Inspecting a fibre receptacle

Abstract

A method of inspecting a fibre receptacle 22, comprising directing electromagnetic radiation from a source 45 to the receptacle and receiving using a sensor 62 at a fixed location relative to an axis of the receptacle, the electromagnetic radiation from the receptacle. Also, a fibre receptacle inspection apparatus comprising plural sensors 54, 56 that are directed towards a common axis and arranged at different respective orientations relative to the common axis. Also, a system comprising a processing station for manufacturing or processing a fibre receptacle, and a fibre receptacle inspection apparatus at a fixed location relative to the processing station, wherein the fibre receptacle inspection apparatus comprises an EM source to direct radiation to the receptacle, and a sensor to receiver the radiation from the receptacle. The radiation may be directed from an external source through a wall of the receptacle to be received by a sensor of the other side.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to inspection of fibre receptacles. The receptacles may form consumer packaging, such as bottles, useful for holding liquids, powders, other 5 flowable materials or solid objects. BACKGROUND It is desirable to reduce plastics use in consumable items, particularly packaging. Trays and other simple shapes are commonly made from paper pulp, but more complex objects, such as bottles, are more difficult to engineer. It may be desirable to inspect such 10 products made from paper pulp, to determine and / or monitor their properties. SUMMARY According to the present invention, there is provided a system comprising: a processing station configured to manufacture or process a fibre receptacle, wherein the processing station comprises a fibre receptacle thermoforming station configured to 15 receive a fibre receptacle embryo and apply heat and pressure to the fibre receptacle embryo to manufacture the fibre receptacle; a fibre receptacle inspection apparatus located downstream of, and at a fixed location relative to, the processing station, wherein the fibre receptacle inspection apparatus comprises an electromagnetic radiation source apparatus configured to direct electromagnetic radiation to the fibre receptacle, and a 20 sensor apparatus configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation from the fibre receptacle; and a fibre receptacle coating station downstream of the fibre receptacle inspection apparatus, the fibre receptacle coating station configured to apply a coating to a surface of the fibre receptacle. 25           The fibre receptacle inspection apparatus allows the fibre receptacle to be inspected after it has been processed / manufactured at the processing station. This may allow inconsistencies in the manufacture / processing of the fibre receptacle to be 26 04 24 determined and / or may allow the fibre receptacle to be inspected to ensure that it meets a predetermined quality requirement. The use of the electromagnetic radiation source and the sensor apparatus allows the fibre receptacle to be more accurately inspected than through any direct visual inspection of the fibre receptacle by an operator of the system. 5          As the fibre receptacle inspection apparatus is downstream of the fibre receptacle thermoforming station, the fibre receptacle is inspected once it is more completely formed as compared to the fibre receptacle embryo. This may allow the inspection of the fibre receptacle to be more indicative of the final formed receptacle. As the fibre receptacle coating station is downstream of the fibre receptacle 10 inspection apparatus, the coating is only applied once the fibre receptacle has been inspected, ensuring that only fibre receptacles which meet a desired quality standard are coated. This may help to reduce costs and waste through coating fibre receptacles which are not of an adequate quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 15          Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa schematic view of an example process for making bottles from paper pulp; Figure 2 is a schematic view of an example inspection apparatus; 20           Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a receptacle; Figure 4 is a schematic top view of a part of the inspection apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a schematic view of the inspection apparatus of Figure 2 in use; Figure 6 is a flow chart of an example method of inspecting the receptacle; and 26 04 24 Figure 7 is an example image of the receptacle obtained at the inspection apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following description presents exemplary embodiments