(City University London: London) -- City University London and Sencon UK Ltd., a developer of sensor and control systems for the metal packaging industry, have begun a three-year, £200,000 ($320,000) knowledge transfer partnership to improve the quality control of the coatings applied to food, drink, and aerosol cans.

Such coatings are used internally to protect cans’ contents and externally for branding. Currently, manufacturers are often limited to measuring the coatings’ relative thickness using capacitive sensors, which can be inaccurate.

The partnership will develop a robust, low-cost optical sensor system that is capable of measuring absolute thickness instead, enabling manufacturers to check more accurately that cans are the correct color and provide sufficient defense against contamination.

During the project, City University will share its significant experience in measurement and instrumentation—the teaching and research of which has been a focus for the university since its foundation in 1894—helping Sencon to develop two new systems.

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