INSPECTION

Automatic
inspection of glass
Established techniques for glass inspection come
underpressure as production rates and quality
requirements increase.
Francis B Slabodsky
GLASS is a hard brittle substance, across the ribbon. A parallel light beam This equipment, developed by
usually transparent. Its universal use in (lamp and cylindrical lens) is trans­ Pilkington in the mid-1960's, still pro­
numerous forms would make a descrip­ mitted through the glass and into a vides a sensitivity benchmark for other
tion of existing inspection systems look narrow slit in the scanner base, focused types of systems. It is very high cost and
like an encyclopaedic tour of industrial first on a rotating scanning disc and then the fact that it was not built by an
inspection. again on a photo-electrical multiplier independent supplier hindered its
This paper is only an introduction to (Fig. 1). general use.
the methods used in two most important
fields: float glass and containers.
Current difficulties and development
trends will be presented at the same
time.

Float glass
High throughput and quality have
made automatic inspection an
important matter. Starting in 1960,
automatic systems have been
developed, first for the glass ribbon,
then for cut pieces of glass, and lately,
for motor-car parts.

Ribbon inspection

Float glass is a highly automated

operation with a normal production of
60 m2/min. Inspection is carried out on
a 3.5 m wide ribbon up-stream from the
cutting machines. Float glass defects are
of many types. They are generally
divided into four classes:

○ Discrete defects, such as bubbles,

stones, tin drips, etc.
○ Dimensional defects, such as size,
thickness, shape, edge quality, etc.
○ Distortion defects, such as changes
in thickness or refractive index.
○ Surface defects, such as scratches,
water marks, defective coating, etc.
Ribbon inspection is mostly con­
cerned with discrete defects for the time
being. Four types of systems have been
developed:
Image dissection scanners
Scanners (typically 14) are placed in
two staggered rows on a support beam
Sensor Review April 1990 79
 INSPECTION

Laser flying spot scanners

One [1], two[2]or three [3] laser systems

are used to scan 100% of the ribbon.
Each system (Fig. 2) consists of one
emitting unit (laser He-Ne or Argon,
optics and fast rotating many faceted
mirror drum in a sealed boss above the
ribbon) and one or more receiving units
(perspex rod, optics and photo-
multipliers at one or two ends of the
rod).
The scanners are in general use in the
industry and present good results for
detecting and locating commercial
defects, down to 0.5 mm diameter
(which is quite an impressive perfor­
mance for 50 m2 or more of glass
inspected each minute). Sizing the
defects can be done by comparing the
signal obtained with pre-recorded
signal levels of sample defects, but with
relatively poor accuracy.
Two methods are now implemented
to improve the results:

○ Use a number of scanners across the

ribbon, three or four, to get a smaller
and less variable scanning spot - and
install three or more receiving units
for each scanner, these units being
positioned at different angles (Fig. 3
[3]
).
○ Replace the receiving unit by a retro-
reflective tape (Fig. 4) fixed under
the ribbon and split the returning
light into two separate channels for
detection by two different sensors
operating respectively in the light-
field and the dark-field modes.[4]
Smaller scanner spots on the ribbon
(300 to 400 u diameter) increase the
detection possibilities.
Detection
Return light improves the quality and
quantity of light received by the sensors,
compared with the perspex rod trans­
mitting some diffracted rays of light to a
sensor.
More importantly, getting two or
more signals emitted by the same
detected defect permits the beginning of
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a defects classification which may be This method can be used to detect
used in two ways: non-conducting defects in any non­
conducting ribbon.
○ To get more accurate results. Each time a defect is detected, a
○ To check the quality of the glass for signal giving the position of the ribbon
a better control of the process. is memorised (rotating wheel in contact
with the ribbon or mounted on the axis
Electro-optical scanners of a roller), as well as a signal giving the
A combination of collimated light position of the scanning mirror polygon.
under the ribbon and a bank of photo­ The data thus collected are used:
[5]
cells or CCD cameras mounted above
the ribbon are used to inspect the ○ For marking detected defects on the
ribbon. ribbon with high-speed painting
Until a few years ago cameras were pistols travelling on a beam across
less efficient than laser scanners, but the the ribbon.
fast development of CCD cameras (up to ○ As an input to the cutting control
5,000 pixels, parallel processing, etc.) computer to select the correct modes
will make them very competitive in the allowing the best use of the ribbon.
near future. ○ As a basis for diverse statistics and
historical information.
Miscellaneous
Scanners using fast rotating antennas Pieces inspection
fed by 8 mm wavelength klystrons
detect flaws by exploiting the Doppler After cutting from the ribbon,
effect (each passing defect produces a individual plates must be inspected for
return wave with a slightly different breakage, good edges, intact corners
frequency). Each scanner covers a 60 and correct dimensions. These plates
cm ribbon width. are then processed in various shapes -
April 1990 Sensor Review
 INSPECTION

○ Dimensions with an accuracy of

+1/32in.
○ Squareness with the same accuracy.
○ Absence of broken corners and small
spikes.

