DE102020106419A1 - Method and device for monitoring product manufacturing - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for monitoring product manufacturing, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a consumable product (10) applying a marking (20) to this consumable product (10) which is suitable and intended to uniquely identify the consumable product (10). Storage of first information (11) which is characteristic of the consumable product (10) and / or the marking (20)) in a storage device (50) - further processing of the consumable product (10) in a first further processing step - storage of second information (12) which is characteristic of the further processing operation and / or the consumable product (20).

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for monitoring the manufacture of consumer products. The present invention is described with reference to containers and in particular plastic containers which are in particular fed to a product cycle. It should be noted that the invention can also be used for other types of products. Nevertheless, at least some of the advantages or configurations described are particularly suitable for a product cycle of consumer goods such as bottles, for example plastic bottles.

A general distinction is made in the circular economy between a biological and a technical cycle. In a biological cycle, products made from organic resources can be biodegraded after use or the original resources can be biologically replaced. The timber industry is an example of this.

In contrast, plastic packaging, for example, is inorganic products in terms of waste management and can therefore only be fed into the technical cycle after it has been used. For example, the resources are reprocessed chemically and / or mechanically and the subsequent products are made available depending on the requirements.

The simplest way of avoiding waste in the sense of a technical cycle is to reuse the first product, for example a reusable PET bottle.

Another variant of recycling is the recycling of plastic packaging (for example down-cycle products or thermal use, etc.). The original resource is gradually lost for both variants. With regard to the exhaustion of the starting resources available on earth in relation to the increasing environmental pollution caused by plastic packaging, companies today are increasingly striving for a technical C2C cycle economy from a long-term ecological and economic point of view. These companies, governments and complementary independent organizations are trying to promote such a C2C solution in a regulatory and informative manner (“Cradle to Cradle”).

In contrast, the circular economy can be viewed as a series of independent and different industries belonging value chains B2B (Business-to-Business), B2C (Business-to-Consumer) (for example chemical manufacturers, converters, beverage manufacturers, wholesalers, consumers, waste management and the Recycling companies. From the perspective of supply chain management, these can be viewed with a degree of integration of 0 to one another. This means that these are exclusively linked by contracts regulating the availability of resources and monetary remuneration, which allows the conclusion that there is no continuous and regulating flow of information is guaranteed.

In addition, a C2C circular economy requires a high degree of vertical company concentration, which is being tried on the market, for example, integrated into the recycling company and thus increasing controllability. There is, however, no continuous vertical integration of all industries involved in a C2C circular economy.

Following the low vertical corporate concentration, physical material flow (e.g. weight of packaging materials), monetary flows and the flow of information not coherently through the entire value chain of the circular economy can be controlled and controlled by companies and authorities, or these are only possible to a limited extent through monetary incentives, such as a bottle deposit.

Manipulation of the material flows in waste management and the associated financial compensation are very common. For example, new business models are introduced at taxpayers' expense, or one-way bottles are stolen or handed over to vending machines several times. Before recycling, additional weights such as iron rods are often added to the pressed PET bales or simply contaminants are allowed, which then increase the weight and the corresponding compensation. These activities increasingly cover the achievable material quality of the recycled material and thus the subsequent reusability. In summary, a real C2C circular economy for packaging materials is influenced or even excluded.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of increasing the controllability of such flows of consumer goods and of restricting the possibilities of manipulation, for example. According to the invention, this is achieved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments and developments are the subject of the subclaims.

In a method according to the invention for monitoring product manufacturing, a consumable product is first manufactured. It will arranged on a marking on this consumer product which is suitable and intended to identify the consumer product - in particular unambiguously. Furthermore, a first piece of information which is characteristic of the consumer product and / or the marking is stored in a memory device.

In a further process step, the consumable product is further processed, which takes place in a first further processing step.

Furthermore, a second item of information is stored, preferably likewise with a storage device, which is characteristic of the further processing operation and / or the consumer product. It is therefore preferably proposed that a specific marking is initially assigned to the consumer product, and information in turn is assigned to this marking.