and, together with 5 the drawings, serves to explain principles of embodiments of the invention. Figure 1 shows a process for making bottles from paper pulp (i.e., which can form the basis of an example fibre suspension) using a receptacle forming system. The process is merely exemplary and is provided to give context to examples of the present invention. Broadly speaking, the exemplary process comprises providing a fibre suspension, 10 introducing the fibre suspension into a mould cavity of a porous first mould and using the porous first mould to expel a liquid (such as water) from the fibre suspension to produce a wet precursor or embryo (which may itself be considered a moulded receptacle), further moulding the wet precursor in a mould to produce a further-moulded receptacle, inspecting the receptacle, coating the further-moulded receptacle to produce a coated 15 moulded receptacle, drying the coated moulded receptacle to produce a dried receptacle, and applying a closure to the dried receptacle. As will be apparent at least from the following description, modifications may be made to the exemplary process to provide variants thereof in which other examples of the present invention may be embodied. In this example, providing the fibre suspension comprises preparing the fibre 20 suspension from ingredients thereof. More specifically, the preparing comprises providing pulp fibres, such as paper pulp fibres, and mixing the pulp fibres with a liquid to provide hydrated pulp fibres. In this example, the pulp fibres are provided in sheet form from a supplier and the liquid comprises water and one or more additives. In this example, the liquid is mixed with the pulp fibres to provide hydrated pulp fibres having 25 a solid fibres content of lwt% to 5wt% (by dry mass of fibres). In examples, the one or more additives includes a sizing agent, such as alkylketene dimer (AKD). The hydrated pulp fibres typically comprise AKD in an amount of 0.4wt% with respect to the total dry mass of the solid fibres in the hydrated pulp fibres. In some examples, one or more additives are present in the liquid at the point of mixing the pulp fibres with the liquid. 26 04 24 In some examples, one or more additives are included in the hydrated pulp fibres after mixing the pulp fibres with the liquid (e.g. the pulp fibres are hydrated for a period of time, such as from 2 to 16 hours, and then one or more additives are supplied to the hydrated pulp fibres). The hydrated pulp fibres are passed between plates of a valley 5 beater 11 or refiner that are in motion relative to each other. This fibrillates some, or all, of the fibres, meaning that cell walls of those fibres are caused to become partially delaminated so that wetted surfaces of those fibres comprise protruding hairs or fibrillations. These fibrillations will help to increase a strength of bonds between the fibres in the dried end product. In other examples, the valley beater 11 or refiner may be 10 omitted. The resultant processed pulp is stored in a vat 12 in a relatively concentrated form (e.g. a solid fibres content of lwt% to 5wt%) to reduce a required storage space. At an appropriate time, the processed pulp is transferred to a mixing station 13 at which the processed pulp is diluted in further water and, optionally, mixed with one or more 15 additives (as well as, or in place of, the one or more additives provided with the hydrated pulp fibres) to provide the fibre suspension ready for moulding. In this example, the solid fibres account for 0.7wt% of the resultant fibre suspension (by dry weight of fibres), but in other examples the proportion of solid fibres in the fibre suspension may be different, such as another value in the range of 0.5wt% to 5wt%, or 0.1 wt% to lwt%, of the fibre 20   suspension (by dry weight of fibres). In some examples, the one or more additives mixed with the processed pulp and water includes a dewatering agent, such as modified and / or unmodified polyethylene imine (PEI), e.g. modified PEI sold under the trade name Polymin® SK. In some examples, the one or more additives are mixed with the water, and the water and one or more additives subsequently mixed with the processed pulp; in 25 other examples, the processed pulp and water are mixed, and the one or more additives subsequently mixed with the processed pulp and water. The fibre suspension typically comprises Polymin® SK in an amount of 0.3wt% with respect to the total dry mass of the solid fibres. Mixing of the fibre suspension at the mixing station 13 helps to homogenise the fibre suspension. In other examples, the processed pulp or the fibre suspension may 30 be provided in other ways, such as being supplied ready-made. 26 04 24 Downstream