Packaging: Secondary Packaging
Automated Secondary Packaging Solutions
Bliss boxes, trays, and flexible overwraps are rapidly replacing regular slotted containers (RSC). The use of pouches and other irregularly shaped primary packaging increases the complexity of forming, handling and transporting products. Vibrant, colorful graphics as well as clear or reflective materials can be difficult for many sensors to detect reliably.
Banner’s industry knowledge, expertise in sensors, LED lights and indicators combined with one of the most comprehensive product catalogs in the industry allow us to offer products and solutions that specifically address these challenges, improve efficiency and increase product throughput. We are experts in advanced optics, LED, laser, and photoelectric circuits, offering high-performance, easy-to-use sensors capable of solving some of the most challenging applications in secondary packaging. Our full line of vision and image sensors provide comprehensive inspection capabilities for label verification, bar code reading, optical character recognition and date/lot code inspection. LED lights and indicators provide years of brilliant bright illumination and status indication.
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.
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Loop Control of Clear Plastic
The detection of clear plastic is always a challenge. The optical beam of traditional photoelectric sensors will burn through clear material, making sensing results unreliable.
Hot Glue Detection
T-GAGE M18T Series Temperature Sensors are passive, non-contacting, temperature-based devices designed to detect objects that are hotter or colder than the ambient condition, and then activate an output. In this application, the T-GAGE temperature sensor will detect the presence or absence of hot glue on the flaps of the package. If the hot glue is present, the process will continue and the package will be sealed. If it’s absent, the output will trigger a process to apply the hot glue.
Monitor Production I/O for Better Equipment Effectiveness
Monitoring production inputs and outputs provides machine operators and managers with critical data about their processes and equipment and can help them identify and resolve problems on the production line more quickly.
Hot Glue Detection on a Package
Banner’s T-GAGE M18T temperature sensor is ideal for hot glue verification because it detects the infrared energy an object emits to determine its temperature, sensing from 0⁰C to 300⁰C. In this application, the T-GAGE M18T temperature sensor detects the presence or absence of hot glue on the flaps. If hot glue is present, the package will continue down the manufacturing line;if it is missing, the output will trigger a pusher arm to kick the carton off the conveyor into a bin.
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 Verification on Food Cartons
Banner’s rugged PresencePLUS P4 Sealed OMNI vision sensor works well for date/lot codes because it uses Optical Character Verification/OCV inspection to ensure the correct day and lot code are printed legibly. With an IP68-rated housing, the sensor is ideal in food and beverage applications because it can withstand harsh wash-down environments. The P4 OMNI sensor easily locates the region of the carton magazine that needs to be inspected for date/lot codes by verifying the edge of the box. Wi
Leading Edge Detection of Packages with a Thin, Flexible Edge
Banner’s LX Series is an economical solution for detecting the leading edge of flat objects, such as the frozen dinner containers. With a web of modulated light, the LX Series part-sensing light screen can detect any item—in any position—passing through the light screen.
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.
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.
Leading Edge Detection
Sensors detect the leading edge of pallets, polybags, blister packs, envelopes, tubes, and a wide range of difficult to detect targets.
Measure Throughput and OEE on a Case Sealer
Maximize throughput and reduce downtime by harnessing existing data from your equipment.
Counting Food Cartons for Correct Packaging
Banner’s WORLD-BEAM QS18LP laser sensor accurately inspects every carton that passes on the conveyor, ensuring the robot is triggered to load cartons into the package. With a visible laser sensing beam, the QS18LP provides precise position control, which is ideal to ensure accurate counting of cartons at a close range. The rugged QS18LP is also ideal for confined spaces and is easily set up along a conveyor for accurate sensing. With highly bright LEDs, operating status is visible from 360⁰.
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
Detecting Shiny, Unfinished Cans
Accurately detect reflective items without false sensing.
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.
XS26 Series Expandable Safety Controllers
The XS26 is expandable for complex safety applications where 3 or more safety relays are typically used. Five different communication protocols are available, including EtherCAT (via communication module). Supports up to 154 safe inputs and up to 68 safe outputs using expansion modules.
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.
QS18 Series All Purpose Photoelectric Sensor
All purpose photoelectric sensor with universal housing design and 18 mm threaded barrel is an ideal replacement for hundreds of other sensor styles.
WLS28-2 Versatile, All-Purpose LED Strip Light
28 mm profile compact LED light for a variety of industrial applications. Available with motion sensors, various lenses & windows for max flexibility.
LS Series Heavy-Duty Type 4 Safety Light Curtains
Intuitive, easy-to-use, feature rich models available in 14, 23 & 40 mm resolutions and up to 1820 mm (6 ft) lengths with no dead zone. Highly visible alignment indicators and intuitive diagnostics simplify set-up and provide machine builders with additional value to meet a wide range of needs.
LS Series Kits
Banner’s LS Series light curtains are intuitive, easy-to-use machine guarding devices built to withstand challenging manufacturing and packaging environments.
LS Series Kits
Banner’s LS Series light curtains are intuitive, easy-to-use machine guarding devices built to withstand challenging manufacturing and packaging environments.
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.
Success Stories
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.
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.
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.
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.
Simplifying Safety Feature Management
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.