Problem & answerD-01
Desiccant Cutting in the Wrong Place
Also covers: Cutting sensor red spot not on the cut point
Likely causes
- Cutting position sensor moved, so its red light spot is no longer on the cut point (main cause)
- Sensor knob or bracket loosened by vibration or cleaning
- Sensor lens dirty
- Sachet pitch on the reel different from the last reel
How to fix it
- 1Stop the machine and open the rear access door.
- 2Check the desiccant feed path for jams or misalignment.
- 3Look at the cutting position sensor: its red light spot shows where the machine reads the strip.
- 4Jog the strip until the gap between two sachets (the required cutting point) is correctly positioned for the cutter below.
- 5Loosen the sensor adjusting knobs and move the sensor until the red spot sits exactly on the required cutting point; tighten the knobs.
- 6Clean the sensor lens if dirty.
- 7Run in Manual/Jog mode: every cut must fall in the gap between sachets.
- 8Run a production test and confirm correct insertion.
Technical note
The cutter is lower down, but it fires on the signal from this sensor. If the red spot drifts off the cutting point, the cutter cuts in the wrong place: through a sachet (silica beads released) or giving two sachets. Check the red spot at every start-up and reel change. Quarantine any bottles filled while sachets were being cut through, and inform QA.Photos
It is fixed when
Every cut falls cleanly between sachets; one intact sachet per bottle.
Stop it coming back
- Check the first 10 bottles after every reel change.
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