The production and packaging of medical supplies must comply with some of the most stringent hygiene regulations across all industries. To ensure patient and consumer safety, every product must undergo rigorous quality control to eliminate the possibility of contamination. Particle Inspection Technologies and Wierciszewski Controls focus primarily on the medical supply inspection and quality assurance segment. Developed jointly by the two US companies, the SASI-30 machine is a high-performance, automated visual inspection solution for syringes and vials, capable of inspecting 120 items per minute.
Customized systems developer Particle Inspection Technologies (PI-Tech) and Wierciszewski Controls, specializing in custom machine design and advanced vision inspection solutions, collaborated to leverage their respective technical expertise to build these high-tech devices. “By sharing over 30 years of engineering experience and expertise, PI-Tech has created a robust, innovative, and easy-to-use inspection device that can meet the individual needs of each customer,” said Jerry Wierciszewski, President of Wierciszewski Controls.
The AM30xx and AM81xx series offer powerful, high-precision motion control.
EtherCAT and TwinCAT ensure real-time image processing.
At the heart of this machine is the TwinCAT automation software. It controls the machine, which works in conjunction with multiple USB-3 cameras used in the system. “The SASI-30 system acquires 50 images every 20 milliseconds, caches them in memory, and displays a processed image to the user every 50 milliseconds. What sets the system apart is that, in manual mode, the user can process up to 30 images every 30 seconds, allowing these images to be captured by the human eye. In automatic mode, it can process up to 600 images per second,” said Jerry Wierciszewski. Accurate positioning and precise timing are prerequisites for high-speed image analysis when performing 360-degree omnidirectional inspection of a rotating, running syringe. “This is achieved based on the speed and positioning accuracy of the TwinCAT NC PTP software and EtherCAT communication,” Jerry Wierciszewski pointed out.
Highly precise error detection is achieved through seven cameras.
To achieve this highly reliable error detection, the SASI-30 employs seven independent cameras, each performing a specific step in the detection process. At the start of the process, Camera 1 checks for scratches, while Camera 2 checks for particulate contaminants against a bright background. Next, Camera 3 inspects the vial and syringe for cracks, and then the product is passed to Camera 4, which checks for particulate contaminants against a dark background. Depending on the specific application, it is determined whether Cameras 5, 6, and 7 should be added to the detection process. Camera 5 is responsible for detecting the printed label. The task of detecting the cap and/or label position falls to Camera 6, while Camera 7 thoroughly inspects the syringe plunger, if applicable, thus completing the entire detection process.
EtherCAT and TwinCAT ensure real-time image processing.
At the heart of this machine is the TwinCAT automation software. It controls the machine, which works in conjunction with multiple USB-3 cameras used in the system. “The SASI-30 system acquires 50 images every 20 milliseconds, caches them in memory, and displays a processed image to the user every 50 milliseconds. What sets the system apart is that, in manual mode, the user can process up to 30 images every 30 seconds, allowing these images to be captured by the human eye. In automatic mode, it can process up to 600 images per second,” said Jerry Wierciszewski. Accurate positioning and precise timing are prerequisites for high-speed image analysis when performing 360-degree omnidirectional inspection of a rotating, running syringe. “This is achieved based on the speed and positioning accuracy of the TwinCAT NC PTP software and EtherCAT communication,” Jerry Wierciszewski pointed out.
Compact structure, easy to program: Beckhoff drive technology
The AM8000 series servo motors, along with the AX5106 EtherCAT servo driver and the EL7201 servo terminal block, are responsible for the motion control of the detection system. “The EL7201 terminal block is only 12 mm wide, making it very compact and ideal for space-constrained applications,” explains Jerry Wierciszewski. “We chose Beckhoff’s servo motors and drivers because of their high cost-performance ratio and ease of integration. Using TwinCAT to automate device configuration saved us weeks of programming time.”
Improve performance and reduce costs
Jerry Wierciszewski considers EtherCAT and TwinCAT-based system control a milestone for PI-Tech: “With PC-based and EtherCAT-based automation solutions, we are able to achieve standards far higher than we previously thought possible.” In addition to expanded functionality and higher performance, Wierciszewski is also very satisfied with the approximately 30% reduction in component costs. “Powerful operation and lower costs allow us to deliver unique value to our customers,” he continued. “We even plan to continue integrating Beckhoff’s solutions, including upgrades to the more advanced TwinCAT 3 automation software platform; the pace of innovation never stops,” Wierciszewski concluded.
