Leuze electronic is helping the Paulaner brewery ensure safe operations with SOLID-4 safety light curtains protecting the areas surrounding the barrel delivery system and the automatic conveyor transporting them from the washer to the filling station.
Downstream from the bottle filling station Series 18 retro-reflective photoelectric sensors are used for reliable tailback control. The PRKL 8-24 optical sensor which uses laser light was introduced to overcome the difficult challenge of sensing bottle caps. Reliable in operation, it removes a problem which caused repeated interruptions.
Another application in the brewery for this sensor is the magnetic conveyor belt used to transport bottle caps.
The PRKL 8-24 with its small light spot is able to detect the gaps which enable the caps to reach the filler without congestion or jamming.
Furthermore, a PRK 97 optical sensor controls the transportation of barrels, preventing a tailback from forming by initiating an ejection command on the conveyor if required.
‘The individual terms of reference called for the use of different sensors,’ explains Helmut Gerstlauer who is in charge of Paulaner’s electro-technical engineering in the filling department.
‘We were able to source all of these from Leuze as a one-stop supplier, which has had a very positive effect on our safety and automation concept.’
