Bobst has launched General Registron Hawkeye, a monitoring system that, at full metallizer speed, detects, counts and categorizes pinholes and other defects from 0.1mm upwards. An OD beam measuring up to 4.5 OD at 25mm pitch with maximum web width of 4m, the design is modular, robust and easy to calibrate with easily replaceable probes. With a simple user interface, the unit can be standalone or integrated into the metallizer control system and gives customers the choice of which functionality they require. Hawkeye counts and classifies holes in 3 sizes. The minimum size of detectable holes is between 0.1mm and 0.2mm, and the unit can count up to 255 max holes for each category at each sensor, with a sampling rate of 500ms or larger. Any holes detected which are larger than 2mm will be classified as a scratch. The production speed is currently 1000m/min. Hawkeye also provides easy cleaning modules that can easily be added or removed as necessary, 100 percent functionality from 10°C to 45°C, vacuum compatibility and a stable design can go for one month without calibration. Hawkeye’s reporting option generates reports as PDF files and ensures that production is not interrupted. Reports that can be generated include deposit and pinhole information, a summary of the metallizing cycle and several trend reports showing roll quality in various formats. Reports can also be generated any time after the run is complete up until the time the data is deleted (approximately one year).This new product can also be used during the AlOx process to allow greater precision control and quality assurance.