of the vat 12 and the mixing station 13 is a first moulding station (also referred to as a fibre receptacle embryo forming station) that comprises a porous first mould 15. In this example, the porous first mould 15 comprises two half-moulds that are movable towards and away from each other, in this case using a hydraulic ram. 5 In this example, each of the half-moulds is a monolithic or unitary tool formed by additive manufacturing (e.g. 3D-printing) that defines a mould profile, and, when the half-moulds are brought into contact with each other, their respective mould profiles cooperate to define the mould cavity in which the wet precursor or moulded receptacle is to be formed. Each half-mould may itself define a smaller moulding cavity and, when brought into 10 cooperation with a second half-mould, the smaller moulding cavities may combine to provide the overall mould cavity. The two half-moulds may themselves be considered “splits” or “moulds” and the overall porous first mould 15 may be considered a “splitmould” or, again, a “mould”. In other examples, the porous first mould 15 may comprise more than two splits, such as three, four or six splits, that cooperate to define the moulding 15 cavity. In Figure 1, the fibre suspension (also known as slurry) is top-filled into the porous mould 15, in contrast to moulding processes that dip a mould in slurry. The fibre suspension is drawn under vacuum via a line 16 and into the porous mould 15, with excess suspending liquid being drawn through the porous mould 15 under vacuum via a line 18 20 into a tank 17. Shot mass may be controlled by measuring (e.g., weighing) the amount of liquid drawn into the tank 17. A weight scale platform supporting the tank 17 is visible in Figure 1. Once a required amount (e.g. a predetermined volume, such as 10 litres, or a predetermined mass, such as 10 kilograms) of liquid has been collected in the tank 17, suction of the suspending liquid through the porous mould 15 is stopped and the porous 25 mould 15 is opened to ambient air. In this example, the suspending liquid drawn with the fibre suspension in line 16 is water, or predominantly water (as additives may also be present). The liquid drawn under vacuum via the line 18 and into the tank 17 is substantially free of fibres, since these are left behind against the walls of the porous mould 15 to form an embryo of the moulded receptacle. 30          In one form, in order to remove further suspending liquid (e.g. water) from the embryo, and form or consolidate the three-dimensional shape of the receptacle, an 26 04 24 impermeable inflation element 19, e.g., a collapsible bladder, is inserted into the porous mould 15 and expanded to act as an internal high-pressure core structure for the porous mould 15. This process strengthens the wet embryo so that it can be handled, and displaces water from in between the fibres, thereby increasing the efficiency of a 5 subsequent drying process. The inflation element 19 is actuated and regulated using a hydraulic pump 20. The pump 20 has a cylinder that displaces a fluid in a line 21 into the inflation element 19, to expand the inflation element 19 radially and into conformity with the mould cavity. Fluid within the line 21 is preferably non-compressible, such as water. Water also has the advantage over other non-compressible liquids that any leaking or 10 bursting of the bladder 19 will not introduce a new substance to the system (since the suspending liquid is already water, or predominantly water). Demoulding occurs when the porous mould 15 opens for removal of the self-supporting moulded receptacle 22. Mould cleaning 23 is preferably performed subsequently, to remove small fibres and maintain a porosity of the porous mould 15. In 15 this example, a radially firing high-pressure jet is inserted into the mould cavity while the mould 15 is open. This dislodges fibres from the wall of the mould cavity. Alternatively, or in addition, water from the tank 17 is pressurised through the back of the porous mould 15 to dislodge entrapped fibres. Water is drained for recycling back to an upstream part of the system. It is noteworthy that cleaning is important for conditioning the porous 20 mould 15 for re-use. The porous mould 15 may appear visibly clean after removal of the receptacle, but its performance could be compromised without cleaning. According to Figure 1, the formed but unfinished receptacle 22 is subsequently transported to a second moulding station (also referred to as a fibre receptacle thermoforming station) where, in a, e.g., aluminium, mould 25, pressure and heat are 25 applied for thermoforming a desired neck and surface finish, optionally including embossed and / or debossed