Problem & answerN-11
Counter Dropping Product with No Bottle
Also covers: Bottle presence sensor not working
Likely causes
- Bottle presence sensor dirty, misaligned or bracket moved, so it signals a bottle that is not there
- Sensor seeing the guide rail or conveyor instead of the bottle
- Sensitivity set wrong
- Cable or sensor fault
How to fix it
- 1Stop the counter immediately.
- 2Clean up product dropped on the conveyor and machine; never return it to the hopper.
- 3Check any partly filled bottles near the counter and segregate them for recount.
- 4Clean the bottle presence sensor lens.
- 5Check the bracket is tight and the sensor aims at the bottle body between the guide rails, not at the rail or belt.
- 6With no bottle in front, the sensor LED must show no bottle; place a bottle and the LED must change. Adjust sensitivity or position until it does.
- 7Test: remove bottles from the infeed. The counter must stop and must not release product.
- 8Do not restart until the sensor passes this test.
Technical note
The bottle presence sensor tells the counter a bottle is in position. When bottles stop coming, it signals the counter to stop. If it fails and wrongly reports a bottle, the counter keeps counting and drops product onto the conveyor with no bottle underneath.Photos
It is fixed when
Counter stops whenever there is no bottle and fills only when a bottle is present.
Stop it coming back
- Function-test the bottle presence sensor at every start-up.
- Lock the sensor bracket so cleaning cannot move it.
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