Smart Molding International 2-2023

42 smart_molding international 2/2023 measuring technology SACMI PVS10L: even more accurate controls and greater user-friendliness thanks to AI The offline system completes the SACMI PVS preform inspection range. Significantly, it incorporates the AI-based self-guided D.R.I.V.A. system that streamlines workers’ tasks by minimizing format changeover times. W ith the PVS10L, SACMI re- news its mission to achieve total quality control of the product by using both in-line and stand-alone inspection solutions. More specifically, the PVS10L en- hances the SACMI machine family for in-line and sample inspection by in- corporating computer vision systems with new AI tools. Even more precise, more accurate quality control Providing maximum inspection accuracy and precision for preforms of different sizes and colors, this system includes patented polarized light inspection, one of the most evident outcomes of applying Artificial Intelligence. The result is maximum inspection precision, evenwhen it comes to those defects that are invisible to the human eye yet can still cause major problems at the bottle blowing stage. AI delivers the «self-guided» advantage One of the key features of the SACMI PVS10L is on-machine integration of the self-guided SACMI D.R.I.V.A. (Drive and Recognize through Intelligent Vision Algorithms) system. The system consists of Artificial Intelligence algorithms capable of: • identifying each type of preform via its basic characteristics (diameter, length, color) • autonomously performing the relative format changeover • loading the right inspection recipe. D.R.I.V.A. thus provides operators with close support, eliminating any possibility of error. What ’s more, autonomous systems slash changeover times from over an hour to about a minute, ensuring maximum sorting line availability. Speeds as high as 36,000 preforms/hour The PVS10L line lets manufacturers handle and inspect up to 36,000 preforms per hour. It consists of six main machines: a tipper that picks preforms from the octabin and places them in a hopper with an elevator, and the PLO030 roller-type orientator, which features automatic format changeover in synch with the PVS10 inspection recipe. Then comes the heart of the system, the PVS10L inspection system with autonomous format changeover: after this step, faulty preforms are separated, via an elevator, and placed in a separate octabin. Good-quality preforms, instead, are gently placed in the final octabin, where each individual preform is counted and catalogued before packaging. Software interoperability, always-available data Like the rest of the SACMI Computer Vision family, the PVS10L features CVs software, ensuring maximum usability and interoperability between machines. The software uses AI tools to read the cavity number printed on the finish with the utmost precision and repeatability, generating a comprehensive set of cavity-specific statistics. This data can then be shared on the web with the aid of OPC/UA, MODBUS and http protocols, making it simple to transfer production data from the vision system to ERP or MES systems. This approach delivers impro- vements to product and process quality control by providing accurate, real-time statistical reports that allow retroactive action to be taken, correcting - and often anticipating - potential drifts in the process itself. PVS10L: off-line machine for Quality Control of PET preforms (all pictures: SACMI)