Sensor delivers effective glossy material detection

Sick Glare was developed initially with European pharmaceutical and medical device packaging manufacturers to meet tougher anti-tampering and counterfeit regulations. The sensor also enables reliable detection of a wide range of finishes, labels and coatings in industries from pharmaceutical through to packaging, timber, metal machining and food and drink.

High-gloss materials or finishes can cause conventional optical sensors to fail. However, this sensor uses glare for detecting and assessing the gloss properties of shiny materials.  It is easily configured to discriminate between different degrees of glossiness to obtain precisely the required results.

The SICK Glare is a compact (42.5 X 44 X 43.4mm wxhxl), all-in-one IP67 unit. It delivers robust presence detection and exceptional gloss optical property and discrimination performance even with high ambient light levels, deep colour, transparent tape, text and shiny or holographic finishes.

The unit comprises a central strip of eight LED emitters surrounded by two receiver lines, which enable misalignment and tilting tolerances and vibration resistant performance.

Installation and configuration are easy with the integral three button pad, allowing simple teach-in on the spot with typical objects, and several operating modes; a security key prevents operative override to eliminate ‘false nuisance’ readings. Alarm levels can be set to indicate contamination, declining standards and other parameters.