42 n MACHINE VISION April 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Camera upgrade cleans up at laundry equipment OEM The German company Kannegiesser designs and builds machines for automated laundry facilities. It develops, installs and maintains machines for large-scale washing, extracting and drying processes. The machines perform operations such as folding, flatwork feeding, garment finishing and sorting. The company operates six factories in Germany, one in the UK, and one in the US, and is present in 54 other countries. Kannegiesser’s Supertrack system uses monorails to transport batches of laundry between processes. It handles linen products for washing, drying and clean finishing processes. The linens may be separated by type or colour, which can make the management of these processes complex, requiring high levels of accuracy to ensure that the laundry is in the right place at the right time, and that no items are lost or damaged. The processes are usually different for each customer, demanding an automation system that is scalable and flexible. Kannegiesser uses cameras to verify and keep track of the bags in which the laundry is transported. The cameras scan 2D barcodes to identify the bags. The system can also divert the bags when they need servicing. A major technical challenge is that the constantly-moving bags often swing in the air, making it difficult to read the barcodes, which are laser-etched into stainless-steel tags. If an item is misread, the linen may be lost or end up in the wrong place, while potential maintenance issues may be missed. Kannegiesser had been using a vision system that encountered frequent problems with its sensitivity to ambient light levels, and could be affected by artificial lighting, the season, the weather and the time of day. Configuring the camera was complex and time-consuming, leading to frequent, lengthy periods of downtime. When Kannegiesser became aware that B&R was offering vision sensing systems, it decided to look at them as a potential upgrade. The company was already using B&R technologies including PLCs, I/Os, servodrives, safety systems and software, on its Supertrack system. The new camera has a much wider field of view, allowing it to track the barcodes more accurately, even when they are swinging. Builtin red LED lighting makes the system impervious to changes in ambient light levels. The images are processed in grayscale versions, which can be shared with customers for diagnostic purposes. The new camera is achieving almost no misreads and does not need any downtime – a considerable improvement on the previous camera which needed maintenance every few months. This has helped Kannegiesser to avoid many hours it previously spent dealing with camera issues at customer sites. The system also helps users to maintain the linen transport bags more effectively. Over time, the bags can become ripped, or their wheels can wear out. The improved accuracy of the vision system means that the bags can be removed for maintenance after a set number of cycles, helping to cut costs and reducing the risk of loss or damage to the linen products. According to Kannegiesser’s senior development controls engineer, Tim Reamsbottom, the improvement in performance following the upgrade has been profound. “Changes in ambient light were a big problem in the previous system, whereas the new camera managed to practically eliminate this overnight,” he reports. “Where previously we were having to carry out servicing at customer sites every six months, with the new camera we have yet to have a single issue from any installed system. This means we can use the hours that would have A German laundry equipment manufacturer has upgraded the cameras it uses to track batches of laundry as they move through sorting, washing and drying processes. The upgrade has improved accuracy and reliability, almost eliminating downtime and the need for service call-outs. Kannegiesser’s Supertrack system transports batches of laundry between processes in bags runnng on monorails
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