surface features. After two halves of the mould 25 have closed around the receptacle 22, a pressuriser is engaged. For example, a bladder 26 (e.g., a thermoforming bladder 26) is inserted into the receptacle 22. The bladder 26 is inflated via a line 27 by a pump 28 to supply pressurised fluid, e.g., air, water, or oil. Optionally, 30 during supply, the pressurised fluid is heated with e.g. a heater or, alternatively, is cooled with e.g. a heat exchanger. An external mould block 24 of the mould 25, and / or the mould 26 04 24 25 itself, may also, or alternatively, be heated. A state of the moulded receptacle 22 after thermoforming is considerably more rigid, with more compressed side walls, compared with the state at demoulding from the porous mould 15. After thermoforming, the moulded receptacle 22 is transported to an inspection 5 apparatus 40 (shown in Figures 2 to 4) which is located at a fixed position downstream of the second moulding station. At the inspection apparatus 40 (also referred to as a fibre receptacle inspection apparatus or fibre receptacle inspection station), the moulded receptacle 22 is inspected to determine properties of the moulded receptacle. In some examples, one or more such inspection apparatuses are provided elsewhere in the overall 10 process shown in Figure 1. A drying stage 29 (e.g. a microwave drying process or other drying process) is performed downstream of the thermoforming and the inspection apparatus 40, as shown. In one example, the drying stage 29 is performed before thermoforming. However, moulding in the mould 25 requires some water content to assist with bonding during the 15 compression process. Figure 1 illustrates a further drying stage 30 after the drying stage 29, which may utilise hot air circulated onto the moulded receptacle 22, e.g., in a “hot box”. In some examples, microwave or other drying processes may be performed at plural stages of the overall manufacturing process. The moulded receptacle 22 is then subjected to a coating stage at a fibre receptacle 20 coating station, during which, in this example, a spray lance 31 is inserted into the moulded receptacle 22 and applies one or more surface coatings to internal walls of the moulded receptacle 22. In another example, the moulded receptacle 22 is instead filled with a liquid that coats the internal walls of the moulded receptacle 22. In practice, such coatings provide a protective layer to prevent egress of contents into the bottle wall, which 25 may permeate and / or weaken it. Coatings will be selected dependent on the intended contents of receptacle 22, e.g., a beverage, detergent, pharmaceutical product, etc. In some examples, the further drying stage 30 is performed after the coating stage (or both before and after the coating stage). In this example, the moulded receptacle 22 is then subjected to a curing process 34, which can be configured or optimised dependent on the 30 coating, e.g., drying for twenty-four hours at ambient conditions or by a flash drying 26 04 24 method. In some examples, e.g. where the further drying stage 30 occurs after the coating stage, the curing process 34 may be omitted. At an appropriate stage of production (e.g., during thermoforming, or before or after coating) a closure or mouth forming process may be performed on the moulded 5 receptacle 22. For example, as shown in Figure 1, a neck fitment 35 may be affixed. An exterior coating and / or decoration is then applied to the moulded receptacle 22 by an exterior coater and / or a decorator, respectively, as shown in the further coating stage 32. In one example, the moulded receptacle 22 is dipped into a liquid that coats its outer surface, as shown in Figure 1. In another example, the outer surface receives the external 10 coating in a different manner. The coating and / or decoration may cover all or only part of an external surface of the receptacle 22. One or more further drying or curing processes may then be performed. For example, the moulded receptacle 22 may be allowed to dry in warm air. The moulded receptacle 22 may therefore be fully formed and ready to accept contents therein. In other examples, the receptacle 22 may be considered fully 15 formed without the neck fitment 35 being affixed. Figure 2 shows a schematic view of the inspection apparatus 40. The inspection apparatus 40 comprises a sensor apparatus 42 which is located within an inspection region 44, an electromagnetic radiation source apparatus 45, and a turntable 50. The electromagnetic radiation source apparatus 45 comprises a light source 46 and a lens 20 arrangement 48, and the turntable 50 comprises a support 52. Figure 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the receptacle 