CASE STUDY: In Motion Check Weigh for Manufacturing

Cornerstone Automation Systems Incorporated (CASI) was contacted by a local Weigh-Tronix distributor to develop an in-motion check weigh and data collection system system. The system incorporated fixed position barcode scanners, statistical process controls, shop floor data collection and conveyor controls.  All systems integration was performed on a turnkey basis by CASI.

The Problem

The end user of the system is a manufacturer of perishable food packaging material located in North Texas. The system end user wanted to reduce the amount of errors in their shipping by utilizing an in-motion scale system to detect under and over weight cartons. Because SKU’s are often mixed on the conveyor, fixed position barcode scanners would be used to identify the product.  Each carton is identified by product number. 

Current Method

The current method of trying to maintain shipment accuracy required multiple full time quality control personnel to sample inspect cartons as they were produced. In addition to the significant expense in touch labor, the method was completely unreliable for catching problems that did not occur in every carton.

The Solution - In Motion Checkweigh using SolidCheck™

In order to eliminate the problems and provide a competitive edge, CASI was contracted to install an In-Motion Scale System with SolidCheck™ using the standard SolidCheck™ software. A modification was  added to SolidCheck™ that enabled the end user to dynamically develop and adjust upper and lower control limits on the fly.

The statistical process control functionality of the system allowed the user to enter a sigma multiplier for each SKU. The system developed upper and lower control limits based upon this value. When new products were introduced to the line, the SolidCheck™ system automatically created the SKU in the system and used the sample count number to set the sample size to develop the upper and lower control limits.

System Overview

The SolidCheck™ system as installed utilizes three Data Logic DS6300 fixed position barcode scanners, a Dell Optiplex Computer with SolidCheck™ In Motion Scale Management Software.

Hardware Description

Dell Optiplex Computer

A standard Dell Optiplex PC was used as a platform for SolidCheck™ with an Industrial Enclosure from Hoffman. In most cases, we use the CASI 1100 system controller, as it has redundant hard drives and power supplies and is designed for tough manufacturing and distribution environments.

Data Logic DS6300 Fixed Position Scanner

The recent introduction of the new Data Logic DS6300 provides material handing systems integrators with an extremely powerful scanner with performance on par with much larger and expensive units. The DS6300 was chosen for this application due to the poorly printed and often damaged UPC barcodes and the 30 inch depth of field required. The read rate of the DS6300 in this application is over 99% despite the large depth of field and small x dimension of the barcode.

Software Description>

SolidCheck™ is an advanced in-motion scale management tool that integrates scale, scanners and conveyor controls with legacy applications for in-motion carton check weigh.   SolidCheck™ incorporates advanced Statistical Process Control formulas that provide real time data on process control. The system provides reports for each individual check weigh station based upon all I/O and peripheral devices.

System Operation

As cartons leave the production area, the Data Logic DS6300 fixed position barcode scanners read the product number barcode from both the front & side of the carton. This barcode data is sent to SolidCheck™ where the data is added to the rolling sample that develops the upper & lower control limits.

 

The customer continuously creates new products for its customers creating a potential database maintenance problem. SolidCheck™ solves this issue in the following manner: If the product number is not currently in the database, the SolidCheck™ System creates the new SKU eliminating the need to manually enter the initial data.

 

Statistics for each scanner, Scale and global performance are maintained in the SolidCheck™ system. The system allows the user to monitor the performance of the entire system, as well as each individual component.

Exception processing

When an exception occurs the SolidCheck™ System transmits an error message to the conveyor controls and the carton is diverted to the QC lane for manual processing. Bi directional units like the SortMaster™ 100 are perfect for this task.