Agr upgrades blow molding inspection system

Jan. 2, 2020
Agr International has upgraded its automated, camera-based Process Pilot inspection system to make it more sensitive and better able to detect thickness deviations in PET bottles.

Process Pilot This automated, camera-based inspection system from Agr ensures that blow molders are achieving uniform, consistent wall thicknesses in their PET bottles.

What’s new? Greater sensitivity. The system, which measured thicknesses down to 0.05mm when it debuted about four years ago, now can measure bottle walls as thin as 0.025mm. Also, formerly, it was accurate to within 0.02mm; now it’s accurate to 0.013mm, and it’s more repeatable.

Benefits Expanded capabilities for lightweighting. With its improved accuracy, Process Pilot can be used to support blow molders that want to cut down on material usage without compromising bottle quality. For instance, makers of 0.5-liter bottles now can produce bottles weighing about 6 grams. These efforts reduce costs and mitigate the effects of plastics on the environment.

Agr International Inc., Butler, Pa., 724-482-2163, www.agrintl.com