22 to be inspected at the inspection apparatus 40. The receptacle comprises a neck 72, an opening 74, a side wall 76 comprising an inner surface 77, a base wall 78 and an interior 80. The neck 72 is connected to the side wall 76 via a shoulder region 73. The side wall 76 is 25 substantially perpendicular to the base wall 78 and the side wall 76 defines a main body which has a larger external diameter than the neck 72. The opening 74 is at an end of the neck 72 which is furthest from the base wall 78. The sensor apparatus 42 comprises three radial sensors 54, 56, 58 located radially about, and directed towards, a common axis 60, and an axial sensor 62 which is located along the common axis 60 and has a field of view 30 which is directed along the common axis 60. The sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 are located at 26 04 24 fixed positions relative to the common axis 60, such that they do not move relative to the common axis 60. As shown in Figure 4, the radial sensors 54, 56, 58 are offset from each other by an angle 9 of 120 degrees, such that they are equally spaced around the common axis 60. The radial sensors 54, 56, 58 are all located the same distance from the common 5 axis 60. The inspection region 44 is surrounded by an opaque enclosure 66 which is configured to shield the inspection region 44 from unwanted electromagnetic radiation which is not emitted by the light source 46 (e.g. background light in a room in which the inspection apparatus 40 is located). The opaque enclosure 66 is made from high-density 10 polyethylene (HDPE), although in other examples the opaque enclosure 66 is made from another material such as another food-safe material. A first side 67 of the opaque enclosure 66 is open, such that the receptacle 22 can move freely into and out of the inspection region 44, in use. In some examples, a cover (in the form of, e.g., a door or a curtain) is located at the first side 67 of the opaque enclosure 66, to restrict unwanted 15 electromagnetic radiation from passing into the inspection region 44 at the first side 67. The cover is moveable to allow the receptacle 22 to move into and out of the inspection region 44, in use. The radial sensors 54, 56, 58 and the axial sensor 62 are all located within the enclosure 66. Although in the example of Figures 2, 4 and 5 the light source 46 is located outside of the inspection region 44, in some examples the light source 46 is 20 located within the inspection region 44. The turntable 50 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape and is configured to rotate about a central axis 64 of the turntable 50 in a direction indicated by arrow X. The turntable 50 is rotated using an electric motor, with automatic or semiautomatic control by an electronic processor. The turntable 50 comprises a hole 51 25 extending from a top surface 53 of the turntable 50 to a bottom surface 55 of the turntable 50. The turntable 50 is optically opaque (i.e. opaque to visible light) and is made from HDPE, although in other examples the turntable may be made from another material such as another food-safe material. In some examples, the turntable 50 is optically transparent (i.e. transparent to visible light) to allow light from the light source 46 to pass through the 30 turntable 50. In such examples, the hole 51 is omitted. 26 04 24 The support 52 is transparent, made from Perspex, and is substantially cylindrical in shape. The support 52 is located within the hole 51 of the turntable 50 such that the support 52 extends through the turntable 50. The turntable 50 comprises the support 52, such that rotation of the turntable 50 also moves the support 52. Although only a single 5 hole 51 and support 52 are shown in Figure 2, in some examples the turntable 50 comprises plural holes 51 (e.g. two, three or four holes 51), with separate supports 52 located in each hole 51. The light source 46 is located beneath the turntable 50 and is fixed in position relative to the sensor apparatus 42. The light source 46 is configured to emit light and is 10 arranged such that the emitted light is directed along the common axis 60. The lens arrangement 48 is located between the light source 46 and the sensor apparatus 42 and is configured to guide the light emitted by the light source 46 along the common axis 60. In some examples, the lens arrangement 48 is omitted. In some examples, the support 52 forms part of the lens arrangement 48. 15          As shown in Figure 5, in use, the receptacle 22 is received on the support 52 while the support 52 is at a first position 68, which is outside of the inspection region 44. The support 52 extends through the opening 74 and engages with the neck 72 to hold the receptacle 22 in place relative to the turntable 50. The receptacle 22 is oriented on the support 52 such that the base 78 of the receptacle 22 faces away from the turntable 50. 