With over 40 years’ experience in the development of glue application and quality assurance technologies, W. H. Leary has established itself as a market leader in supplying these solutions to the folding carton industry. “We offer solutions from the very simplest to the most complex automatic multi-valve systems for high-speed machines” says Kevin Leary, W. H. Leary Group President. “We have used all of this experience to engineer a complete new product range of glue application, quality assurance monitoring, production data collection and remote internet log-in services.”
New Technologies
In launching the new ARRAY series of system controllers, Mr. Leary says, “This product line is designed specifically for the folding carton industry, incorporating new technologies such as LEARYVIEW vision cameras, AUTOGLUE automatic pattern placement and adjustment and LEARYNET remote log in assistance — all of which have been developed to enhance folder gluer machine performance, ROI and improve Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE)”.
The ARRAY controllers feature a new 38 cm (15 in) high resolution color touch screen and are equipped with Leary’s Monet pictorial operator interface. Available in three basic formats, ARRAY can be specified as a gluing system, a QA system or a combination system. The open architecture of the hardware means that a controller initially specified for a simple single detection task can easily be changed to include glue application with auto glue line correction or to detect for additional carton features such as windows, correctly folded flaps, skewed carton problems or any of the other 70+ carton detection functions that Leary offers.
Available as an option on all new ARRAY systems is LEARYVIEW, a complete line of quality assurance scanners and vision cameras which allow for detecting mixes, print copy, Braille and other quality assurance applications. These solutions are aimed at broadening the range of possibilities for carton producers who have ever increasing demands placed upon them by their customers.
Improved Quality Assurance Security
All ARRAY systems operate with the newly developed SECURESCAN technology guaranteeing 100% product scanning. “It has been developed to provide fail-safe product monitoring, tracking and quality assurance”, Mr. Leary says, “We achieved our goal of delivering high-speed automatic product security along with powerful productivity tools designed to help maximize efficiency and minimize production line stoppages.” SECURESCAN works by ensuring every single product is accounted for as it enters, travels through and leaves the production line. At any point in time, the system knows the product location, dimensions and speed, certifying that every product receives 100% inspection. SECURESCAN is also responsible for the safe removal of faulty product. Should a product be identified as faulty, the system tracks the product to either the automatic carton ejector or the folder-gluer’s built-in ejection system and removes it without interrupting production. A fail-safe input validates the removal of the ejected product.
Production Enhancements
The ARRAY controller features Monet software technology, this interface and technology drastically simplifies the make-ready process. After pressing just a few buttons, the system automatically configures all glue pattern positions relative to the carton dimensions, thus reducing make-ready time significantly. Once set, On-Target technology further ensures that glue patterns stay correctly positioned during the production run. Mr. Leary comments “This exclusive technology automatically makes adjustments on the run ensuring glue placement accuracy. Quality is automatically improved, waste is reduced and time is saved when compared to other systems which require operator intervention when problems occur. This is the complete solution when absolute quality control and minimum waste levels are required.”
Customer Support
Another first in the new ARRAY controllers is the iQ Smart Services network connection which offers a combination of new technologies designed to help companies maximize their productivity. LEARYNET allows Leary technical support personnel to securely access a connected ARRAY control system. The remote connection allows Leary to view and assist in job and system set-up and diagnose problems. This saves users time and money by reducing downtime and the requirement for on-site technical support visits. iQ Dashboard, another component of iQ Smart Services, enables automatic production data to be collected from the production line wherever an ARRAY controller is installed. Collected data is gathered and held in a secure database for easy analysis. The information gathered includes production, waste and spoilage counts, job start and end times, quality information, downtime, uptime, operator login information and an array of unlimited reporting options.
The iQ Smart Services network also has the option of automatically emailing an executive summary of the previous day’s production, so that potential problems can be identified and addressed as quickly as possible. Mr. Leary summarizes, “We’ve listened to our customers and this next generation of products has been designed to fulfil their needs for the continuing changes in the carton market. With the current economic climate and market pressures, it is important that new equipment offers great price value and features which deliver a quick ROI and improved OEE.”
