Monitoring the filling process with Checkmats

Since 1980, the Spanish Freixenet group has been producing still and sparkling wines in parallel to Cava, not least in the UCSA winery. Since the demand for still wine is rising, UCSA decided early in 2005 to install a second bottling line at its facility in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Spain. For the first time, this wine producer opted for Krones as a single-source supplier.
An important feature in this line is the monitoring function. At critical positions in the production plant, various Checkmat inspector models are installed for monitoring the processes.
Downstream of the corker, a Checkmat F-IR monitors the bottles for the correct fill level, using infrared light. A Checkmat EM+L is integrated into the discharge of the Starmatic labeller, both for monitoring the label position and for providing camera-based text inspection. “I at least don’t know any Japanese, so I can’t tell whether the right label for the specific importer in Japan has been inserted”, and “We prefer to leave that to the inspection unit,”   is how the UCSA staff in charge describe the demands placed on the inspection unit.
It was also important that the Checkmat is able to "learn" a new label within ten minutes. The staff took a course at the Krones Academy to learn how to program and operate the inspector.
Once again, a Checkmat is integrated in the packaging operation: a Checkmat VK-W-G with built-in scales verifies the completeness of the cartons. If there is a weight shortfall of more than 200 g, the entire carton will be ejected.