This information preferably relates to the consumer product. With each further processing step of this consumer product, which are described in more detail below, the information on this product can be supplemented or changed. For example, information about the material used for the production, about the machine that produced the product, about a supplier of the material and the like can be assigned in the context of the production of the marking, and thus of the consumer product.

A type of logbook is thus preferably created or created which is assigned to this consumer product, this logbook being able to be supplemented, for example, in further processing steps.

In the case of further processing of the consumer product, for example, information can again be stored which relates to this further processing operation, for example on which machine the further processing took place or which other materials (such as labels or a sterilization medium) were used.

This respective information can be followed up during the entire life cycle of the consumer product and ultimately even during the recycling steps of the respective product. In this way, the product can be tracked through the product cycle and information on each individual product can be called up and / or changed.

In this way, the traceability of consumer products can be increased, as a result of which, for example, manipulations or the like can be better monitored. With the procedure described here, especially for the beverage and recycling industry, customer requirements for a “circular economy” of plastic packaging along the entire circular supply chain can be met without great integration effort.

It must be taken into account that a certain consumer product, such as a plastic container, is always assigned certain and also changing information. The invention offers the advantage of a transparency of the system and a common C2C target focus and thus allows an optimization of efficiency and effectiveness for all participants.

In addition, the quality of the materials can also be significantly improved, since it can be controlled at every point and manipulation is therefore unattractive. Error monitoring can also be carried out more easily in this way, since information relating to certain materials, for example a sterilizing agent used, can also be stored, for example.

In addition, the reputation of the participants can be improved and it is also possible to measure recycling rates for corporate customers.

Finally, a Cradle-to-Cradle certificate can also increase the competitiveness of plastic packaging.

Furthermore, a positioning of a continuous technology solution for a circular economy with an associated digitization is made possible. In this way, a closed circulation system for beverage packaging as a full-service provider can be offered on the market, which includes, for example, steps such as the manufacture of a consumer product, further processing (e.g. the expansion of a plastic preform into a plastic container, the filling of a plastic bottle, recycling steps, and the like.

As mentioned above, the information relating to the consumable product can not only be created but also changed. A consumable product is understood to mean a product which can preferably be further processed after its manufacture and which can preferably also be partially destroyed and / or recycled. The consumable product is preferably not a product made from biologically recyclable material, but rather Products that can only be fed into a technical cycle after they have been used.

In particular, the consumer product is also an inorganic product. Different types of marking can be used for marking, such as barcodes, barcodes, QR codes, RFID codes and the like.

It is preferably a marking which uniquely identifies the product so that the corresponding information can always be assigned to a special or a specific product.

In a further preferred method, the product is transported from a production station in which it is produced to a further processing station. For example, the manufacturing station can be an injection molding machine that manufactures the product, such as a plastic preform. This plastic preform can be transported on to a processing station, for example a blow molding machine, which transforms the plastic preform into a plastic bottle.

However, it would also be possible that the product is initially stored after its manufacture and only further processed at a later point in time, which can also be done in another company and / or on a machine that is locally separated from the manufacturing machine.

In a further preferred method, however, different further processing steps are carried out at different locations and / or on different machines, for example also by different companies.

For example, it is possible for a first company to manufacture plastic preforms, and for these plastic preforms to be delivered to a further company, which in turn reshapes the plastic preforms into plastic bottles. At another company such as a converter, such plastic bottles can be filled with a liquid. Recycling steps can in turn be carried out by other companies. However, the information that is linked to the product via the marking can preferably be passed on to all of these companies. In this way, the product can be monitored over its entire service life and beyond, for example for recycling steps.

In a further preferred method, a large number of containers or general consumer products are produced and further processed. The marking is preferably applied or created as part of the manufacture of the consumer product. However, it would also be possible for the marking to be applied to the container after production, for example as part of a blow molding process.

In a further preferred method, the consumable product is selected from a group of consumable products which contains plastic preforms, plastic bottles, glass bottles, bottles and the like.

In particular, the consumable product is a product made from a plastic.

