Cognex claims package sensor is highly flexible

The Cognex Corporation said its new Checker 3G sensor series differs from the original Cognex Checker and Cognex Checker 200 vision systems in that no PC is required to setup inspections.

“Instead, the SensorView Teach Pendant, with its one click set-up technology, allows the user to set up jobs right on the line for any number of 3G vision sensors and the teach pendant can be left connected for real-time application monitoring,”​ said a spokesperson for the company.

She said that the SensorView provides production statistics and a user-definable view of the parts that the sensor is inspecting, enabling operators to monitor their production process or change jobs without a PC.

The spokesperson told FoodProductionDaily.com that there is no limit to the types of packages the system can monitor from boxes to pouches to bottles, cartons and cans.

Feature detection​

According to the spokesperson, the 3G series can track and detect the presence of a variety of food and beverage packaging features such as caps, date codes, properly sealed flaps, labels, safety seals, liquid level and price sticker.

Moreover, she continued, the Checker 3G vision sensor is actually two sensors in one, in that it can be configured, by the customer, as either a presence sensor or a measurement sensor:

“We did this so our customers did not have to worry about purchasing the correct sensor before they have had a chance to experiment with it on their line. A presence sensor can be used to inspect the presence or absence of a feature while the measurement sensor is used to verify the height, width or diameter of components. ​​

“Users can switch between either modes and deploy it in the mode that best suits their application,”​ added the spokesperson.

Downtime ​

She said that Checker is also the only sensor on the market capable of detecting and tracking over 6,000 parts per minute in varying positions along the production line, overcoming imprecise part positioning and delivering consistent, precisely timed pass/fall results.

The spokesperson maintains that as the vision system costs under $1,000 (€755) it provides an easy and affordable system for OEMs and end users, and manufacturers can use the sensors to reduce machinery downtime in the fact that they allow a line operator create, save and change inspections, without stopping production.

“Users can also signal the vision sensor to learn new features of a product when a product changeover occurs such as changing a label on a bottling line, again helping to minimise downtime,”​ she added.

The company said the new sensor series is available globally and has been localized into nine languages.