The first industrial system[7] is now in

operation at a reduced speed (45 m/min)
and an accuracy of1/16in.
It is built around a powerful lighting
bar below and across the conveyor and
a CCD camera mounted overhead on a
three-dimensional orientable arm.
Real-time algorithms were developed
as all the data concerning one piece have
to be processed in not much more than
100 ms. The high cost of the lighting
system and of the mechanical installa­
tion may still prove an obstacle to its
general use.
New developments run around the
use of stroboscopic lighting (difficult for
industrial applications), high-speed
shutters for the cameras and more
powerful algorithms. There is still a lot
to be done, particularly for checking
edge quality, for which techniques
discussed in the next chapter may prove
of use.

similarly inspected - which are bent, conveyed horizontally at a speed of 60

tempered or laminated in pairs for m/min in one, two or four parallel lines, Containers
making automobile parts. the pieces being separated from each
Inspection is carried out all along. For other by a few centimetres. These pieces Containers are a most common item,
instance, windshields are to be checked can be slightly askew as no conveyors produced in vast quantity and in many
for glass defects, mostly on the surface, are perfect. It would be necessary to forms at very high speed. It is still
and for correct dimensions and curva­ check on the fly: imperative though to check each one of
ture measurement. Motor car makers
are asking for very stringent specifica­
tions due to robot handling of glass parts
in car plants, and to new techniques for
flush mounting on car bodies. Accuracy
is within + 0.2 mm for a windshield.
Almost all these tasks are done today
by visual inspection. Rapid progress is
being made with the development of
these systems as the high throughputs
do not leave enough time for human
inspectors. Prototypes are now being
tested in many plants. [6] To give a
glimpse of such inspection machines
and the task to be performed, it would
be easier to describe one of these
systems.
Cut pieces of glass (rectangular) have
to be checked before packaging. These
pieces (one square metre mean size) are
Sensor Review April 1990 81
 INSPECTION
these items to ensure a trouble-free
bottling operation and to protect the
contents.
Containers are made in fast auto­
matic multi-mould machines working at
speeds up to 500 items/min and have
to be checked for dimensional and
structural defects, as well as for critical
defects, that is the defects that can be
dangerous to the health of the
consumer (spikes, free glass fragments,
etc.).
Automatic machinery for inspection
has been developed since the mid-
1960's on two common principles[8]:
○ Multi-station machines to allow
different types of inspection on the
same machine;
○ Rotating stations for each type of
inspection as containers must be
82
inspected all around (special type of These defects occur mostly near the
equipment is used to allow rotation top of the container, the shoulder and
of non-round containers). the bottom.
These machines have to be built for ○ Electro-mechanical gauges, such as
handling very unstable items - for adapted differential transformers.
instance, antibiotic phials at more than
500 bpm (bottles per minute) - and for Body diameter, out of round defects,
fast adaptation to changes in produc­ height, neck external and internal
tion. diameter, etc., are checked by these
Sensors in these machines are: methods:
○ Fibre optic laser diode modulated ○ Air pressure system for checking the
light and corresponding fibre optic finish (top of the container): dimen­
receiver cells. All defects created by sions and waviness of the horizontal
contact between hot glass and a surface.
colder surface (mould, for example), ○ Capacitive gauge for measuring
or by excessive pressure, look like thickness at different altitudes on the
fine cracks and are detected during rotating containers.
container rotation by emitting ○ CCD cameras and laser lighting (light
diffracted rays of light. fan) for dimensional measurements
April 1990 Sensor Review

and detection of glass spikes inside
the containers.
○ Electro-optical equipment (laser
diode and adequate cells) for reading
engravings on the bottom of the
container for identification of mould
or cavities.
Thousands of such inspection
machines are in use all over the world,
24 hours a day. Such sturdiness in auto­
matic and complicated systems is a
tribute to the suppliers.
Fig. 5 represents the different stations
with their equipment. [9]
Due to the progress being made in
CCD camera performance, it now looks
possible to replace these machines by
simpler ones (no rotation and no
indexing mechanisms). Techniques
already in use for other glass products
(tubes) look promising: two or more
Sensor Review April 1990
CCD X-Y cameras may obtain different
views of a container frozen in movement
by stroboscopic lighting, and these
views can be processed fast enough by
implementing new real-time shape
verification programs and flaw check­
ing.
Other techniques being implemented
address the problem of eliminating in
real-time all optical deviations given by
markings or embossings in glass to let
the signal given by flaws get through.
Use of spatial light modulators looks
promising and these are now being
tested in different prototypes. It is well
known that optics is a natural way of
using Fourier-related algorithms and
the future looks bright for these
methods.
Glass-making includes many other
industries, such as tubes for lighting,
fibre glass, TV, domestic glass, etc.,
INSPECTION
each of which has developed their own
inspection systems.
This paper was only intended as a
short introduction to some of the
solutions achieved in the last 20 years
and to show how important the inspec­
tion problems are for the glass
industry. □
References
[1] Sortiermaschinen - FRG
[2] Tesch Lacan - FRG
[3] Nippon Sheet Glass - Japan
[4] Image Automation - GB
[5] Asahi Glass Co - Japan
[6] Glass Cut-size Pieces Defects Inspection
Booklet, Automotive Glass Automatic Inspec-
tion Booklet, F. Slabodsky - France
[7] SGN - France
[8] SGCC - France
[9] Owens Illinois - USA
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