In a further preferred method, information is output at least intermittently and / or at least once, this information being in particular based on and / or and using data stored in the memory device. For example, after the production of the consumer product, information relating to the material used in the production can be output. For example, a hash value, the result of a checksum or the like can be output, which makes it possible to check the manufacturing process or further processing that has been carried out. In this way, manipulation of the material, for example, can be prevented at this point.

This information can be output, for example, by means of an output device such as a mobile radio device, a laptop or the like.

This output information is preferably also stored, which can be done, for example, in a further memory device. The information is preferably output together with a time stamp.

The above-mentioned information, which is characteristic of the consumer product, is also preferably stored together with a time value and / or time stamp.

In a further preferred method, the consumable product is further processed in a second further processing step. For example, plastic preforms are first produced, these are then blow molded into plastic bottles, and the containers blown in this way are filled with a liquid in a further step. This will result in further processing of the consumer product understood on the one hand any measure that changes this consumable product in its shape, such as a blow molding process, but also a process in which something is added to this consumable product, such as a liquid is filled, or a container closure is attached to this container.

In a further preferred method, a third item of information is stored which is characteristic of this second further processing operation and / or the consumer product thus obtained.

If, for example, this second further processing operation involves filling this container, a time at which the filling takes place can be saved, information about the filling material can be added, about a filling machine used, a temperature at which the product was filled, and the same.

In a further preferred method, further information is output which is characteristic of the first and / or second further processing operation. This information can in turn be a checksum and / or a hash value or contain one

In a further preferred method, the further processing is selected from a group of further processing operations or further processing processes, which include heating a plastic preform, reshaping a plastic preform into a plastic container, such as a plastic bottle, sterilizing a plastic preform, sterilizing a plastic bottle, and producing a glass bottle , filling a bottle and / or a plastic bottle with a product, closing a container, such as a bottle in particular, assembling a large number of bottles and / or containers into a compilation, labeling a container, in particular a plastic bottle, printing a container , in particular a plastic bottle, an inspection of a plastic preform or a bottle, a destruction of the container as part of a recycling process and the like.

The manufacturing process of the consumer product is in particular an injection molding of a plastic preform. However, it can also be the manufacture of a glass bottle. Some of these described method steps take place on other machines, that is to say machines that are not connected to the manufacturing machine or production takes place on machines that are also spatially separated compared to other method steps.

Overall, a product cycle is preferably created which contains the said consumer product or processes it further.

In a further preferred method, a predetermined proportion of a material of the consumable product is reused or reprocessed.

In a further preferred method, blockchain technology is used. In general, a blockchain is a continuously expandable list of data records. In this case, this can be the data that are assigned to the marking. These can be continuously expanded. A concatenation of these data records with one another is preferably used. The data records are sometimes also referred to as blocks. Each of these blocks can preferably also have a value from the previous block, preferably also a time stamp and preferably also transaction data. Each block can also have a hash (scatter value), in particular the scatter value of the previous block. This is advantageously a cryptographically secure scatter value.

It is also possible that the system of the markings or the data allocation is managed decentrally and a correct status is preferably documented in each case because many participants take part in the processing of the product. This concept is also known as distributed ledger technology (decentralized and digitally managed ledger technology or DLT).

In the context of the present invention, the term relates to the further processing of information in the context of further further processing steps of the consumer product in question. What should be documented in general is irrelevant for the term blockchain. It is crucial that later transactions build on earlier transactions and confirm them as correct, in particular by proving knowledge of the earlier transactions.

In this way it is also made impossible to manipulate or erase the existence or content of the earlier transactions without at the same time also destroying all subsequent transactions, in the present case the documentation of further processing steps of the consumer product. Other participants in the decentralized documentation of the further processing steps, who still have knowledge of subsequent transactions, would receive a manipulated copy of the blockchain or the Recognize data entries in the memory device from the fact that they have inconsistencies in, for example, calculations.

Furthermore, it is also possible and preferred to use this blockchain technology, for example, for the purchase or processing of food. Using a digital decentralized database, information on the goods, in the present case on the consumer goods, can be called up quickly and, above all, forgery-proof for a customer. It is possible, for example, to cancel using your own smartphone or smartwatch. In this way, it is possible to check very quickly where the product actually came from and whether the product is known to have any safety risks. Where mentioned above, the present invention relates particularly to packaging, and more particularly to plastic packaging. Plastic packaging continues to come under political pressure.

