Packaging: Primary Packaging
Flexible packaging automation support growing customer needs
All around the world, consumer packaged goods (CPGs) are made available in a broad range of packaging styles, materials, sizes and shapes.
A single beverage producer may offer their drinks in multiple sizes of PET bottles, 2-liter plastic containers, or small folded paper cartons. Drinks can be powdered and sold in multi-serve ridged plastic containers or single serve flexible packets. They can even be sold as a gel and packaged in stand-up pouches. All these variations require flexible packaging machinery and automated quality controls. Banner Engineering supports packaging automation and diversity by offering a comprehensive collection of intelligent sensors to thoroughly inspect products and packaging and for flow and process control purposes.
Applications
Tracking Products through Packaging
Barcodes used to track packaged produce through the supply chain contain important product information that must be verified at multiple points during packaging. An ABR 3000 barcode reader ensures that the barcode on each package is present and correct.
Reading Multiple 1D and 2D Barcodes
Barcode position can change with the location of each box on a conveyor and the height of the boxes can vary. An ABR 7000 barcode reader decodes multiple 1D and 2D barcodes over a large area in a single inspection, regardless of position or orientation.
Label Alignment Inspection
As each salad dressing bottle leaves the label station, an iVu Series vision sensor, configured to use the Match tool, inspects the label, comparing it to a preconfigured reference image to ensure that the label is present and has been correctly applied.
Depalletizer Guarding with Muting
LS light curtains are intuitive, easy-to-use safety devices used for machine safeguarding. They are built to withstand challenges commonly found in manufacturing and packaging environments. LS-S models require no PC software, DIP switches, or other devices for quick, easy configuration. Highly visible alignment indicators and intuitive diagnostics simplify setup, facilitate troubleshooting, and minimize system downtime.
Featured Products
Q4X Series Rugged Laser Distance Sensor
Rugged Q4X laser distance sensor solves many challenging applications and comes in a rugged IP69K rating with FDA food grade stainless steel housing.
WLS27 Shatterproof LED Light for Harsh Environments
Fully encased in shatterproof, chemically resistant housing. Rated IP69K for washdown. Multiple color options combine illumination and indication.
QS30 Series High-Performance Long-Range Sensor
High power sensing with ranges up to 200 m, e/m relay output models available.
XS26 Series Expandable Safety Controllers
Expandable for complex safety applications where 3 or more safety relays are typically used. Supports up to 154 safe inputs and up to 68 safe outputs with 0.5 amps or 6 amps each using expansion modules.
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SC26 Series Safety Controllers
Flexible safety controller for machines that typically use 3 safety relays. Supports 26 inputs and 2 dual channel outputs with 0.5 amps each.
R58 Series Registration Mark Sensor
Detects subtle color contrasts in common product and material registration applications found in printing, packaging, and pharmaceutical industries.
Success Stories
Pallet Detection for Conveyance Equipment
A leading manufacturer of conveying equipment designs and builds high-quality, low-cost conveyance solutions. The pallet equipment they develop is expected to reliably convey, palletize and depalletize thousands of pallets and unit loads annually. This equipment must be able to sense a wide range of different pallet types and sizes to ensure the proper packing and unpacking of pallets and avoid line slow-downs, pallet crashes and collapses.
Preventing Shipping Errors at a Large Distribution Center
The customer was looking for a single-output solution that senses packages quickly, is easy to install and maintain, and was affordable enough to buy in bulk quantities if needed.
Combined Inspections Used to Meet Quality Standards
Bottles incorrectly packed into bliss trays for sale in club stores did not properly display product labels and had to be returned to the company.
Detecting Various Registration Marks
Hamer, LLC is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of automated packaging equipment for a wide variety of applications and world-wide customers. From pet food to pellet fuels, Hamer machinery packages products in a variety of weights and sizes at speeds up to 60 bags per minute. A vital component of Hamer’s equipment is registration mark sensing—the ability to detect marks on packaging as it passes at high speeds. When a mark is detected, the equipment cuts the packaging at the designated location, eliminating waste and ensuring each bag is consistent.
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Simplifying Safety Feature Management [Success Story]
Algus Packaging Inc. is a leader in the heat seal and thermoform packaging industry. They design, develop and manufacture high-performance sealing machines, thermoformed packaging and offer full service contract packaging. The machinery and services offered by Algus provide their customers with the ability to change and grow as business needs dictate, now and in the future.
Accurate Label Inspection
The company was experiencing several quality control issues—bottles were coming off the line with missing, skewed and double labels. As a result, the customer was scrapping over 2,000 bottles a month, a process which requires them to cut out the mislabeled portion of the bottles and re-grind the plastic for reuse. Further, the labeling errors began prompting serious customer complaints. To avoid scrapping additional bottles and losing loyal customers, the company came to Banner for a label inspection solution.
Shrink Sleeve Labeling at High Speeds
A leading manufacturer of labeling equipment offers high-speed shrink sleeve label applicators designed to process 800 bottles per minute. To maximize the machine’s performance potential, the company wanted to install sensors capable of consistent detection and output for high-speed bottling.