Glass products, often used for food, pharmaceutical and safety applications, need absolute respect of dimensions required by the end-user. The laboratory QA/QC sample testing cannot grant the quality of the whole production batch. NIROX’s solutions for Glass industry, suitable for various steps of production chain, allow to measure without stopping or slowing down the process, and to grant the specifications for the entire lot.
For glass tubes production NIROX has developed its NCSline turn-key systems to measure with micrometric precision:
• wall thickness
• concentricity
• outer diameter
• ovality
• inner diameter
The inspection of tubes for dimensional defects is fundamental for the transformation into vials, ampoules and syringes.
Data exchange with control room and sorting of the tubes out of tolerance are fully managed by the system supervisor software.
NIROX’s NCSlab automatic offline system is a powerful tool that quickly provides tubes measurements for quality control, quality assurance, inline machines qualification and supplier’s incoming check.
Additionally, it can be equipped with camera module for cosmetic inspection, like airline, bubbles, stone, knots, and other inclusions.
The system software offers an intuitive management of the system to perform the desired measurement job; data acquired are summarized in comprehensive reports, stored in open format, and made available over the network for historicization. System is natively Industry 4.0 ready.
Glass pharmaceutical primary packaging must be produced under very tight tolerance. Dimensions must be 100% inspected to guarantee the full-functionality of the packaging. The bottom of the container plays a fundamental part for the integrity of the container during the filling process.
NIROX’s VISline.B measuring systems allow the in-line measurements and control, with micrometric precision of:
• bottom thickness
• bottom concavity
• footprint
Visual inspection is nowadays mandatory equipment in a state-of-the-art tube converting production line. The VISline.D family of camera-based systems has been expanded to cover all inspection requirements directly on board in production line.
Dimensional inspection is usually performed on the forming machine when container is still mounted in a chuck. After this, there is the inspection before annealing oven, on the after-forming line, to measure inner diameter and length. Both are available as a single station.
Visual inspection is nowadays mandatory equipment in a state-of-the-art tube converting production line. The VISline.C family of camera-based systems has been expanded to cover all inspection requirements directly on board in production line.
After the annealing oven, the cosmetic inspection is typically performed as the latest step before packaging. Here, systems have different viewing angles and multiple cameras, to ensure a whole inspection and guarantee the container’s quality.
In both cases, the object is usually taken from the line with a push-up or rotating mechanism to present the product in front of the cameras with the best repeatability.
EVline is a family of systems designed to inspect glass tubes after the end-forming. Being stand-alone it can be easily mounted, and its modularity allows to integrate several controls in a single inspection station. The camera modules are based on high quality optics for best performances.
Depending on the layout the classified features are:
• end taper
• square-cut
• cracks/defects
• vent-hole
• tube length
• glazing
• bottoming
• bow
• residual stress
Glass capillaries are mainly used for chemical analysis, scientific and pharmaceutical applications. The inner diameter is the most important and demanding dimension, as capillaries are also used for samples collection, liquid measurements and transfer. Tolerance is very strict and the precision of the dimensions along the length is critical in the final application.
The CMSline glass capillary measuring systems allow to inspect in line:
• wall thickness
• concentricity
• outer diameter
• ovality
• coating thickness
• inner diameter