The end consumer also expects more recycling and less packaging. So a circular economy is the goal.

In a further preferred method, information stored in the memory device is assigned to the marking. This information can preferably also be further processed and / or changed and / or expanded with each further processing step.

In a further preferred method, the marking is recorded at least once, preferably several times. In this case, it is particularly possible for the marking to be read out, which can in particular take place in a contactless manner.

In response to the detection, a signal is preferably output which changes or supplements data in the memory device. In this way it is possible for the information assigned to the marking to be supplemented, for example, permanently and / or with each further processing step.

In particular, time stamps are also stored in the memory device which identify the points in time or time periods of the respective processing or further processing periods.

In a further preferred method, several consumable products are combined to form a group of consumable products. For example, several plastic bottles can be combined to form one container. In this way, a plurality of markings that are assigned to the individual plastic bottles are preferably combined into a group. It is possible that a further marking is generated or a further marking is also made.

For example, the information that it was combined with another plastic bottle as a container could be stored in the storage device for each individual plastic bottle. For example, the information from 6 different bottles could each refer to one another, and the information can be stored that these 6 plastic bottles are now being combined to form a common container. A further value or data entry could in turn be assigned to this compilation.

In a preferred method, information is therefore filed and / or stored which is characteristic of the information from all combined consumer products. For example, information can be stored which contains the individual information about the individual containers. In addition, however, further information can also be stored, for example information which is characteristic of a packaging material with which the consumer products were combined. For example, information can be stored about the plastic film with which the individual containers are combined.

The present invention is further directed to a system for producing and processing consumable products and in particular plastic containers, the system having a production device which produces a consumable product and a marking unit which generates and / or creates a marking associated with the consumable product which Marking is suitable and intended to identify this consumer product.

Furthermore, the device has a storage device, in particular with a data storage device, in which data can be stored which is assigned and / or can be assigned to the consumer product provided with the marking. Furthermore, the system has a further processing device which carries out further processing of the consumable product in a first further processing step, with second information being able to be stored in the storage device which is characteristic of the further processing operation and / or the consumable product, in particular the consumable product in a further processed state.

A system is therefore also proposed on the device side, which allows the consumption product to be tracked by one or more Processing steps enables. It is also proposed here that information is first created which is clearly assigned to a specific consumer product and this information can also be supplemented or changed in the course of further processing steps.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung;

Further advantages and embodiments emerge from the accompanying drawings. It shows:

• 1 a schematic representation of a device according to the invention;

1 shows an example of a sequence for a method according to the invention. can. Initially, this is done with a manufacturer M. by means of a manufacturing facility 52 a consumable product 10 such as a plastic preform. It is pointed out that the reference symbol 10 is used for the consumer product in further processing stages.

A marking is made by means of a marking device 20th arranged on the consumer product. This marking clearly identifies the consumer product.

The reference number 54 indicates an optional collection device in which a large number of consumable products 10 is collected.

The reference number 50 Identifies a memory device in which information can be stored which relates to the consumer product 10 and / or the marking 20th are characteristic.

For example, information 11 can be forwarded to the storage device, which contains a statement about the manufacturer of the plastic preform, the material used, the proportion of recycled material, the proportion of raw material, a signature of the manufacturer, the machine used in the production and the like.

This information is preferably output and / or stored with a time stamp.

The reference number Hw1 Identifies a hash value or, in general, information that is output, for example output to a user. This information Hw1 can, for example, identify the plastic preform produced, in particular its material.

The reference number B. denotes a further processing step, such as the reshaping of the plastic preforms into plastic containers and the subsequent filling with a liquid such as a drink, which is done with a further processing system 56 such as a blow molding machine with a downstream filling device.

In this method step, information 12 can be sent to the storage device 50 or the logbook can be output. This information can in particular be a response from a test value characteristic of the material. In addition, information can be output that is characteristic of the bottled beverage, a closure attached to the container and / or the machines used for these method steps.

