Surface inspection in foil extrusion: iPQ-Surface scores with intuitive, simple operation – on display at K 2022

Reliable defect detection, thanks to state-of-the-art hardware

While assembly space is rarely an issue in large extruders, when it comes to e.g. cutting systems, a small assembly space is decisive for the easy integration of the inspection system in the industrial infrastructure. As the leading provider of quality assurance systems for the web processing industry, BST has always set the standard and enables seamless integration with individually adaptable solutions, even for retrofits. As well as the cost-effective standard solution for errors in the range of 50–200 µm, BST also offers customer-specific configurations based on modern camera technology. With 300 KHz line frequency at 16384 pixels, iPQ-Surface meets the highest requirements within the smallest possible amount of space. The high-performance technology can combine a wide variety of illumination types (RGB or UV lighting, bright field, dark field, lateral light, transmitted light) with innovative, modular Multiplex lighting. As a result, tasks that would previously have required multiple inspections lines can be completed with a single line. The latest new feature is a specially developed additional module for the detection of color deviations. This can be used to reliably detect up to 100 percent of even the slightest discoloration, and display and track Delta E deviations. Warning thresholds can be used to generate e.g. alarm notifications for the user.

iPQ-Surface also offers an efficient solution for the processing of recycled materials: the typical specks seen here are ignored and not reported as errors – only relevant defects are displayed. “This keeps the error list manageable and the system practical, so that users actually want to use it,” says Product Manager Jostmeier. Thanks to reliable error detection, process problems are recognized in real time, so rejects are prevented before they occur.

Seamless quality documentation with iPQ-Surface software

Application-specific solutions and comprehensive service

For large or small companies – every industrial landscape has different infrastructural and technical prerequisites. iPQ-Surface is able to adapt to the respective requirements and conditions flexibly and precisely. “What’s special about iPQ-Surface is the optimal combination of the individual components,” explains Product Manager Jan Jostmeier. “This provides the ideal solution for every application. Flexible, modular, and optimized to the user’s needs – in other words, 100-percent thought-through.” As well as iPQ-Surface, BST offers other industry-specific solutions, such as iPQ-Surface Energy for battery and fuel cell production, and iPQ-Surface Coldseal for printing and packaging. BST’s comprehensive service doesn’t end at installation: with more than 30 years’ experience in surface inspection, its highly qualified experts support customers pragmatically, professionally and holistically – always with the long-term goal of improving processes in the web processing industry.

About BST 

BST GmbH, an elexis Group company, is one of the leading suppliers of quality-assurance systems for web-processing industries. The company, which is based in Bielefeld, north-west Germany, offers solutions for web guiding, surface inspection, web monitoring, 100% inspection, color measurement, color management, register control and automation. The company has decades of practical experience in these areas, with installations for more than 15,000 customers all over the world in the printing and packaging, paper and film, rubber and tire, battery and fuel cell, and printed and organic electronics industries. BST stands for high-quality monitoring, smooth production processes and first-class service worldwide.

www.bst.elexis.group