20            The turntable 50 is rotatable about the central axis 64 of the turntable 50 in the direction shown by arrow X to move the support 52, along with the receptacle 22, to a second position 70 within inspection region 44. At the second position 70, the lens arrangement 48 is positioned to direct light emitted by the light source 46 through the support 52, through the opening 74, and into 25   the interior of the receptacle 22. The light from the light source 46 illuminates the interior 80 of the receptacle 22. Some of the light which illuminates the interior 80 of the receptacle 22 passes through the wall 76 and / or base 78 of the receptacle 22. This light is detected by the 26 04 24 sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 of the sensor apparatus 42, which are located outside of the receptacle 22, and is analysed to determine properties of the of the receptacle 22, as discussed in more detail below. The turntable 50 is then rotatable again in the direction shown by arrow X to move 5 the receptacle 22 out of the inspection region 44. Once the receptacle 22 is outside of the inspection region 44, the receptacle 22 is then removed from the support 52. An example method 100 of inspecting the receptacle 22 is shown in the flow chart of Figure 6. The method 100 comprises locating 102 the receptacle 22 on a transporter, which in this example is the rotatable turntable 50. The receptacle 22 is located on the 10 turntable 50 by placing the receptacle 22 on the support 52, while the support 52 is at the first position 68, such that the base 78 of the receptacle faces away from the turntable 50. The support 52 extends into the neck 72 of the receptacle 22 to hold the receptacle 22 in position relative to the turntable 50. The receptacle 22 may be located on the turntable 50 manually (e.g. by hand) or by using an automated process. 15          After locating 102 the receptacle 22 on the turntable 50, the method 100 comprises moving 104 the receptacle 22 from the first position 68, outside of the inspection region 44, to the second position 70 within the inspection region 44. The receptacle 22 is moved from the first position 68 to the second position 70 by rotating the turntable 50 in the direction indicated by arrow X in Figures 2 and 5. 20          Once the receptacle 22 is located within the inspection region 44, the method 100 comprises directing 106 electromagnetic radiation toward the receptacle 22. The electromagnetic radiation is visible light, with an intensity of between around 300 to 1000 lumens, which is emitted by the light source 46. The light is directed toward the receptacle 22 using the lens arrangement 48. The lens arrangement 48 directs the light 25 into the interior 80 of the receptacle such that the light impinges on the inner surface 77 of the walls 76, 78 of the receptacle 22. In some examples, such as where the support 52 forms part of the lens arrangement 48, the lens arrangement 48 extends into the interior 80 of the receptacle 22. 26 04 24 At least some of the electromagnetic radiation passes through the side wall 76 and / or base wall 78 of the receptacle 22 The method 100 further comprises receiving 108 the electromagnetic radiation that passes through the walls 76, 78 of the receptacle 22 at the sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 of the sensor apparatus 42, and analysing 110 the 5 electromagnetic radiation received. The electromagnetic radiation received by the sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 is analysed by a processor to determine properties of the structure of the receptacle 22, as discussed in more detail below. The method 100 described herein may allow properties of the receptacle 22 to be determined. For example, the electromagnetic radiation received by the sensor apparatus 10 may be indicative of the distribution of fibres in a wall of the receptacle 22. The method 100 may provide a straightforward and consistent way in which to inspect receptacles 22. The method 100 may also provide a quantitative measure of the quality of the receptacle 22, which may provide greater accuracy than that achievable by a visual inspection by the naked eye. 15          Figure 7 shows an example of an image 200 of the receptacle 22 created from an output of one of the radial sensors 54, 56, 58 of the sensor apparatus 42. Images of other portions of the receptacle 22 are obtained from an output of the other sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 of the sensor apparatus 42. The image 200 is analysed by a processor to determine properties of the receptacle 22. These properties may include a distribution of pulp in the 20 walls 76, 78 of the receptacle 22, weak areas of the receptacle 22 (e.g. caused by thin walls 76, 78), dimensions of the receptacle 22, external defects in the receptacle 22, and / or the quality of emboss / deboss features of the receptacle 22. In the example of Figure 7, the lighter area 202 towards the bottom of the image 200 indicates thinning or another defect in the wall 76, 78 of the receptacle 22. 