Cortex Glass B.V.

The GobWatch is an innovative gob monitoring, gob inspection and gob weight control system. The GobWatch system uses two high resolution cameras to capture stereoscopic images of all falling gobs from a single, dual, triple or quad gob feeder.

The system can automatically control the gob weight of single weight and multi weight gob feeders. The closed loop gob weight control function of the GobWatch is very precise (±0.05% achievable) and shortens the Job-Change time (more than 30 minutes).

The GobWatch system can inspect flint glass gobs for inclusions like seeds, bubbles and stones. The system counts the number of seeds and bubbles and provides information about their sizes.

The GobWatch system can reject glass products made from flint glass gobs with inclusions directly after the glass forming machine! The GobWatch system can also reject formed glass products with for example gob weight deviations, gob length deviations or gob falling angle deviations.

The GobWatch is easy to use, significantly improves the product quality and productivity and has a fast payback time.

Cortex Glass has developed a new temperature monitoring system, the BlankWatch. The BlankWatch system uses one small thermal camera per section in order to measure real time and continuously different temperatures at the blank side. The temperature measurements are very precise and exactly timed with the IS-machine timing. 
 
Installed at the blank side of an IS-Machine the BlankWatch system provides real time information about:

- Left Mold Temperature
- Right Mold Temperature
- Neck Ring Temperature
- Plunger Temperature
- Parison Temperature
- And many more..
  
The mold related temperature information is displayed in trend graphs together with the thermal images on an interactive Touch Screen. Warning and alarm limits can be set in order to inform personnel when the temperatures are out of the set limits. 

With the BlankWatch temperature information cooling settings can easily be controlled resulting in constant temperature conditions, a requirement for a stable forming process. 

The TopWatch system monitors the transport of hot glass products on a conveyor belt. The TopWatch system uses one small infrared camera mounted above the conveyor belt to create top view images of the hot glass products.

The TopWatch provides real time information about:

- Product X-Position
- Product Y-Position
- Product Rotation
- Conveyor Speed

The TopWatch rejects glass products with the following problems:

- X-position deviation
- Y-position deviation
- Rotation deviation
- Stuck Ware (X and Y direction)
- Fallen Ware
- Too close to each other

The ISWatch system is a multi Infrared Camera system for Hot End Inspection, Hot End Process Monitoring and Hot End Process Control. The ISWatch system works with all forming processes (Blow-Blow, Press-Blow and NNPB), all glass colours and with round and non-round ware.

The ISWatch system provides real time cavity related information about:

- Glass Distribution
- Glass Symmetry
- Glass Temperature
- Lean / Verticality
- Diameter / Shape
- Ware Spacing, Position and Rotation

The ISWatch system rejects critical defects like Fins, Bird swings, Spikes and many more.