic sensors, or cameras. However,
a more versatile, lesser known alternative are smart 2D profile
sensors, such as the OXM 2D sensor, developed by sensing and
instrumentation specialists BAUMER.
A good example of where these smart sensors have proven to be
very effective is on a fully automated sandwich and filled rolls
production line at a German company Weber Maschinenbau. The company
specialises in developing slicing systems for food industry applications
and their latest production line accommodates over 70 sandwiches
rolling off the line every hour, perfectly topped with sausage
or cheese.
For this application, precise edge control, margins and positioning
data is essential to smooth operation, for example; what is the
exact position of the sandwich or filled roll on the belt? We
need to know its height and is the edge even? For example, the
robot in the roll section needs to know roll height and centre
(lengthwise and crosswise) and whether the roll may not be properly
aligned on the belt. Basically, can one sensor provide the entire
measured value calculation, and also deliver the calculated coordinates
correctly in the units (millimetres) required?
The OXM sensor delivers all this information thanks to integrated
measurement and evaluation functions. In other words, the entire
measured value calculation is provided by the sensor including
the calculated coordinates in millimetres - as specifically required.
The sensor also measures the bread height and every edge to calculate
the centre of the roll which enables suction pads to gently lift
off the finished product without causing damage.
On the sandwich line, the sensor also determines the lateral
position and height of the sausage and cheese slices on the belt
allowing the gripper to position the slices accurately on the
bottom half of the sandwich. Weber Maschinenbau exploits this
functionality not only on its sandwich lines but also on the
slicers that cut and portion cold cut optimally prepared for
packaging. Here, the sensors deliver the position data required
for precisely aligned slices of salami, ham or cheese, which
is essential for allowing the finished product to always be placed
in the same position in the packaging process.
Marco Nichau, Head of Automation at Weber Maschinenbau commented,
"It's important for us that we don't have to spend too much
time and effort in integrating sensors and because the OXM sensor
transmits all the position information directly to the machine
controller we don't need an additional controller, saving space
and reducing costs". He added, "As the sensor is very
compact and easy to connect, we were able to parameterise it
via the intuitive web interface. Furthermore, its ideal for the
sandwich line as its performance is unaffected by variations
in surfaces and ambient light. These factors, combined with excellent
support and response from Baumer, were the key factors in our
choice".
The latest versions of these smart 2D profile sensors are compact
and lightweight with simple connectivity using a single cable
via IO-Link, Ethernet and more. They provide measurement ranges
of up to 500mm with a field view of up to 300mm and operate with
a precision of up to 5µm. These features make the sensors
ideally suited to height checks of assembly parts, control and
positioning tasks in robotics, such as position checks of feeder
parts for pick-and-place applications, or gap checks in automotive
manufacturing.
More Information >>
About
Baumer Ltd:
Baumer Ltd is part of a family owned company which operates on
a global scale employing around 2400 people in 38 subsidiaries
across 19 countries Worldwide. Baumer is acknowledged as a leading
supplier of sensors, encoders, measuring instruments and components
for automated image processing. Baumer is your partner for, Food
& Beverage Sensing, Food & Beverage Processing, Assembly
and Handling, Material Handling, Encoders and Motion Control
Solutions.
For
more information, please contact:
Jon Sumner
Baumer Ltd.
33 / 36 Shrivenham Hundred Business Park, Majors Road, Swindon,
UK, SN6 8TZ
Tel: +44 1793 783839
Email: sales.uk@baumer.com Website: www.baumer.com
January
2024
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