One of the most important elements in the production processes of multiple industries is one that isn’t heavily involved in creating the final product itself. Instead, this element contributes to quality assurance, continuous improvement, and ensuring the overall end result is as it should be. It’s a splice sensor, which itself can be one of a few different types of sensors depending on the application.
Just as it sounds, a splice sensor identifies gaps, seals, and other indicators of material being joined together or separated by a specific amount of space. There are multiple purposes for this: ensuring a product is present on backing material, ensuring there is an appropriate amount of space between products, recognizing when and where materials have been connected, and many others.
Ultimately, a splice sensor is meant to ensure that the products or materials on a line are as they should be. If not, the sensor will trigger a response — an alert, alarm, or another process in another system like a programmable logic controller (PLC) — that allows for corrective action to be taken. Using these types of sensors ensures that product quality is maintained and costly errors and downtime are caught before they become larger issues.
EMX Industries, Inc. offers a variety of splice sensors that can identify different splicing methods. We’ll explore a few here to help those who might be looking for a solution to improve their production processes and deliver a superior product with each run.
Label manufacturers produce hundreds of thousands of labels per day, if not millions depending on the product. These lines are running at high speed, so a high-speed splice sensor is needed to identify when a splice is present. In this application, our LabelX sensor will detect a splice once it has been taught the difference between separate materials (such as labels and a backing sheet, or two materials with differing contrast). As the material runs along the line and through the LabelX sensor, it will rapidly identify and communicate the presence of a splice to a programmable logic controller (PLC) for automation control.
See it in action: See how easy it is to configure the LabelX for your application.
Go in-depth: Learn more about what makes for a reliable label detection sensor.
Some industries use different kinds of tape to indicate a splice and connect materials together. One of these is cabling. These cables are connected with clear tape, which must be detected so systems understand when certain lengths of cable have been reached or when some other production step is required. Recently, EMX Industries, Inc. recommended our UVX luminescence sensor for a company looking to identify clear tape being used for splices. The UVX emits a beam of UV light causing a material to fluoresce (glow) and be detected — in this case, it was the adhesive on the clear tape.
In the spotlight: Learn more about using the UVX as a splice sensor here.
Get expert assistance: Multiple models are available. Find the right one for you.
Closely related to the above splice sensor is our ColorMax color sensor, specifically the ColorMax-1000 for reliable detection of opaque (solid color) targets. If your application for splice detection involves identifying solid-color tapes or other materials for indicating the presence of a splice, the ColorMax-1000 is the way to go. With the ability to detect up to 15 colors along with RGB intensity, you can program the sensor to identify virtually any color material being used in your production environment for marking a splice. The ColorMax-1000 features a lightning-fast 20 kHz switching speed, making it ideal for today’s fast-paced environments and ensuring that not a single splice is missed.
Customizable to your needs: Explore videos on how to adjust and use the ColorMax.
Endless applications: Take your ColorMax sensor further. Explore more applications here.
If any of the above splice sensor solutions aren’t lining up with your production environment and splice detection needs, consider whether your current splice method uses contrasting materials. If so, our CNTX contrast sensor is the answer. As one of our fastest sensors, the CNTX brings a 40 kHz switching speed along with the ability to detect up to 50 different grayscale colors. Its broad-spectrum white LED allows the sensor to detect a wide variety of colors against any background — ensuring that no matter the material, the CNTX will identify the presence of a splice as long as there is sufficient contrast or surface sheen variation.
See the difference: Learn more about the CNTX contrast sensor options here.
Explore applications: The CNTX can be used for a number of automated detection needs.
EMX Industries, Inc. has been engineering a full portfolio of industrial automation solutions for decades. Our high-speed sensors are used in countless applications worldwide where accuracy, reliability, and easy integration are essential to success. Our sensors are also extremely cost-effective — serving as the more preferable alternative to more expensive solutions like machine vision systems. Learn more about us and our history of helping companies improve the reliability and automation of their production environments.When you’re ready, you can buy any of our sensors quickly and easily online. We encourage you to submit a sample of your material first to ensure our sensors will support your goals. Simply reach out to us here, and our team will coordinate the sample submission with you.
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