Industrial Automation

Industrial Automation

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OMRON Introduces Sensors Enabling Stable Detection of Color Marks on Food Packages, Better Productivity in Packaging Process

OMRON Corporation (TSE: 6645, ADR: OMRNY) will introduce on June 1, 2016, “Color Mark Photoelectric Sensor E3S-DC Series (E3S-DC)” and “Color Fiber Amplifier Unit E3NX-CA Series (E3NX-CA)” targeting food and beverage makers faced with an increasing difficulty to detect color marks *1 printed on diversified product packages.

The E3S-DC and E3NX-CA can stably detect color marks which are printed on glossy or colorful materials with subtle differences in colors and previously difficult to detect, cutting back on time necessary to start production and do maintenance work, contributing to an overall productivity increase in the packaging process.

OMRON will showcase the E3S-DC and E3NX-CA at the FOOMA JAPAN 2016 to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from June 7 to 10.

Color Mark Photoelectric Sensor E3S-DC

Color Fiber Amplifier Unit E3NX-CA

Faced with increasingly diversified consumer needs, the food and beverage industries are developing new products almost on a daily basis, diversifying packaging materials and designs in the process. Given such circumstances, manufacturers have been looking for a sensor capable of detecting, stably and simply, color marks printed on all sorts of materials in order to keep their plant running stably.

In response, OMRON cooperated with its customers to develop the E3S-DC and E3NX-CA which incorporate OMRON’s proprietary sensing technology and algorithm to stably detect “differences in colors” under various conditions. The E3S-DC and E3NX-CA not only reliably detect color marks on a variety of packaging materials but also help optimize initially set parameters to adjust to changes in manufacturing lots, contributing to a stable operation of the production plant.

Reliably detecting color marks on various packaging materials

  • The “Super High Dynamic Range” function requires only a simple setting to stably detect color differences between marks and the background printed on glossy materials including aluminum vapor deposition film.
  • The “Low Noise, High S/N Ratio Light Receiving System” reliably detects subtle differences in similar types of color often used on colorful packaging with little color differences.

Optimizing settings to adjust to lot changes

  • Color information detected by a sensor will be transmitted to a host device such as a programmable logic controller via EtherCAT®. Color variations resulting from various lots can be easily managed in a database and sensors can be adjusted for optimal settings to keep the plant from an abrupt shutdown and maintain a high operation rate.

OMRON brings innovation to manufacturing sites through automation with “integrated,” “intelligent” and “interactive” concepts. OMRON will continue to work with manufacturing partners to innovate processes at the manufacturing sites with one of the world’s most sophisticated Input-Logic-Output-Robotics + Safety (ILOR+S) technology including proprietary sensing technology.

*1: Marks which indicate the cutting positions of film packaging. The marks are printed on the film at regular intervals in colors varying with packaging design.

Key features

1. High Dynamic Range for No Saturation Even with 99% Reflective Optical Mirrors In order to detect highly-reflective glossy packaging, the installation angle of a sensor needed to be adjusted to avoid saturation of the sensor’s incident level. The new Color Mark Sensor has a greatly widened incident light range. This allows for the stable detection of glossy aluminum vapor deposition packaging without saturation even if the Sensor is installed directly above it.

Aluminum Vapor Deposition Material

Color Mark

2. High S/N Ratio System Design to Identify Even Minor Color Difference with designs becoming more colorful, there are times where there is little difference in color between the color mark and the design elements (background), and it possibly causes false detection of color marks. The new Color Mark Sensor provides a high S/N ratio to stably detect subtle color differences.

Colorful Packaging

Color Mark

3. RGB Data Transmission Function for Visualization of Color Variation There are cases where colors of packaging materials vary from lot to lot, which may cause production downtime due to false detection of color marks. The new Color Mark Sensor enables RGB information for color marks and backgrounds for each lot to be transmitted to a host device, and the RGB information can be quantified. The Sensor helps reduce downtime due to false detection of color marks caused by variation in colors printed on packaging and also the time required for measures taken against it.

Color Mark Photoelectric Sensor E3S-DC

Main specifications

Color Mark Photoelectric Sensor E3S-DC

Color Fiber Amplifier Unit E3NX-CA

ABOUT OMRON CORPORATION

Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation. Established in 1933, and headed by President Yoshihito Yamada, OMRON has more than 37,000 employees in over 35 countries working to provide products and services to customers in a variety of fields including industrial automation, electronic components, social systems, and healthcare. The company has five regional head offices in Kyoto (Japan), Singapore (Asia Pacific), Shanghai (Greater China), Amsterdam (Europe, Africa, and the Middle East), and Chicago (the Americas). For more information, visit OMRON’s website: http://www.omron.com/

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