First, determine which feature you will be using. Once determined, the proper selection must be made on the front touchscreen display. Please refer to the owner's manual for selection designation.
The first task is to align the sensors. The stalled bottle entrance and exit sensor should be aimed at the middle of the cap. The next step is to align the foil sensor. It should be positioned so it is centered over the cap as it travels past the sensor. It also must be low enough to detect the foil liner inside the cap, but not too low. If it is set too low it will block the loose cap sensor. Finally the loose cap sensor needs to be aligned. It should be aimed just above the cap, but not too high. If set too high it will be blocked by the foil detector. Now the microprocessor can be trained.
Sensor Check – The sensor check screen provides visual confirmation that the microprocessor is correctly recognizing the sensors used in the detection system. To ease in sensor setup, the screen will display only the sensors selected on the Detection Setup menu and the orientation as selected by the Conveyor Direction button. The icons on the screen represent the entrance sensor, exit sensor, missing foil sensor, high cap sensor, and reject verification sensors. The checkmarks above the icons will light up green when the sensor is activated. See the Optional Equipment section of this manual for more information.
Set Detection – This button allows set up of the detection package so the power supply can determine what a good container looks like as it passes through the sensors. To ease the setup operation the screen shows a visual confirmation of all the sensors as a setup is performed. With the conveyor running and a line speed shown in the line speed window, a good bottle is placed on the conveyor and run through the detection sensors. A green checkmark will light up above each sensor icon as a bottle successfully passes through it. If the setup is accepted, a pop-up indication will inform the user that the detection is good and has been accepted. If the setup was not accepted, a pop-up indication will inform the user that the setup has not been accepted and gives the opportunity to try again. If the setup was bad, the user should investigate any sensor checkmarks that are not lit up on the screen. See the Optional Equipment section of this manual for more information.
Are you aware that our sealing coils can be repaired down to the very component?
The non-epoxy potted modular design allows for the repair not replacement, thus reducing your overall operating costs. For example, if you have an electrical short between the copper windings or cracked ferrites, they can be replaced because they are not epoxy potted. Many of our competitors epoxy their coils causing replacement and more overall operating cost to you.
Check your sealing coil alignment for more consistent sealing
One of the most critical elements with induction sealing is ensuring proper sealing coil alignment because the design of the coil itself. Here are some quick checks you can do to ensure that your sealing head is properly aligned.
If you have a dedicated flat coil it must be parallel with respect to the conveyor. That includes front to back as well as side to side. Lower the sealing coil to approximately 1/8-inch from the top of the cap. Then with a bottle on each end of the sealing coil, find the center marks on the ends of the coil. Adjust the sealing coil so the center marks on the end are aligned with the center of the cap.
If you have a universal coil, after you adjust the center-lines, you will need to angle the coil. Simply skew the coil on its center point until the black centerline is approximately - inch outside the edge of the bottle. This is done to seal larger size caps. You may also want to adjust the side rails of your conveyor to ensure a repetitive flow of bottles.
If you have a channel style coil you will have to ensure the sealing coil is parallel with respect to the conveyor. Then adjust your conveyor rails to maintain a repetitive flow of bottles. Lower the sealing head until the black marks on the end of the channel are even with the land surface of the bottle. Then adjust the coil so the travel of the bottles are down the center of the coil and not off to one side.
Perform these checks on a regular basis to ensure and even improve your sealing consistency.
If you're not sure what style of sealing coil you have call the Pillar Technologies Service Department at 262-912-7200 and we will be glad to help you.
Keep your air-cooled induction sealer cool!
Air-cooled induction sealers depend on airflow for cooling, whereas the water-cooled capsealers depend on water flow to cool the sealing head. The loss of airflow can shorten the life of the sealing head and could result in production downtime.
Check the operation of both the blower and fan under the power supply. The blower and fan are used to move air across a heat sink inside of the sealing head. Without air movement the coil gets hot enough to trip a temperature switch located on the heat sink. If the temperature switch trips you will not be allowed to restart the capsealer until the sealing head has cooled down. Long-term effects could be burning of wire insulation, causing a short circuit in the sealing head or melting of the bottom plate.
Check the power supply fan. Inside the power supply there are components that require a cooling fan. Without the aid of a fan, the electronic components will reach a temperature that will trigger a temperature switch mounted to the heat sink. The power supply will shut down and a temperature fault will be displayed. The capsealer will not be able to restart until the temperature switch resets.
Check all cooling fan filters. Each of the fans on the capsealer has a filter. These filters must be cleaned or replaced to ensure proper cooling throughout the sealing head and power supply.
Are your sensors at fault?
The cause of many stalled bottle faults are fiber optic sensors that are either out of alignment or faulty. When this is the case, the microprocessor or PLC in the stalled bottle detection system thinks the sensor is being blocked and will issue a stalled bottle fault. There are some simple checks you can make to determine if this is causing a failure.
Locate the fiber optic amplifiers used in the stalled bottle detection. With nothing between the two fiber optic sensors the amplifier should only have the green LED illuminated. If there is no bottle between the two sensors and both the green and red LED lights are illuminated, there is a fault condition.
The first check is ensuring the fiber optic sensor cables are seated all the way into the amplifier. Remove the fiber optic sensor from the amplifier. Using a fiber optic cutter trim the end of the cable. Put the fiber optic sensor cables back into the amplifier and ensure that they are seated all the way in.
The second check is the alignment of the two fiber optic sensor cables. Loosen one of the fiber optic sensor cables. Move the cable up and down, observing the fiber optic amplifier. If the red
LED light goes out, tighten the nut that attaches the fiber optic sensor to the bracket. If it does not go out, make the last check.
The final step is to replace your fiber optic sensor cables. These often get bumped and damaged by line operators. When they are bumped, they often crack at the point where the fiber optic sensor cable meets the metal ferrule mounted to the sensor bracket. To strengthen this point we are currently using a through-hole standoff that threads over the cable and ferrule union.
E-mail your questions to service@pillartech.com, or call (888) PILLAR-6 (888-745-5276) x309.