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counting bottles

D

david b

Jan 1, 1970
0
In our milk bottling plant we would like to have a means of counting
bottles as they leave the filling machine on a conveyor.
We don`t need to store the numbers, just an easy to read display that
can be reset to zero every time we change bottle size.
Any thoughts on how to acheive this ?
TIA
David B
 
J

Jasen Betts

Jan 1, 1970
0
In our milk bottling plant we would like to have a means of counting
bottles as they leave the filling machine on a conveyor.
We don`t need to store the numbers, just an easy to read display that
can be reset to zero every time we change bottle size.
Any thoughts on how to acheive this ?

see the engineer who maintains the conveyor (and other plant), there's all
sorts of different resetable counting mechanisms available, he may even
have a used one you can have cheap.

If you want to do it yourself consider attaching an light-beam sensor to an
electronic counter. (maybe a cheap pedometer could be modiified?)
 
C

Chris

Jan 1, 1970
0
david said:
In our milk bottling plant we would like to have a means of counting
bottles as they leave the filling machine on a conveyor.
We don`t need to store the numbers, just an easy to read display that
can be reset to zero every time we change bottle size.
Any thoughts on how to acheive this ?
TIA
David B

Hi, David. Even if you're paying yourself less than minimum wage and
parts were free, you couldn't make a counter for less than you can buy
one. And almost all of them have a reset feature either built into the
front of the display, or have provision to attach an external switch
for reset.

The sensing part is a little more difficult. If your milk bottles are
full, it should be fairly easy to insert one of those microswitches
with lever activators in line, and then use the contact closure to
increment the counter. If that's not practical, there are many
photoelectric switches that can sense whan the beam is broken and give
an electrical output. The downside to that is that you'll need a
separate power supply for the sensor. But many counters have built-in
power supplies for external sensors, too.

Now, if the bottles are not filled, and are transparent, and you can't
use a microswitch, you might have more problems. The photoelectric eye
sometimes is not reliably switched by clear glass or clear plastic.

Your question is so general, it's kind of difficult to give a good
answer without writing a book. Why don't you take the time to describe
your problem a little better, and possibly someone can then give you a
more specific answer. Please include:

* Number of counts per second, including how long the microswitch
would be closed or the eye would be triggered.

* Possible to use a microswitch?

* Milk bottles full?

* If milk bottles empty, then glass or plastic? Glass/plastic
transparent, translucent, opaque? If transparent, opaque to infrared?

* Is this just a school class question? You'll get a lot more useful
of an answer if you just 'fess up. Nearly all dairies are fiercely
automated, and this actually sounds more like a ringer question.

Good luck
Chris
 
D

david b

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks for the reply
Genuine question this.
We have a small on farm dairy we set up last year.
Just seeking guidance on whether something is available off the self or
we need to aquire components.
We have full poly bottles
1 every 2 seconds
should be possible to fix a microswitch to the conveyor guide rails
DB
 
C

Chris

Jan 1, 1970
0
david said:
Thanks for the reply
Genuine question this.
We have a small on farm dairy we set up last year.
Just seeking guidance on whether something is available off the self or
we need to aquire components.
We have full poly bottles
1 every 2 seconds
should be possible to fix a microswitch to the conveyor guide rails
DB


Hi, David. Just asking to get an idea of what you needed.

If you can work out a mechanical setup to sense the bottles, your job
has become much easier and less expensive. Some microswitches
(trademarked name, they're made by many suppliers) have rather long
vane actuators at their ends which can be depressed by the bottles
going by. This has the real advantage of greatest simplicity, but you
have to make sure product goes only one way on the conveyor. On some
of the long vane actuators, you can bend the end back to give it a
roller effect. But be sure to get one that's rated for dry contact
switching. You're going to be switching a low voltage at a low
current. If you use a standard microswitch, the contacts will oxidize
over time and become unreliable long before end of life.

As I mentioned before, it's far easier and more efficient just to
purchase a counter module than to make one. There are many of these
available which will work for you.

Unless you want a big display, you can go with one that's self-powered
(e.g. a 3V replaceable lithium battery that should last for years).
You need to specify one that has contact actuation (for your
microswitch normally open contacts), and that has either provision for
an external reset button or one built-in on the front display of the
counter, or both. The contact activation part is critical -- if you
get one that's voltage-actuated, the contact bounce of the microswitch
will lead to multiple counts per bottle, especially as the microswitch
contacts get old.

One provision I hadn't taken into consideration is that your
electronics may need to be rated for washdown, seeing as this is a food
handling environment. This is going to increase your costs by quite a
bit, and may require you to get a switch with the appropriate food
handling rating. Many of these counters come with a mountable silicone
rubber boot you can put over the front of the display, which will give
you the appropriate rating.

But if you don't have to be washdown rated, you can easily get the
whole thing done for less than $40 USD for a new microswitch and a new
counter. You also might want to ask around in your maintenance
department -- they're typically pack rats, and may have the components
waiting in a locker or drawer for you to pick them up.

I'm not familiar with too many distributor sources in the UK, but you
could do worse than getting an Omron H7EC-N at Farnell (3262807) for
£35.02 in stock. A little pricey, but it's got everything you need
for a washdown environment except the microswitch. It's got contact
switching (set the DIP switch for 30Hz max), a reset button on the
front panel as well as provision for external count, and it's also able
to be hosed down if needed. Be sure to use the provided mounting kit,
and use an approved gasket for mounting to a washdown box if you need
it.

Good luck
Chris
 
D

david b

Jan 1, 1970
0
Many thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
Will get onto it later this week
David
 
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