Plastics News 2017 Show Daily - October 17, 2017 - 11

Plastics News, October 17, 2017 * 11

FAKUMA SHOW DAILY

Contexo automation: Small enough for your living room
By David Vink
Plastics News Correspondent
Contexo GmbH
started to
produce continuous motion systems back in 2007.
In just 10 years, the market for
the company's automation systems has changed dramatically.
"Contexo systems were considered as among the fastest
ones available in the market [in
2007], but no one asked for zero
defects in those days," CEO Jürgen Müller said. "Now they do,
despite the fact that the equipment now runs three to four
times faster."
Müller was interviewed at the
Drinktec fair in Munich, where
the company exhibited a machine that also will be the highlight of its Fakuma stand. Müller
said Contexo is building a similar machine for a large beverage
cap molder. It will be the customer's third Contexo machine
ordered in 2017.
Pride of place for the family-owned and -managed Winterbach, Germany-based automation specialist was the
company's high-speed, small
footprint Feeding Track equipment, a carousel-based part
handling and inspection system offering up to three parallel
tracks running at stepless controllable speeds up to 5 meters
per second.
The system is so compact
that "you could literally operate
a production site in your living
room," Müller said.
Highest
performance
is
achieved with installation of
part deflection to different
track sections with an integrated points system, analogous to
railway system points. The system can be equipped with up to
16 different inspection cameras,
which can provide 360 degrees
of visual inspection.
An Infeed Satellite with 12-18
independent feeding tools, synchronized at 15 degrees to the
system's main tower, work solely with mechanical movement,
while up to four types of quality
checks are performed with use
of vacuum technology.
The unit running at Drinktec
handled and packed tamper-evident (TE) caps, without being
directly connected to an injection molding machine, which is
a normal operation mode for the
system.
"In our opinion, continuous
motion combined with feeders
for parts that are still warm after
molding and that are inspected
inline is the most effective solution," said Matthias Müller, sales
and joint managing director.
In addition to speed and accuracy, there is another big difference in Contexo's new technology compared to 2007: Although
many processors have installed
inspection equipment, most can
only inspect caps after they
have been produced as finished
parts, with difficulty in fully illuminating them then. Contexo
equipment sets itself apart here,
as it inspects moldings prior to

Contexo GmbH
Hall A5
Booth 5217
assembly with more effective
use of illumination, and inspects
final assembled parts.
Jürgen Müller said Contexo
works with Intravis GmbH so
that Contexo continuous motion technology can work to-

gether with Intravis vision inspection systems. The Intravis
CapWatcher III has already been
successfully integrated within
Contexo equipment, Müller revealed.
As speeds increase, not only
does inspection become challenging, but also moldings tend
to "pearlesce," which is why
Contexo introduced a vibrating
feeder to overcome this problem with TE sports beverage
caps, Müller said.

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Matthias
Müller standing
in front of
Contexo
high-speed
automation
equipment at
Drinktec 2017.
Plastics News photo
by David Vink

http://www.engelglobal.com/e-mac

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics News 2017 Show Daily - October 17, 2017