25          The properties determined by the controller are compared against threshold values to determine whether the receptacle 22 meets a required quality threshold. If the quality threshold is met, the receptacle 22 proceeds to the next station of the receptacle forming system. If the threshold is not met, the receptacle 22 is removed from the receptacle forming system. The receptacle 22 is removed from the receptacle forming system 30 automatically or by manual intervention. In some examples, different thresholds are used 26 04 24 for different sections of the receptacle. For example, the side wall 76 may be able to be thinner than the base wall 78, while still meeting an associated quality threshold. In some examples, the image 200 is analysed by a manual operator, instead of or in addition to the processor. In some examples, only a part of the receptacle, such as the base wall 78, in 5 the image 200 is analysed. Although in the examples described above, the light source 46 emits light into the interior 80 of the receptacle 22, and the sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 detect light which has passed through the walls 76, 78 of the fibre receptacle 22, in some examples the light source 46 emits light toward an exterior of the receptacle 22. The sensors 54, 56, 58, 62 10 of some such examples are configured to detect light that is reflected by the receptacle 22. In some examples, a different electromagnetic radiation source is used instead of, or in addition to, the light source 46 for emitting visible light. For example, an electromagnetic radiation source configured to emit infrared radiation may be used. 15          Although the method 100 is described with reference to the lens arrangement 48, in some examples the lens arrangement 48 is omitted. In some such examples, the light source 46 is located outside of the receptacle 22 and is arranged to emit light through the opening 74 into the interior 80 of the receptacle 22. In other examples, the light source 56 is inserted into the receptacle 22. 20          Moreover, in some examples the axial sensor 62 is omitted. In some such examples, the remaining sensors of the sensor apparatus 42 (e.g. the radial sensors 54, 56, 58) are all located such that the light source 56 is not within a field of view of the sensors 54, 56, 58. In some examples, the sensor apparatus 42 comprises only a single radial sensor 25    54 or only a single axial sensor 62 (i.e. the other sensors 56, 58 are omitted). In other examples, the sensor apparatus 42 comprises the axial sensor 62 and a single radial sensor 54, such that the sensor apparatus 42 comprises only two sensors. Although in the examples described above a turntable 50 is used to move the receptacle 22 from the first position 68 to the second position 70, in other examples a different form of transporter is used. In some such examples, the receptacle 22 may be located on a linear transporter, such as a conveyer belt, which moves the receptacle 22 5 from the first position 68 to the second position 70. Example embodiments of the present invention have been discussed, with reference to the examples illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim. 26 04 24

Claims

1. A system comprising:a processing station configured to manufacture or process a fibre receptacle, wherein the processing station comprises a fibre receptacle thermoforming station 5 configured to receive a fibre receptacle embryo and apply heat and pressure to the fibre receptacle embryo to manufacture the fibre receptacle;a fibre receptacle inspection apparatus located downstream of, and at a fixed location relative to, the processing station, wherein the fibre receptacle inspection apparatus comprises an electromagnetic radiation source apparatus configured to direct 10 electromagnetic radiation to the fibre receptacle, and a sensor apparatus configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation from the fibre receptacle; anda fibre receptacle coating station downstream of the fibre receptacle inspection apparatus, the fibre receptacle coating station configured to apply a coating to a surface of the fibre receptacle.15

Images