Beverage: Secondary Packaging
Secondary packaging on a beverage filling line begins with the application of a label to a filled and closed beverage container. Every label must be checked for accuracy, appearance, and position. Date/lot codes are critical in the event of a product recall and must be clearly and accurately printed on each container. The containers are then packaged together in cartons, cases, bliss trays, or shrink wrapped together. Each package must be filled with the correct count of containers and properly sealed.
Used at every step of this process, products and solutions from Banner Engineering help beverage producers package containers with greater accuracy and increased throughput. Our vision and image sensors provide comprehensive inspection capabilities for label verification and date/lot code inspection. LED, laser, and photoelectric sensors from Banner are rugged, easy to use and solve many challenging secondary packaging applications, including regulating product flow and detecting targets with vibrant graphics and clear, shiny packaging. Banner offers a full and expanding line of LED light fixtures that provide brilliant illumination for work stations, equipment, and vision systems. Our LED indicators provide high visibility, at-a-glance notification of equipment status with options for high decibel audible alerts to notify for critical conditions.
Secondary Packaging Beverage Applications
View Applications by Machine Type
Coding & Marking
The beverage industry has many rules and regulations in place to make sure that the highest quality products are being delivered to customers. In order to keep track of when and where bottles were filled and packaged, date/lot codes need to be present on the bottles.
Featured Applications
Trigger Sensing on Printer
In the beverage industry, date/lot codes are mandatory on all products in order to identify when and where a product was manufactured. Finding a solution that can accurately identify the bottle caps and then trigger a machine to print the date/lot codes onto the bottle is required.
Registration Mark Detection on a Labeler
Banner Engineering’s R58B Expert registration mark sensor confirms the registration mark’s position on the web. This allows the machine to make minor infeed adjustments to ensure the cut is properly placed and all labels are consistent and complete. If the labels are incorrectly cut they need to be removed from the bottling line creating costly downtime and waste. A quick and easy-to-use sensor is needed to dramatically improve throughput.
Date/Lot Code Presence or Absence Detection
An SLM series slot sensor and an iVu Series vision sensor are used to detect bottles passing on the line and to verify that date/lot codes have been correctly printed onto the bottles.
Shrink Sleeve Label Presence and Correct Label Verification
The P4 OMNI vision camera is located immediately after the bottles leave the labeler which assures that the presentation of the label will be in a repeatable manner and therefore can be compared to a stored image for a match. The P4 OMNI is sealed to IP68 and made with nickel plated zinc housing.
Roll Diameter on Labels
In the beverage industry, labels need to be applied to the bottles quickly and without error to keep production levels high. Accurately monitoring the thickness on a spool of labels and controlling the unwinding speed is very important for the process to run smoothly. A solution is needed that can accurately supervise and report the material levels on a spool in order to prevent it from running out during the manufacturing process and delaying production.
Refrigerated Breakfast Roll Detection on Multi-Lane Conveyor
Dark packaging with multiple colors transitions can be difficult to detect with traditional red LED sensors. Banner Engineering’s miniature VS8 photoelectric sensor with blue LED works well with low reflectivity labels to detect refrigerated food packaged in pressurized cans. The small sensors fit into tight spaces and work well for short range applications. The blue LED works with the small spot size to minimize the effects of color transitions on the labels.
Detecting Clear Bottles to Trigger Shrink Sleeve Labeler
High-speed labeler processing 800 bottles per minute
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.
M18T Series Non-Contact Temperature Sensors
Rugged, compact temperature sensor for harsh environments. Easy to use TEACH mode programming and remote teach available.
T18U Series Opposed Mode Ultrasonic Sensor
High-frequency ultrasonic emitter and tuned receiver for accurate opposed-mode sensing. T-style right-angle housing with 18 mm threaded nose.
LE Series 1 m Range Laser Displacement Sensor
LE's measurement accuracy, ready to measure distances of 100 to 1000 mm, is suitable for controlling, sorting, and inspection tasks in quality control.
R58 Series Registration Mark Sensor
Detects subtle color contrasts in common product and material registration applications found in printing, packaging, and pharmaceutical industries.
QS30 Series High-Performance Long-Range Sensor
High power sensing with ranges up to 200 m, e/m relay output models available.
TL70 Core Series 70mm Modular Tower Lights
Big, bright tower lights come preassembled or as modular segments for customized indication. Lights are gray when off to eliminate false indication.
TL70 with Audible Indicator
Segments for the TL70 Tower Light are available in adjustable audible modules. Modules offer tremendous flexibility and can be customized as needed.
T30U Series 2 Meter Range Ultrasonic Sensor
Right-Angle sensor with 30mm threaded barrel and sensing range up to 2 m. Available with dual discrete, analog, and pump control switching logic for tank level monitoring.
Success Stories
Reliable Detection of Transparent Bottles on Conveyor
A machinery company needed a sensor able to consistently detect clear PET bottles at multiple points.
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.
Vent Tube Presence on Filler
A high-volume brewery needed a solution capable of detecting spreader washers on the vent tubes as well as loose or missing tubes. However, the movement of the rotary filler and the wet washdown environment made close proximity deployments difficult and the range required for a remote solution could compromise inspection reliability.