After drinktec in Munich in September, the K show was the second major trade show for us this year. From October 19 - 26, the plastics industry met in Dusseldorf and exchanged information about new products, upcoming projects and the topics of the future. And it became clear: INTRAVIS systems are part of an upcoming paradigm shift in quality control.
Our CEO Dr. Gerd Fuhrmann was highly satisfied with the course of the K show and the discussions held there: "We are currently in the middle of a paradigm shift in the inspection world. Inspection systems like those from INTRAVIS are no longer used only to sort out bad objects - this was confirmed to me several times. Rather, we are now the eyes of machine operators, quality managers, and even plant managers because we collect the product-related quality data that is used to make decisions to optimize production processes. And I am pleased, on the one hand, that we provide this information with our systems and that our customers and partners have been enjoying this added value for years. And on the other hand, that I have heard in many conversations here at the show that such systems as those from INTRAVIS will be an indispensable part of future smart production lines."
Together with Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, we exhibited two systems. The CapWatcher Q-Line - the quality laboratory for one hundred percent inline inspection of closures - attracted the attention of many visitors with its inspection speed of up to 60 closures per second and was a big draw. In addition to its speed, it is characterized above all by its inspections, which among other things also inspect the special features of tethered caps - such as the internal closure aids. All inspections together produce up to 144,000 product-related quality data per minute.
The CapWatcher Q-Line made this amount of information available to the IntraVisualizer. The cloud-based data analysis software collected all the product-related quality data of the closures produced at the show and presented them in clear and simple graphics and overviews. Since the software is browser-based and can be accessed via any Internet-enabled device, the data was theoretically available to any interested party for viewing on their own mobile phone. With the help of such condensed data, machine operators and production managers can gain important insights for optimizing a production and thus significantly increase the efficiency of a line.
Janina Orlowski, group leader in product management and also responsible for the IntraVisualizer, summarizes the advantages of the combination of inspection system and data analysis software as follows: "The IntraVisualizer is the perfect complement to inspection systems such as the CapWatcher Q-Line. Based on the collected quality data, it determines trends and sends warning messages to all interested groups as soon as a limit value is reached or exceeded. This allows a machine operator to intervene in the process at an early stage - ideally before poor quality is produced."
The second system at the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag booth was an IMLWatcher for inspecting IML-decorated cups, which we exhibited together with our partner Campetella. Ten cameras inspected the label all around for optical perfection as well as existing codes (e.g. barcode, Data Matrix) for correctness. On the software side, the audit trail, the extensive cavity statistics and the long-term image memory support the operators in determining important information about the production so that it can subsequently be provided to customers.
Together with our long-term partner Beck Automation, we presented an IMLWatcher at the Wittmann Battenfeld booth, which was integrated into a removal handling system from Beck Automation. The cups produced on four cavities were inspected all around by ten cameras for optical perfection. In addition, the unlabeled inside of the cups was also inspected. Moreover, we publicly demonstrated our short shot inspection for IML-decorated objects for the first time there. Software highlights of this system included extensive user management, monitoring of ejection rates, and warning messages when certain limits are reached.
And we also exhibited together with our partner Enelkon again at this show. As at the K show 2019, we displayed an IML watcher that was integrated into Enelkon's handling system. Its ten cameras inspected the round cups completely for optical perfection. This IMLWatcher also had the new short shot inspection installed and offered software highlights such as extensive user management or monitoring of ejection rates.
"We made a very conscious decision this time not to have an exhibit at our own booth. On the one hand, because we were given the opportunity to present our systems in operation at several partner booths. On the other hand, because we wanted to concentrate even more on the discussions with our customers and interested parties. We want to listen very closely to their needs and how we can support them with our systems to meet them. And the response during the trade show days definitely proves us right in our decision." With these words, our CEO Dr. Gerd Fuhrmann draws a very positive conclusion to the trade fair. Because: In addition to many projects with existing customers, which were successfully concluded at the K show, we were also able to convince a large number of new interested parties of the advantages of INTRAVIS systems.
Sascha Baumanns, Sales Manager at INTRAVIS, also found only positive words at the end: "We are absolutely satisfied with the course of the trade show and would like to thank everyone who visited us. We had many great discussions and have once again received confirmation that INTRAVIS is one of the leading companies in the inspection of plastic packaging."
For some impressions of the K 2022 please have a look at our trade fair video or visit our K Show landing page.