38 n FOOD AND BEVERAGE September 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com Brewery uses vision system to cut labelling errors by 99% Germany’s Darguner Brewery produces about 1.5 million hectolitres of beer and 1.5 million hectolitres of non-alcoholic drinks every year. Founded in 1991, and owned by the Danish group Harboes Bryggeri, the brewery relies on high-speed, high-quality filling operations. Ensuring the accuracy of printed date codes on its cans is a critical part of maintaining product quality and compliance for the brewery. Darguner recently commissioned an additional PET bottling line alongside its two existing PET lines, a glass line and two canning lines. The canning operations are vital as consumer demand for canned beverages continues to grow. A significant challenge in the canning process involved the printing of best-before and filling dates on the cans. Despite regular manual inspections, the high production rate of up to 45,000 cans per hour meant that as many as 20,000 incorrectly printed cans could potentially pass through the line before an issue was identified. To improve process control and cut waste, the brewery decided to install a specialised vision inspection system that uses an upstream light barrier to check every second can. The system allows print errors to be detected quickly, but reliable performance depends on the precise positioning of the camera. The camera's fixed focal point requires it to be positioned just 1.1cm above the can. This presents a challenge because the production line processes multiple can formats, including 250ml, 330ml and 500ml containers. Variations in can height, combined with the need for accurate centring in the horizontal axis, demanded a flexible and precise adjustment system. Michael Wegner, the brewery’s head of automation, began searching for a suitable solution, and found that by integrating an XY positioning table into the inspection process, he could improve production reliability dramatically. Manual adjustment handwheels with builtin position indicators allow operators to make precise adjustments in both the X and Y axes while providing a clear visual reference through a mechanical counter system. During commissioning, the correct settings for each can format were established and recorded, enabling rapid and repeatable changeovers whenever production was switched between different container sizes. The compact stainless-steel XY table – a drylin SLW-XY system, supplied by igus – has been integrated into the filling line. Designed specifically for food and beverage applications, the table is lubrication-free, and corrosion- and chemical-resistant, helping to comply with hygiene and maintenance requirements, while avoiding the contamination risks associated with lubricated systems. The complete inspection system, including the camera, monitor and XY table, was commissioned in just four months. The combination of camera-based inspection and accurate mechanical positioning has delivered significant operational improvements for the brewery. It reports that the installation has reduced potential can-printing errors by 99%, almost eliminating a source of costly waste and production disruption. “The XY table works perfectly,” says Wegner. “It can be adjusted very precisely, and it runs smoothly.” Following the success of the first installation, the brewery is planning to deploy a second XY table on another canning line, further extending the benefits of improved inspection accuracy and process reliability. The installation is just one example of the brewery's focus on improving reliability and reducing maintenance by using lubricationfree plastics technologies. n A German brewery that produces almost three million hectolitres of beverages every year, has slashed its can-printing downtime by 99% by installing a vision inspection system. Darguner Brewery is using an XY table to precisely position the camera used to read labels on cans as they pass below. (Source: igus)
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