At the PPMA (Processing & Packaging Machinery Association) Show at the NEC, Birmingham (25th September – 27th September 2018) Micro-Epsilon UK (stand E94) will showcase its full range of sensor technologies, including non-contact capacitive, eddy current and laser triangulation displacement sensors, as well as 2D/3D laser profile sensors, thermal imagers and colour sensors. The stand will also feature seven live sensor demonstrations:
Measuring strip and film thickness
thicknessSENSOR is an affordable, compact thickness measurement system for strip, plate and film targets. The fully assembled system is immediately ready for use ‘out of the box’ and costs less than £10,000. The system is designed to bridge the gap between customers’ own self-build solutions and the high cost, large investment thickness measurement systems that involve commissioning by the supplier’s own engineers.
Injection moulding temperature control
The moldCONTROL inline thermography system detects variations in quality by using a high speed, high resolution infrared thermal imaging camera. It records the entire component in up to six different views and examines it. The principle is simple: a thermoIMAGER TIM thermal imaging camera records the infrared radiation emanating from the mould and visualises it. The temperature distribution provides a quality statement about incorrect temperature control of the mould, malfunction of the tool temperature, visible geometry errors and hidden defects. On the stand, the demonstration involves the temperature measurement of plastic injection moulded LEGO bricks.
Two colour measurement systems
For those with a need to measure colour, the stand will also feature a demonstration of the colorCONTROL ACS7000, an inline high speed colour measurement system that measures the actual colour of the target by identifying their coordinates in the colour space. The system can be set up to continually monitor a production process and output the colour measurement via Ethernet, EtherCAT or RS422. The system can also be taught ‘pass fail/limits’ and then output out-of-tolerance alarms using digital I/O. Existing applications include automotive paint inspection, colour measurement of car interiors, coloured glass, transparent film and sheet production, printing, packaging, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and in the processing of plastics, food, paper, veneer and textiles.
Visitors can also see a demonstration of the new colorSENSOR CFO200, a colour recognition sensor designed for high precision true colour measurement in industrial applications. The sensors stand out due to their high colour accuracy, good reproducibility, high measuring rate and modern communications interfaces for easier network integration and Industry 4.0 capability. The CFO200 is suitable for a wide range of applications including colour sorting tasks in food packaging (e.g. crown caps and labels), colour inspection of interior parts in the automotive industry, recognition of colour marks in the printing industry, quality control in packaging, cosmetics, medicine and plastic products.
Sub-micrometer resolution controllers
The stand also features a demonstration of the IFC2421 and IFC2422 confocal controllers for distance and thickness measurement applications. Available in a single or a new dual-channel version, the sub-micrometer resolution controllers offer outstanding value for money with high accuracy, enabling the cost effective use of confocal measurement technology in high volume applications for machine builders, system integrators and continuous production environments. The new entry level confocal controllers are designed to offer a high resolution, high accuracy solution where alternative solutions such as laser triangulation and other optical measurement sensors are measuring at their limits. The controllers offer the high precision that comes with the confocal chromatic measurement principle yet at an affordable price.
Measuring gaps and edges
Also on the stand this year is a demonstration of the gapCONTROL non-contact laser profile scanner. This sensor is designed specifically for the measurement of gaps and edges. Users can quickly and easily set up and configure the scanner without requiring any specific knowledge or programming skills. Typical applications include measuring flushness, proximity, gap width and depth, height differences, centre position, angle, collision avoidance and overlapping edges. The latest additions to the gapCONTROL series, the 2611 and 2911, are even more compact and provide additional functionality including the ability to measure even smaller gaps.
Laser displacement sensors
Visitors can see a demonstration of the optoNCDT 1320 and optoNCDT 1420 laser displacement sensors. The speed, size, performance and ease of integration of these sensors is unrivalled in the market today. The sensors are suitable for a variety of medium-to-high volume applications in automation, machine building and systems integration, particularly where conventional laser sensors have reached the limits of their performance capabilities. The sensors are extremely compact, lightweight and so can be mounted in tight spaces on machines or other difficult-to-access locations. Designed for high precision, high speed, dynamic displacement, distance and position measurement applications, the sensors offer an adjustable measuring rate up to 4kHz and an excellent price-performance ratio, particularly for high volume OEM applications.
