MechChem Africa January 2018

Leveraging experience to provide sensor

Product packaging today shows the dynamics and bandwidth of the variety of packaging technologies. Countapulse Controls employs Leuze’s range of optoelectronic sensors manufactured using concepts aimed at improving speed, accuracy and performance in the packaging line. The company also leverages the years of hands-on experience and expertise of its technical staff to provide informed choices and service to customers.

C ountapulseControls offers a broad range of optoelectronic sensors, which have been developed to ensure packaging lines operate at peak cost efficiency to thepackaging industry. Made by the respected German instrumen- tation manufacturer Leuze Electronic, the sensors arepurpose-designed for the feeding, packing, dosing, detecting, labelling, sealing and other operations that go into themakeup of any packaged product. Countapulse Controls’ managing direc- tor, Gerry Bryant, points out that the variety of materials used for packaging, as well as the surface properties and the specialised printing used in the industry require the highest standards of instrumentation and machinery: “Modern, high-production packaging uses cutting edge technology, and sensors applied to these applications have to be capable of meeting the demanding requirements,” he says. Leuze is one of the leading developers and manufacturers of optoelectronic systems, which use light in various spectra for sens- ing, monitoring and controlling products

and equipment in the production line. This includes standard optoelectronic sensors, colour sensors, label detectors and sensors for workplace safety. Also in the range are sensors for foil and glass detection, CCDsen- sors,forkedphotoelectricsensorsandsensors for differentiating between glass and PET. These can be effectively applied to hasten and improve quality control in any number of processes. In feeding and conveying, for instance, solid granules, loose goods, paste products, fluids or mixed items are transported, accumulated and passed on. Optoelectronic sensors are used to posi- tion products on conveyors, recognise their shapes, measure them for filling and sealing and even check the quality of printing and labelling. “Themanyways used to package products nowadays showthe dynamics and bandwidth of the various packaging technologies. Leuze has expended considerable research and de- velopment effort in producing its range of op- toelectronic sensors, using concepts aimed at improving speed, accuracy and performance in the packaging line,” Bryant says.

The complexity anddepthof sensors avail- able on the market can be confusing, and for this reason Countapulse Controls often as- sists customers in evaluating an application for either the fitment of new sensors or the retrofit of replacement units. “While the Leuze sensor range is broad enough to offer units of the right type and size for virtually any operation in the line, we have found that in some instances we have sourced alternative sensor solutions for the customer,” he says. This, he explains, is not unusual at all and with thedepthof expertise that resideswithin Countapulse Controls it is easy to apply best practice sensor technology to an application. Countapulse Controls reports that Leuze cylindrical sensors offer a higher mechanical strength than standard sensors. Engineered for particularly arduous conditions, the Leuze 328 series sensor is based on the optical plat- formof thewell-known standard Leuze 318B series, however, this new device features a metal sleeve in the housing. The operational sensors available in the new Leuze cylindrical series, which range from through-beam photoelectric sensors to retro-reflective photoelectric sensors to light scanners with sensitivity adjustment via teach button, are designed with the op- tion of either a cable or plug connection. An Cylindrical sensors for higher strength

The Leuze RK46C-VarOS retro-reflective photoelectric sensor is able to detect objects over an operating range of 0.4 to 5.2 m, with a light bandwidth of 45 to 50 mm.

28 ¦ MechChem Africa • January 2018