710494Ultrasonic Glass Container Inspection TechnologyClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKGlass bottles are subject to a multitude of physical defects during production. Presently, container inspection is performed through a combination of manual and ‘non-contact’ optical systems whereby light reflected by a defect is picked up by a sensor; defective containers are then rejected and conveyed for resorting at significant cost. This method is limited in effectiveness as defect type, size and relative positioning can fluctuate; the array of bottle shapes and sizes further complicates the issue. The company wish to apply ultrasonic methods to inspect glass containers through a ‘noncontact’ approach. It is envisaged that ultrasonic pulses will induce an acoustic signature of frequency relative to the imperfection type, size and relative position on the bottle. Computational analysis of these structural fingerprints could elucidate far superior methods for glass bottle inspection with considerably reduced energy usage and rejection rates; possibly eliminating or substantially reducing expensive manual resorting. The proposed technology will aim to function without the aid of any couplant or ‘contact’ fluid as done in conventional non-destructive direct-contact evaluation methods. Globally there are 27 sizable container glass manufacturers (excluding Russia, China and most of India) and 1924 production lines. Most manufacturers have a minimum of two different optical inspection machines per line and cost around £200,000 per unit. On the basis of a similar capital investment for the proposed technology, we estimate a total addressable market worth £785 million. Our strategy is to secure 0.3%, 0.8% and 3% of the market by 2017 (year 1 - 12 machines), 2018 (year 2 – 30 machines) and 2021 (year 5 – 115 machines), generating £2.4million, £6 million and £23 million respectively.