INNOMECH Boosts Glass Exports to China

Automation consultancy GB Innomech, based in the Cambridge technology cluster, is helping the UK’s top specialised glassmaker boost exports to Taiwan and China.

Innomech is developing a high-throughput inspection system that will enable Cera Dynamics to further improve product quality and meet fast-growing demand for its products worldwide, particularly the Asian territories.

The new system will automate the final inspection of glass frit or powder enabling an increase in output of 300 per cent.

The glass is used in a variety of industries from dental to electronics to the encapsulation of nuclear waste, where absolute quality, consistency and sizing of the product is paramount. Cera Dynamics needed a system it could trust to remove any out of specification material prior to despatches.

Innomech’s new fully-automated system is designed to verify consistent production and provide Cera Dynamics with an efficient and accurate final inspection of glass frit prior to shipping.

A vibratory feeder with a 200 kg capacity spreads the powdered material onto a moving belt, which is then illuminated under white light and imaged with a line scan camera fitted with a colour filter to detect any over-sized particles.

The particle stream is carefully lit to avoid any potential false rejections caused from refracted light or reflections. Out of specification particles are automatically removed from the bulk as it passes over a series of pneumatically-powered diverters. The machine’s capacity is 100 kg per hour, whereas the current manual process operates at 25 kg per hour.