Quality inspection of container coatings
AssigneeKrones AG
InventorJochen Krueger
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for testing and inspecting containers coated by means of a plasma treatment, e.g. plastic bottles, which are coated for instance with amorphous silicon oxide or carbon compounds. The containers are tested by a measuring device trace-gas-analytically, e.g. mass-spectrometrically, for undesired foreign substances, such as acetaldehyde and/or antimony, escaping from the container material after a plasma coating treatment.
Claims19
A method for testing and inspecting containers comprising container material coated by means of a plasma treatment the method comprising the step:
- testing the containers trace-gas-analytically by a measuring device for undesired foreign substances escaping from the container material after a plasma coating treatment,
- wherein the containers are tested inline for undesired foreign substances at the speed at which the containers run through a production process and treatment process.
A method for testing and inspecting containers comprising container material coated by means of a plasma treatment, the method comprising:
- testing the containers trace-gas-analytically by a measuring device for undesired foreign substances escaping from the container material after a plasma coating treatment,
- wherein when it is detected that a predefined limit value in concentration of a specific undesired foreign substance is exceeded by more than at least one of 0.1, 1, 5, 10 or 100%, then the container is at least one of a) classified as inadequately coated, b) finally removed from production, and c) transferred to a new plasma coating treatment.
An apparatus for coating containers with a coating by means of a plasma treatment and for the testing and inspection of the coating, the containers formed of a container material, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one plasma treatment unit for coating the containers;
- and
- at least one measuring device comprising a mass spectrometer, wherein the measuring device is configured to be capable of testing the containers coated by the plasma treatment unit for undesired foreign substances escaping from the container material.
A method for testing and inspecting a container made of plastic and coated with a barrier layer by means of a plasma treatment, the method comprising the steps:
- obtaining a sample of gases from inside the container after the plasma treatment while the container is being transferred along a production line;
- testing the sample with a trace gas analyzer to identify a concentration of an undesirable foreign substance in the sample;
- comparing the concentration to a predefined limit value;
- classifying the container as either unobjectionable or objectionable depending on whether the concentration is above or below the predefined limit value;
- and
- inoculating the plastic with a tracer substance prior to coating the plastic with the barrier layer, wherein the undesirable foreign substance comprises the tracer substance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.