The Infrared Division of Process Sensors Corporation located in Franklin Lakes, NJ drew on its decades of IR experience and a wide range of innovative, non-contact sensing products to successfully supply the solution needed by Michelsen Packaging Co.
An ecologically responsible company
Michelsen Packaging, an incredibly ecologically responsible company, is a leading produce packaging and equipment manufacturer engaged in helping growers, packers and shippers deliver quality fruit, in perfect condition, since 1937. Their molded fiber paper trays must meet very exacting specifications and require the highest standards of quality.
The molded trays must be one hundred percent recyclable and incorporate special characteristics that allow them to be used in varying temperatures, moistures and humidity environments without compromising their ability to protect and handle the fruit. Fabrication of the trays is an arduous process with many steps before successful completion of a batch. Michelsen Packaging needed an effective system for monitoring and controlling moisture in molded tray production and turned to Process Sensors for assistance.
Infrared technology
Previously tried instrumentation was limited in that it only indicated moisture levels at the edges of the molded trays as they exited the dryer ovens. Utilizing infrared technology, the Process Sensors PSC-450 Surveyor Thermal Imaging Camera System instantly identifies moisture readings via temperature throughout the entirety of the trays as the camera is automatically controlling the oven temperature, and has the ability to alert the operator of alarm conditions requiring attention. The temperature reading is affected by the amount of water still present in the trays. The more moisture that is present, the lower the temperature and conversely, the less moisture, the higher the temperature. With product moving at the rate of fifty-five to sixty-four feet per minute, there is no time to waste. The PSC-450 can react before the operator even notices an anomaly and the immediate feedback trend on the PC screen is clear.
Camera with a fast speed of response
Carey Bruskland, company spokesman and R&D Mechanical Engineer, stated that the operators are impressed with the fast speed of response of the camera. They found the intuitive PSCConnect software to be very easy to navigate and use. Initial setup assistance of the Surveyor camera was supported by Process Sensors Infrared Division’s Application Engineers, along with support from the local sales representative, Jim Hampson of Sensors Northwest.
The PSC-450 optimizes the production process in ways that improve product yield, reduce scrap, free up manpower and promote energy savings. Mr. Bruskland commented that using the camera system has definitely been a cost-effective move by Michelsen Packaging.
Equipped with a scalable and wide temperature range from -20° to 900°C (-4° to 1652°F), the fully radiometric and ultra-compact PSC-450 provides for temperature mapping or target profiling of continuous manufacturing processes.
The precision camera displays and stores a single image or image sequences of high resolution, real-time thermal images at a high speed (80Hz) frame rate. Flexible and versatile, the camera features three readily exchangeable lenses to allow for effortless transition from one application to another as dictated by the overall field of view that is desired.
User assigned ROI’s (Regions of Interest) of preferred size can be configured anywhere on the thermal image to show maximum, minimum or average temperature value. Control outputs can be assigned to these area values with multiple programmable alarm functionality.