Another value is preferred here Hw2 , such as a hash value that enables the bottle to be identified.

The reference number C. indicates the trade in which the filled container is sold. The information 13 can be output to the memory device, which confirms that the bottle in question is intended for the consumer U was sold.

The reference number S. indicates a collection point where, for example, empty containers are collected. The reference symbol denotes 62 an acceptance device such as an acceptance point for empties and the reference number 64 a collection point in which a large number of containers are collected.

The reference number 14 denotes information which states that a specific bottle has been collected again or returned after it has been used. The reference number Hw3 Identifies additional information that is output, for example about which containers have been collected in their entirety. Information or a data value can be assigned to this collection of containers, for example. a so-called block hash.

The containers collected in this way are sent to a recycling company R. , in which the containers are roughly crushed. A crushing machine can be used for this purpose 66 Find application. At this point it is possible that the marking 20th gets destroyed. However, it is possible to save which containers have been crushed before they are destroyed.

Furthermore, information 15, for example the above-mentioned “block hash”, is output to the memory device, which contains information about which containers have been shredded.

Furthermore, information Hw4 which identifies the shredded material

The shredded material can in turn be given to the manufacturer M. are fed. This thus preferably also receives information about the “history” of the shredded material, for example about the amount of shredded bottles and the like.

2 shows a further representation to illustrate an exemplary method according to the invention for the virtual organization of a plastic recycling management for packaging in the beverage industry. It should be noted that not all of the in 2 The steps described must necessarily be mandatory for the implementation of the idea on which the invention is based. For example, some of the steps outlined below may be optional, such as selling through intermediaries.

For illustration, reference symbols with supplementary, ascending numbering are used, which characterize the individual process steps. This is how the reference numbers stand H1 , H2 , H3 ... for a manufacturing facility. The reference signs P1 , P2 , P3 ... identify products, the reference symbols R1 , R2 , R3 ... stand for to be read and to the central storage device 50 information to be transmitted and the reference symbols M1 , M2 , M3 ... for marking systems from the storage device 50 related data (such as hash codes) on the products P1 ... apply. The reference symbols SCO, SC1 ... indicates steps in the supply chain of the circular economy.

First of all, at a manufacturer SC0 by means of a manufacturing plant H1 the products P1 , here semi-finished products P1 such as a plastic preform. Raw material data are previously read from the manufacturer SC0 via the reading system R1 recorded, manually defined with relevant data (for example the processing plastic injection molding machine or a tool number) and extended to the central storage device 50 transfer.

After production, the semi-finished products are individually marked by means of the marking device M1 with one from the central storage facility 50 generated hash code marked in a collecting container P2 packed together. This is done by the marking system M2 marked with a block hash code which corresponds to the in the memory unit 50 stored digital twin reproducibly.

After the physical transfer from the manufacturer SC0 to the bottle manufacturer / beverage filler SC1 the block hash codes of the preform collective packaging are read by means of a reading system R2 read in and a manufacturing facility H2 in the storage unit 50 assigned, after which in H2 the consumer goods P3 as, for example, filled, closed and labeled plastic beverage bottles. These are identified individually by the marking system M3 provided with a hash code and each as collective packaging P4 with block hash codes specific to the packaging system using other marking systems M4 marked separately on each additional packaging unit (e.g. six-pack on pallets).

The collective packaging P4 with the consumables included P3 are usually through middlemen SC2 sold to consumers. For this purpose, the physical transfer at the goods receipt of SC2 by means of a reading system R3 and the output of goods to consumers by the reading system R4 (for example at the cash register) and sent to the storage device 50 transfer.

The reference number SC3 identifies the consumer or consumer.

The reference number SC4 indicates a collection point where, for example, empty containers are collected. The manufacturer's identifier indicates H3 an acceptance facility such as a collection point for empties, in which a large number of containers are collected. When it is returned, the R5 reading system records the markings on the container and transfers them to the storage unit 50 submitted for review. The containers are then grouped into larger units P5 and checked by the marking system M5 provided with another block hash code.

