Finish cracks can cause dangerous glass chips when opening a bottle.

Increased precision during the finish inspection

A new inspection technology for the HEUFT InLine empty bottle inspectors examines the container finish and not only identifies glass chips there but also the smallest cracks.

Work has finished at last. Time for a beer!  That´s lucky there´s one left in the fridge. Icy-cold.  Your appetite is whet.  You place the bottle opener in position.  There is a hiss as the crown cork dislodges.  Unfortunately not only it but at the same moment a piece of the finish breaks away.  The sharp-edged chip makes it impossible to enjoy the beer directly out of the bottle:  a high risk of injury!  Regrettably you cannot enjoy the refreshing drink out of a glass either because there is no sieve at hand in order to find the splinters with which may be in the bottle. The whole evening is ruined.

Preventing dangerous glass chips

It was impossible up to now to preclude such cases in advance.  There has not been an empty bottle inspector yet which can also track down the smallest cracks in the finish which could result in risky glass chips occurring after the empty bottle in question has been filled. This has changed with the new finish detection for all the HEUFT InLine systems.  It marks a redefinition of the state of technological development with a multicoloured LED illumination of the finish, sophisticated camera and filter technology and a perfected image processing software.

Finish inspection with high selectivity

The highly efficient inspection technology not only covers the complete sealing surface of the finish but also the seal lip, the locking ring and the curved side finish area below it. Chips but also faults without the loss of material such as thermal cracks, stress cracks or rust stains which occurred in the glassworks are precisely detected. The empty bottle inspector removes the bottles in question directly from the production flow. The high selectivity of the precise inspection clearly differentiates between supposed faults such as harmless signs of wear and real threats to product safety.  This reduces the false rejection rate to a minimum.

Maximum detection accuracy

The new finish inspection sets new standards as regards the inspection of empty bottles. The complete area around the bottle opening is covered with maximum detection accuracy in addition to the all-around base and sidewall inspection. Potentially dangerous defects which were not considered to be identifiable until now are reliably tracked down.  Dangerous glass chips when opening a well-earned beer after work can therefore be avoided in advance.

Inspection technology which can be retrofitted

The optionally obtainable technology can be retrofitted in all HEUFT InLine systems manufactured as from 2004.  We will work out a solution with you if your device is older in order to bring it in line with the latest inspection technology.  Simply contact:  new_finish_inspection@heuft.com.  We will be pleased to advise you!