Light curtain ensures well-stacked pallets

Leuze Mayser's Konturflex measuring light curtain has assisted in the development of Andrews Automation's Pallet Profile Checker which ensures pallets are correctly stacked and aligned.

The combination of Leuze Mayser's Konturflex measuring light curtain and IPRK photoelectric sensors has given handling specialist Andrews Automation the edge when it came to developing its Pallet Profile Checker due to the proven reliability and accuracy of the products.

The launch of the Pallet Profile Checker comes at a time when organisations shipping palletized loads are under increasing pressure to ensure correct stacking and alignment to ensure a 'perfect' fit into the recipients warehousing and racking system.

It is not unheard of for complete shipments to be rejected by the logistics contractor simply because one palletised load is unsteady and unsafe.

In developing the Pallet Profile Checker, Andrews Automation looked to its application department to create a design capable of simultaneously scanning all four sides of pallets looking for uneven loading, stack tilt, etc., and also have the inbuilt precision to detect any plastic wrap overhang.

This is crucial to ensure that correctly stacked and wrapped palletised loads are released for final despatch safe in the knowledge that receiving parties will have no complaints regarding stack neatness and stability.

Having previously successfully collaborated with Leuze Mayser and used its products on other handling control developments, Andrews Automation had no hesitation in approaching the company again regarding the new development, safe in the knowledge of buying robust, reliable systems.

Results of joint discussions resulted in the Konturflex Measuring Light Curtain being integrated into the profile checker for monitoring front and back of a pallet whist clear object sensors from Leuze Mayser's IPRK range would scan the left and right sides.

Whilst designed to monitor standard pallets such as EURO and CHEP, the versatility that the Leuze Mayser Konturflex and photoelectric sensors give to the new pack-line equipment enables it to be easily programmed to handle bespoke pallet sizes.

Konturflex light curtains are characterised by fast response times, a top speed of 50us per beam, and can easily adjust to diverse application situations whether checking length, width or height measurement, position, hole detection or multi-dimensional contour detection.

An essential component of the Konturflex system is its Quattro control unit which enables connection of up to 4 light curtains with a total of 512 beams and without mutual interference to ensure precise output.

Quattro takes charge of preliminary measured value processing and passes data in compressed form via RS232/485, PROFIBUS, MODBUS or CANOpen to a higher-level control system.

In the case of the Pallet Profile Checker it interfaces directly to a based control system developed by Andrews Automation.

Whilst the control system co-ordinates the scanning process, a simple multi-coloured beacon stack provides operators with notice when each scan result is complete.

For more complex needs Andrews Automation is able to tailor the system configuration to suit individual needs such as inclusion of a reset counter to audit pallet reject quantities.

Design of the Pallet Profile Checker has all opto-electronic sensors pre-mounted, simplifying installation whether for a new build line or as a retrofit application.

It is envisaged that in the majority of applications the unit will sit immediately down line of an Automatic Stretch Wrap machine and before the fork truck pick up point.

For the new Pallet Profile Checker the Konturflex KT10-2080 Measuring Light Curtain is specified, with a resolution of 10mm, however Leuze Mayser can offer a range of scanning resolutions from 5 to 40mm to cope with many widely differing profile measurement needs.

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