SICK has made a significant advancement in its color sensor portfolio with the introduction of its CSS and CSX high-resolution and high-speed devices.

“SICK’s newly developed flagship CSS color sensor leads the way with best-in-class color resolution and the ability to distinguish even the slightest nuances in shade. Its capability to identify subtle differences in surface structures and textures opens up wide-ranging applications in food and drink manufacturing,” according to a recent press release.

At lengths of up to 500mm, the SICK CSS Color Sensor recognizes colors exactly regardless of distance from the object. Its unique distance regulation capabilities eliminate the requirement for precise target guiding. As a result, it automatically accommodates variable sensing distances on a manufacturing line, for example, to account for different orientations of a product on a conveyor, and to handle varying item sizes with ease.

Live On-sensor Values

The CSS’s on-sensor full-color display displays live L*A*B* or RGB color values. The sensor can measure the similarity between the detected and expected colors in real-time thanks to an innovative teach-in process. The sensor’s four switching outputs can directly output up to 15 colors. In addition, the SICK IO-Link CSS Color Sensor has the unrivaled capacity to send up to 24 colors to a machine controller. The SICK CSS goes far beyond sensing uniform colors, opening up a wide range of applications and, in certain situations, offering an appealing alternative to expensive color-measuring instruments.

CSX High Speed

With a switching frequency of 13.8kHz, the SICK CSX High-Speed sensor works at double the pace of its predecessor device, while still offering customers the option of full mounting compatibility for direct replacement. As well as typical applications such as the detection of color marks, labels, and splices, CSX now masters new high-speed production tasks such as rapid sorting of objects according to color.

“SICK’s color sensor portfolio has undergone a major overhaul, culminating in some of the best color sensing capabilities currently available. These two devices now offer best-in-class performance, as well as combining unmatched color recognition with ease of set-up and the ability to adjust the color sensitivity precisely. The sensors are therefore ideal for wide-ranging color sensing applications, such as color verification for quality control, sorting, and separation, as well as object and print mark positioning.

“Using the CSS sensor’s color verification capabilities, we can check for the right shade and structure of a product, be it the right color shade of a logo, or the ripeness of a piece of fruit. Using the new multi-value teach-in method, it’s easy to teach in material with structure, such as stone, wood, fabric, or leather, and get a reliable result. The automatic sensing distance regulation enables the CSS to detect colors reliably, despite the difference that changing distances have on the perceived color; it can handle differences in distance between 50mm and 500mm with ease,” David Hannaby, SICK’s market development manager for presence detection, mentioned.

Higher Process Speeds

The CSS and CSX color sensors help to achieve higher process speeds and higher throughput with outstanding detection repeatability in food & beverage manufacturing, for example, to differentiate packaging foils or assess the maturity level of fruits or the roasting degree of coffee.

The SICK CSS color sensors can be quickly and precisely configured for the specific application using the setup assistant in SICK’s SOPAS software. The IO-Link version offers additional advantages for quick and simple commissioning, as well as rapid diagnosis, process monitoring, and fine adjustment of the process set-up.