100% control for Premium Closures

Filling companies and their customers continue to make higher demands on the quality of pack-aging. This applies in particular to closures. They must be easy to open, safely resealable and run through high-performance packing machines without any errors; not an easy task for injection moulding companies where the production is usually trimmed for high-performance operations as well.

Waldorf Technik GmbH & Co. KG has developed a new generation of robots in line with the 100% quality controls for premium closures. This series of robots can now ensure that up to 72 cavities in a cycle period of just 6 seconds can be checked 100% for colour, shape and full inline injections in injection moulding processes before they are transferred to subsequent assembly and productions stages as tested bulk goods.

The control system works with DIRECT 3S high performance handling; the individual closures or components are channeled through converters on narrow conveyor belts under high speed cameras and testing systems which examine the parts according to defined criteria; defective parts are channeled out inline directly after the testing units and are collected in separate containers. Only parts which have successfully passed these tests enter a collection container for approved parts, which are then guided to the next processing stages.

The savings in the subsequent process chain are noticeable. The assembly machines for closure systems with several parts and the filling lines are much more efficient if 100% approved individual parts are fed. The whole logistics chain is significantly relieved if only perfect quality products are allowed to reach trade and consumers; complaints and the associated costs are significantly reduced.