ECS' Patented Directional Analysis Removes False Defects for Web Inspection in Harsh Environments
ECS INNOVATION OPENS NEW DOORS FOR TISSUE MACHINE WEB INSPECTION
4 camera composite image of the 200” web
ECS Directional Analysis Software to remove false defects
See United States Patent No. US 9,172,916 B2 ‘Web Monitoring System’
In Q1 of 2016, ECS was brought in to improve the Process Monitoring camera system on one of Georgia Pacific’s tissue machine, as well as design a custom web inspection solution around the improvements being made to their dry-end. Foils were being added to cover as many open-draws as possible along the sheet path, leaving no area to place a web inspection beam except for above the reel.
Newer machines are designed with practically no open draw space from the Yankee to the reel, while older machines are constantly being re-fitted with new foils. This leaves only areas right before, or even on the reel-drum, available for inspection of an un-covered sheet.
Initial designs placing the beam further from the reel had to be modified, rendering traditional air-cleaning solutions useless. By developing a High Definition pinhole lens solution that could be retrofitted into an existing beam, ECS could ensure that the beam (which could only be accessed during a shut-down) remained clean, despite glue, debris, and regular corrosion.
Retrofit pinhole insert allows use of standard pinhole lenses and cameras
Using Web Inspection to achieve higher realized capacity requires actionable data.
Three Requirements:
Paper Machine Hardware including LED’s must withstand rugged requirements of runtime environment and frequent wash-downs
Pinhole lens technology that delivers consistent and clean images to the Web Inspection software
US Patented Software that can tell a piece of dust or shadow from a hole/defect in the sheet
“Before the retrofit, we would have a buildup of broke, dust, and glue and we had to clean them. After we changed over the technology to the new beam design, it’s pretty much hands-off. We don’t have to mess with them. Very rarely we will go in and clean once every 3-4 months, possibly not even that often.
We’ve gotten to a point now where we’re getting consistent information without operator interaction. We’re getting the data and results we need, without needing to put on the man-hours to maintain it. With the web beam, we’re quickly able to identify defect patterns that allow us to troubleshoot their causes.”
Matt Quick
Business Development Leader
Former PM20 Manufacturing Engineer
Tissue Facility, Georgia
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