Measuring is the key

In this interview, Michael Waltl of Vetropack's Technical Customer Service explains how an in-line sensor identifies danger points with utmost accuracy, and he outlines emerging developments in this field.

Mr Waltl: You're making use of a sensor at the sites of various Vetropack customers. So what's this all about?

That's right. We're equipping a dummy that we manufacture ourselves with the ShockQC in-line sensor from the Masitek company of Canada. It provides high-precision measurements of impact loads that act on a glass container. So – there on the spot in our customers' plants – we can determine where filling lines or other packaging processes need to be optimised to prevent glass breakage.

How did you come to work with this methodology and the Masitek sensor?

I'm responsible for Technical Customer Service at Vetropack. This means that my team and I mainly deal with complaints, which in rare cases also relate to glass breakage. No matter where these breakages occur, they present an urgent problem for the customer. When we're tracking down the root cause, it's an advantage to have a measuring system that enables us to identify weak points on the filling line rapidly. That's because the precise place where the containers are being damaged is often not visible to the naked eye. After looking at two suppliers, we quickly decided in favour of Masitek because their product best matched our needs. That's because the precise place where the containers are being damaged is often not visible to the naked eye. After looking at two suppliers, we quickly decided in favour of Masitek because their product best matched our needs.

Presumably there are developments on the market that make technologies such as these increasingly necessary?

Yes, you could say that. Firstly, lightweight glass bottles are becoming more and more popular as an environmentfriendly packaging alternative, as they are more appealing to consumers and they save significantly on resources. But they require different settings in the filling line. And secondly, more products are being filled at high speed. Many filling lines operate at speeds of over 50,000 bottles per hour. These high speeds lead to higher loads on the line. Of course, filling lines have also changed completely over the years. Higher speeds can be achieved far better thanks to modern technologies. But even so, excessive loads do sometimes occur.

You're also using the sensor to help with line settings for new products. Which customers have you been able to help already? The introduction of the tempered lightweight glass bottle is certainly a major factor here, isn’t it?

Of course. In some cases, we take the sensor to customers who are filling a new product in a particular container for the first time. In these situations, we use the sensor to identify points on the line that still need to be optimised. Then there are other cases where we go to customers because a specific problem has arisen. We've been operating the sensor since 2020, and so far we've used it at ten or twelve companies that manufacture very different products. They include beer brewers such as Gösser, who have just launched their new organic beer on the market in the standard lightweight glass bottle, but I've also taken the sensor to companies in the food sector, for example. One case involved spice jars, and another customer produces savoury spreads.

How exactly does the sensor work? Can you give us an idea of the procedure?

We work with a 'replica' – a dummy made of plastic. Every glass article responds to loads differently – and that’s why we replicate each of our customers’ glass products exactly. Then, the replica is calibrated at Masitek and fitted with the sensor. We have sensors in three different sizes. We take the replica to the customer, and then we let this dummy travel along the line. The sensor measures exactly where forces are acting on the container – in the shoulder or base area, for example. It also measures the force levels, in IPS (inches per second). That tells us whether the minimum impact strength for a container produced by us is being exceeded. The measured datasets are transmitted no less than 100,000 times per second to a PC for evaluation.

Do you get the replicas from Masitek?

No. With just a few exceptions, the replicas are produced in our own training workshop. All the cylindrical shapes are replicated there. The only shapes we can't produce ourselves are the non-round formats. As well as saving us a lot of money, this is also good training for our apprentices.

What feedback have you received from your customers so far?

For our customers, of course, the data measured with the dummy provides valuable information. They can use it as the basis for reducing glass breakage or preventing it altogether. And news of the tests with the in-line sensor has spread throughout the industry since we began using it. This has resulted in major customers approaching us as well. For example, I'll soon be travelling to a beer bottler in the Czech Republic for a line audit aimed at detecting potential danger points.

How do you see the future of this technology? Is there still untapped potential here?

Well, apart from the three sensor sizes I mentioned, another very small sensor is currently under development. This is going to be interesting, because it would enable us to examine very small containers at even higher speeds. Other topics are accumulation pressure and top-load measurements. In some plants, for example, there are accumulation tables where the articles are accumulated for various reasons. Certain sensors can measure the accumulation pressure that arises. 'Top-load control' is about the strength of axial forces acting on the capping system when it’s being tested. But the impact measurement is by far the most important parameter, and here we have all the data we need for the analysis.

Customers certainly benefit enormously from this addition to the range of technical customer services.

Precisely. Thanks to the ShockQC in-line sensor from Masitek, we now have a measuring system that identifies danger points with utmost accuracy. This is a huge difference from the past, and it's an enormous help for us – and, of course, for our customers too. 

Many thanks for this interview, Mr Waltl.

Would you like to take advantage of this service? Then contact Michael Waltl directly.