Moulds for glass bottles receive quick approval

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HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

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Nikon Metrology NV

Mould volume checked to ensure correct glass usage

Additionally, the scanner provides an alternative and more convenient method for calculating the volume of glass in a bottle or jar that a mould will make, Nikon said. Traditionally, this is done by sealing the base of the preliminary mould and seeing how much water is needed to fill the cavity. Scan data taken from the mould after it has been machined is so accurate that the volume can be calculated precisely from the virtual model, according to the supplier.

The importance of these measurements cannot be overstated. The preliminary mould produces a small, solid glass parison (a pre-shaped mass of glass) that is blow-moulded to produce the bottle. Measuring parison volume is critical, as too little glass might lead to the bottle breaking and too much would result in enormous wastage of glass during subsequent mass production.

Interestingly, mould volume calculation was the test that Omco gave to several metrology system suppliers before placing the order. Geantă said that from the mould data supplied, which was for producing a baby food jar, the volume results achieved by Nikon Metrology were spot on.

Nikon Metrology's LC50CX, with its 50 mm stripe width and scanning rate of 45 stripes per second, digitises nearly all surfaces including reflective materials with an MPEp probing error of about 15 microns. It brings the instrument within the accuracy range of tactile measurement, while scanning up to 37,500 points per second allows freeform shapes to be captured very productively.

The C3V 10.7.7 CMM platform, an aluminium bridge-type machine with a measuring envelope of 1,000 x 700 x 650 mm on which the LC50CX digital scanner is mounted, was also supplied by Nikon Metrology.

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