In this final step in the supply chain SC5 Recyclate is made from the collected plastic packaging by means of the production system H4. For this purpose, the block hash codes of the units P5 are read in via the reading system and then the containers contained therein go through the recycling process, so that at the end a reusable recyclate P6 can be packed in, for example, cardboard boxes and returned to the preform production SC0.

In order to close the cycle, the recyclate containers are also used by the marking system M6 identified by further hash values. In the recycling company's manufacturing facility H4 SC5 A shredding machine can be used. At this point it is possible that the markings (e.g. container marking P3 ) gets destroyed. However, it is possible to save which containers have been crushed before they are destroyed.

In this way, along the entire value chain of the recycling management of plastic packaging, the physical properties (e.g. weights) can be stored in the storage system with the flow of information for all manufacturers involved at any time 50 be understood.

In addition, information about the manufacturer of the plastic preform, the material used, the proportion of a recycled material, the proportion of raw material, a signature of the manufacturer, the machine used in the production and the like can be recorded. This information is preferably output and / or stored with a time stamp. The applicability of the system to be assigned to the invention is preferably independent of the number of necessary process steps assigned to the respective circular economy.

The applicant reserves the right to claim all features disclosed in the application documents as essential to the invention, provided that they are new to the state of the art, individually or in combination. It is further pointed out that features have also been described in the individual figures, which can be advantageous in themselves. The person skilled in the art immediately recognizes that a certain feature described in a figure can also be advantageous without the adoption of further features from this figure. Furthermore, the person skilled in the art recognizes that advantages can also result from a combination of several features shown in individual or in different figures.

List of reference symbols

10

Consumable

20th

mark

50

Storage facility / logbook

52

Manufacturing facility

53

Marking device

54

Collection facility

56

Further processing plant

62

Acceptance facility

64

Collection point

66

Shredding device

M.

Manufacturer

B.

Further processing (e.g. bottlers)

C.

trade

U

consumer

S.

Collection of bottles

R.

recycling

11-15

information transferred to the storage device

Hw1 - Hw4

information output

H1 ... H3

Manufacturing facility

P1 ... P6

Products

R1 ... R4

information

M1 ... M6

Marking systems

SC1 ... SC5

steps

Claims (11)

Procedure for monitoring product manufacturing with the steps: - Manufacture of a consumable product (10) - Attaching a marking (20) to this consumable product (10) which is suitable and intended to uniquely identify the consumable product (10). Storage of first information (11) which is characteristic of the consumer product (10) and / or the marking (20)) in a memory device (50) - Further processing of the consumer product (10) in a first further processing step - Saving a second item of information (12) which is characteristic of the further processing operation and / or the consumer product (20). Procedure according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the consumable product is selected from a group of consumable products which contains plastic preforms, plastic bottles, glass bottles, bottles and the like. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that information is output at least temporarily on the basis of the data stored in the memory device. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the consumer product is further processed in a second further processing step. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a third piece of information is stored which is characteristic of the further processing operation and / or the consumer product Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the further processing is selected from a group of further processing, which includes heating a plastic preform, reshaping a plastic preform into a plastic bottle, sterilizing a plastic preform, manufacturing a glass bottle, filling a bottle with a product, sealing a bottle, assembling a plurality of bottles into an assembly, labeling a bottle, printing a bottle, inspecting a plastic preform or a bottle, a destroying container and the like. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that information stored in the storage device is assigned to the marking. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the marking is detected at least once, preferably several times. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several consumable products are combined to form a group of consumable products. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that information is filed and / or stored which is characteristic of the information of all the combined consumer products. Plant for producing and processing consumable products (10) and in particular plastic containers with a production device (52) which produces a consumable product, with a marking unit (53) which generates a marking (20) connected to the consumable product (10) and used for this purpose is suitable and intended to identify this consumable product, with a memory device in which data can be stored which are assigned to the consumable product provided with the marking, with a further processing device which carries out further processing of the consumable product (10) in a first further processing step, wherein in Second information can be stored in the memory device, which information is characteristic of the further processing operation and / or the consumer product.

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