Inspection and sorting of particulate materials with low optical loss characteristics

摘要

Abstract: Many commercial materials sold in bulk form occur as particulates or pellets at some intermediate stage in their production. Detection of defects and foreign particles at this stage is a useful quality control function. This paper describes a concept and implementation for measuring contaminant count and removing undesirable material from a product stream. The system in its present form is restricted to materials that exhibit low optical loss. Many polymers and other particulates fall into this category or are sufficiently close that the system functions effectively. An optical scanner and material transport system are integrated with a computer system to perform the detection and sorting functions. Throughputs of 60 lbs/hour have been demonstrated and higher rates are possible.!1