What it does
EBS is a preinspector for empty returnable bottles. As each bottle passes, it captures an image of the container and flags the defects that should never reach the line — residual liquid, foam, foreign objects, deformation or breakage, and bottles that still have a cap or closure on. A bottle that still has its cap traps a pressure difference that collapses it, and EBS rejects it on that deformation. Because the bottle springs back to its normal shape the moment the cap comes off, EBS has to catch it here, at the start of the line — before the decapper downstream removes the cap and hides the defect. Pulling these bottles at the very start of the line keeps contaminated and unwashable containers out of the washer and protects the consumer downstream.
In the line
EBS usually stands guard right before the decapper, pulling capped, liquid-carrying and visibly unsafe bottles out of the flow before they can jam or damage the machinery behind it. Returned bottles arrive close together at this point, so the station works as a fast safety screen — checks that need a clear view of the cap and mouth area stay switched off here. Installed after the decapper instead, where bottles run evenly spaced, EBS performs its most complete inspection — height, silhouette and the mouth of the bottle included. It can also run after the Mass Spec. Operators work from a touchscreen or a remote monitor, with network access available for an optional remote-management service that provides online support over an internet connection.
What it inspects
- Residual liquid and internal foam.
- Residual liquid color.
- Bottle perpendicularity.
- Height, outline and shape — deformation and breakage — where bottles run evenly spaced, after the decapper.
- Dirt, foreign particles and foreign bodies, inside and outside.
- Capped or closed bottles, including collapsed bottles.
Reject handling
- QLS reject Pairs with the ENOS QLS linear reject system for soft, high-speed vertical removal of empty bottles, with an accumulation table, reject verification and fallen-bottle detection.
- Integrated rejection EBS can drive the reject device directly, so detection and removal stay in step with the line.
