Omron Vision Solution Improves ’s Uptime by Matching Lids to “Instant Lunch” Cup Contents Maruchan, Inc. in Irvine, California manufactures the popular Instant Lunch cup of dried and they needed to detect when the correct lid BRIEF was in place before sealing as well as detect when a lid was missing or out of proper position. After the lids are sealed onto the top of the cups, the products are immediately put inside sleeve packages and then into cartons. Any improvement had to avoid causing production delays and jamming of packaging equipment downstream. Omron proposed and installed a machine vision solution that delivers 100% inspection of cup lid placements to eliminate product with mismatched to content from reaching the customer.

Maruchan Cup of Noodles Story In 1972, the Japanese processed foods conglomerate Toyo Suisan opened its first United States plant, Maruchan, Inc. It’s third plant in Irvine, California opened in 1994 to meet the demand for the popular “” dried products in the U.S. and Mexico. The 2.25-ounce portion of dried noodles and flavorings are packed in a cup in the American and Mexican market. The simple preparation only requires the addition of hot water, and affordable prices make Instant Lunch noodles a popular snack or quick meal for all age groups.

Challenge: Lid Inspection Problem Each cup of noodles is sealed with a lid marked with

one or two icons identifying the flavor and a bar code APPLICATION that confirms an exact match of contents to lid version. Maruchan wanted to insure that the correct lids are placed on the cup of noodles, and that placement is correct. After the lids are sealed onto the top of the cups, the products are immediately put inside sleeve packages and then into to cartons. Products with wrong lids needed to be detected and removed from distribution.

Omron Solution Omron designed and implemented a Vision Inspection System based on the F160 vision sensor that inspects the lid on each cup right after it is sealed on the cup but before it enters the sleeve packaging machine. The inspection system uses 360-degree rotational compensation to align the camera image for proper inspection. After compensating for rotational alignment, the vision system inspects one or two identifying features on the artwork to verify that the lid matches the product being produced. Automation…simple…powerful. Product selection, inspection results, and system setup are performed on an NS-series HMI connected to a CP1H PLC. Omron provided a complete solution package that included the Vision System, PLC, and HMI inside a completely terminated control panel as well as engineering, programming, and startup

Product Name Vision Line Number

Lot Counter

Inspection Failure Type Counter Total Counter

Counter Reset

Switch Lines Go to Product Go to Two Go to Main Menu Selection Screen Camera Screen services. Four systems were installed to support inspection after the line splits into four lanes.

Results Maruchan, Inc. benefited from two significant improvements: The inspection system inspects every product (100%) and insures that the lid on every product is correct. Products with wrong lids are blown off the conveyor. The second benefit is that the inspection system also captures products with no lids and lids that are grossly miss-positioned. Identifying these defects and removing these products from the conveyor eliminated machine jamming and downtime at the sleeve packaging machine. After installing this system, the customer has realized significant reduction in sleeve packaging machine downtime and increase in machine utilization. “The inspection system works much better than expected,” says Yoshiaki Yamamoto, Maruchan’s Deputy Plant Manager. “The biggest surprise is the unexpected benefit of reducing sleeve packaging machine downtime by eliminating jam-up as a result of removing products with no lids and misaligned lids.” The system eliminated wasted time and manpower required to find and remove bad products and helped reduce potential risks and liabilities associated with incorrectly labeled products. Based on these results, Machuran, Inc. has asked to duplicate the inspection system at their Virginia plant.

Bill of Materials for Omron’s Inspection Solution Model No. Description Quantity F160-C10E-2 Vision System Controller 4 F160-S2 Vision System Camera 4 F160-KP Vision System Keypad Console 4 F150-VS10M Camera Cable 4 F150-VM Monitor Cable 4 F150-L8 Camera Lens 4 CP1H-X40DRA PLC 2 CP1W-CIF11 PLC-to-RS-422/RS-485 Module 2 CP1W-CIF01 PLC-to-RS-232 Module 2 NS10-TV00B-V2 10-inch Touch Screen HMI 2 NS-CA002 HMI Video Input Adapter 2 S8VS-18024 Power Supply 2 E3Z-R66 Photo sensor, Retroreflective 4 G2R-1-SND-DC24 Relays 4 DF-200-1 NER Dark Field Illuminator (light) 4

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