Product category:
Contract packing
News Release from: Barr and Paatz | Subject: antitheft laser
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 April 2007
Barr and Oatz antitheft laser
Barr and Paatz of Totnes has built the pilot machines for an innovative new anti-theft laser marking system, developed by Bristol-based security and risk management consultancy, The Courtenay Group.
Barr and Paatz Builds Pilot Vendormark Anti-Theft Laser Machines Robotics and process automation specialist, Barr and Paatz of Totnes has built the pilot machines for an innovative new anti-theft laser marking system, developed by Bristol-based security and risk management consultancy, The Courtenay Group Named Vendormark, the system employs direct laser etching to permanently mark small, high value retail products, providing a major deterrent against theft in the supply chain and at store level
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Workcell simulation appraises low-cost robotics
Barr and Paatz is offering a fixed price 3D robot workcell simulation package for GBP 1500, to provide a low-cost, zero-risk means of determining the viability of robotic systems.
Describing anatomy of an industrial robot
Robotic system integrators describe the anatomy of an industrial robot to provide greater understanding of the technology is capable of and where it might be integrated into production lines.
Vendormark, which identifies the only authorised point of sale and engages public participation in reporting crime, has already been instrumental in the recovery of thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods and the arrest of an illicit trader.
It is being trialled by such multiple retailers as Boots and Asda, with retail suppliers also registering active interest.
Employing its in-house CAD/CAM resources, Barr and Paatz has already designed, configured, programmed and manufactured the first Vendormark 6000 machines, which are manually loaded systems capable of laser coding 6,000 units in an 8hr shift.
Further reading
Automotive containers assembled and tested
An automated assembly and test cell for automotive screenwash containers automatically produces and leak-test some 75,000 units annually at a 99% success rate.
To beat competition, get robots
Robot technology has undergone rapid change over the past decade or so, suppliers focusing on continuous improvements in machine productivity and performance writes Stirling Paatz.
Robot cell package for mould unloading
Six-axis industrial robots are increasingly regarded as a cost-competitive and flexible alternative to conventional Cartesian gantry systems for plastic injection demoulding applications
A higher capacity Vendormark 30000, with a fully automated front-end for integrating into packaging flowlines, is now at the concept stage.
"We are very excited about the results already achieved with Vendormark and believe it will serve our clients as a major deterrent against retail and supply chain theft," says Simon Jarvis, MD of The Courtenay Group.
Developed with and exclusively for The Courtenay Group, the Vendormark machines are built around the Domino compact S200W scribing laser and incorporate Mitsubishi micro PLC architecture and Festo advanced electro-pneumatic components, for which Barr and Paatz is an official integrator.
With a 16 year track record of providing automation solutions across a wide range of industries, Barr and Paatz was the perfect partner for this project, able to apply its multidisciplinary technical expertise and dedicated project management systems to developing working prototypes from scratch.
Retail crime is an ever-growing problem in the UK, with theft by customers and staff amounting to over GBP2 billion annually and the cost of crime prevention measures rising toward GBP1 billion.
A high proportion of retail and supply chain theft is driven by the ease with which stolen goods can be converted into cash, on the internet, at illicit market stalls, car boot sales, by drug dealers and being channelled back into the distribution chain.
Current deterrents like CCTV, identity tagging, store guards and plastic 'safers' are proving most effective against casual thieves, but professional criminals, who account for a major proportion of retail theft, are not easily discouraged by such measures.
So The Courtenay Group, which is dedicated to loss prevention solutions and helping corporate clients to manage their security effectively, is addressing the retail theft issue from the opposite direction, by helping to prevent the illegal resale of stolen goods and significantly increasing the risk of arrest and prosecution for those handling them.
Its laser-etched Vendormark securely identifies the authorised point of sale, such as Boots or Asda, raises awareness of the act of handling stolen goods and, through the associated theftline call centre, offers potential cash rewards for reporting crime.
Goods targeted for retail theft tend to be relatively portable, high value, high demand fmcg lines, like cosmetics, perfume, batteries, razor blades, even packaged meat, so the Vendormark 6000 machine is designed for handling a wide variety of small products, with tolerances for laser marking within +/-0.05mm.
Since the system is manually loaded and the operator needs to be shielded from the laser marking head, Barr and Paatz had to accommodate a number of component and guard interlocking issues, to ensure safe manual handling and automatic locking of the turntable at precisely the correct position.
The machine's rotary table has two positions, one for loading product and one inside the machine for laser marking and transfer, and it revolves through 180 by manual indexing, then is locked into position automatically by a pneumatic cylinder.
Rectangular apertures and alignment dowels in the aluminium turntable allow the insertion of matched pairs of custom-made carriers, for inserting different retail products and holding them in the correct orientation.
Mounted on castors for moving around warehouses and distribution centres, the Vendormark 6000 pilot machines are being built by Barr and Paatz from Bosch Rexroth's flexible, modular aluminium profile, with stainless steel infill panelling, which supports the enclosed laser encoding system, rotary turntable and HMI with colour touch-screen.
At the heart of the machine is the compact Domino S200W scribing laser, from Domino Printing Solutions of Cambridge, which marks permanent codes/lettering on a range of materials, including cartons, labels, plastics and glass, its high resolution optics producing legible characters as small as 2mm.
The associated touch-screen user interface allows for quick code set-up and there is also a standalone fume extraction unit, which is coupled to the machine via a flexible hose.
The lightweight, stainless steel scribing laser requires compressed air at 80 l/min @ 4 bar for cooling purposes and Barr and Paatz has incorporated an electrically-driven Rietschle Thomas DTE8 rotary vane blower.
A compact Festo DFM guided cylinder locks the rotary turntable into position, its twin-rod design enabling it to withstand high side loadings within a small space envelope.
Whilst a Mitsubishi FX1S 10 I/O micro controller is used to coordinate the various sequences and control table locking in conjunction with the laser coding operation; a maintenance-free, robust card-sized PLC, it is ideal for such embedded control functions.
The proposed Vendormark 30000, which fully exploits the Domino S200's character generation speed of 30,000 units per shift, will incorporate an automated front-end for online processing and will require Barr and Paatz to address further interlocking and safety challenges.
A version is also in development that will laser mark cellophane-wrapped boxed fragrances, cutting a small rectangle in the plastic wrapping, blowing out the excision and heat sealing the edges.
"We are not equipment manufacturers and rely on industrial partners like Barr and Paatz and Domino to translate our concepts into reality," says Simon Jarvis.
"We are delighted with the quality and performance of our pilot machines and foresee moving into volume production in the near future.".
• Barr and Paatz: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
