Beckhoff > Case Studies > Fully Automated Visual Inspection System

Fully Automated Visual Inspection System

Technology Category

Automation & Control - Automation & Process Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation

The Customer

Tofflon

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About The Customer

Tofflon is world's largest manufacturer of Freezer Dryers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

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The Challenge

Tofflon has developed a fully automatic machine that uses light to inspect vials, medicine bottles, or infusion containers for glass fragments, aluminum particles, rubber grains, hairs, fibers, or other contaminants. It also detects damaged containers with cracks or inclusions (microscopic imperfections), automatically removing faulty or contaminated products. In order to cover all production processes for freeze-dried pharmaceuticals, Tofflon needed to create an open, consistent, and module-based automation concept.

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The Solution

A Beckhoff Embedded PC running TwinCAT automation software controls the advanced inspection process. Tofflon runs its fully automatic inspection system with a PC leveraging EtherCAT as the fieldbus system, a variety of terminals, and TwinCAT software as the integrated PLC and Motion Control platform.

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Data Collected

Contamination Level, Fault Detection, Fill Levels Of Containers

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Operational Impact

[Management Effectiveness - Real Time Information]
TwinCAT automation software enables control cycles in the microsecond range.
[Data Management - Data Collection]
The automation platform enabled the open, consistent, and module-based automation concept that is required for a scalable solution.

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Quantitative Benefit

The EtherCAT-based control platform allows synchronization performance far below 100 microseconds, enabling new process improvement opportunities.
Compared with the manual inspection of pharmaceutical containers, automatic visual system delivers quality improvements, detecting 100% of contaminants.

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