In episode 37 of The Downtime, a weekly manufacturing podcast from WTWH Media, co-hosts Sarah Wynn and Sheri Kasprzak chat with Sean Walters, general manager at CAPTRON North America. The conversation covers sensing technologies for food packaging environments, including CAPTRON’s upcoming International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) demo, and how the company works with OEMs to improve production uptime.
Hygienic sensors for washdown areas
CAPTRON offers a variety of sensors and systems for manufacturing, including capacitive technology for food packaging and environments that require frequent washdowns.
“CAPTRON has designed the only hygienic certified capacitive touch sensor on the market, meaning it has no crevices and no places where bacteria will grow,” said Walters. “Because it’s capacitive, it has an infinite life.”
This technology will be demonstrated at IPPE in Atlanta, Georgia, next week, through a collaboration with Flex-Line Automation. That partnership came naturally, said Walters. “The people we work with are people who are truly focused not only on the customer, but on their people,” he explained.
Walters will also hold a TechTalk at IPPE about capacitive sensor technology for poultry processing. The session takes place on January 28.
Smart connectivity with IO-Link
CAPTRON’s products are supported by IO-Link, allowing the technology to easily interface with existing machine control systems. “The beauty is that IO-Link is like an open protocol,” said Walters.
Walters added that data captured by IO-Link helps manufacturers monitor machine conditions, detect issues quickly, and maximize machine uptime – without reprogramming entire systems. “The IO-Link master itself can connect with multiple different protocols. It’s a very universal way to make machines more modular,” he said.
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Walters also highlighted the growing importance of automation and how IO-Link enables machine builders to keep pace in busy production environments.
“You have to automate in today’s market to be competitive and to get away from the supply chain challenges we’ve had in the past,” he said. “We believe we’re a great step function with a lot of our technologies to help that.”
Avoiding costly downtime
Walters shared a real-world example from a food packaging plant where a standard mechanical button failed during a washdown cycle. Because the facility’s panel didn’t use IO-Link technology, the plant couldn’t track the issue, Walters said, resulting in costly downtime.
“They actually lost about 10 minutes of downtime. That was about $7,000 because it’s $700 a minute of downtime,” said Walters. “If they used different technology, like our technology, [the button] wouldn’t be damaged because of the washdown, and they would be able to identify where the issues were, if there was an issue. That’s where we really bring a lot of value to customers.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more from Walters on how CAPTRON’s sensing technologies are helping OEMs improve efficiency. Catch CAPTRON at IPPE in Atlanta, Goergia from January 27 through 29th at booth BC37094.
Episode 37: Sensored | Show notes & time stamps
01:00 – The co-hosts kick off the episode
01:40 – Wynn provides a sneak peek at the interview with Sean Walters, general manager of CAPTRON North America
02:00 – Kasprzak adds that Walters will be conducting a TechTalk at IPPE in Atlanta about capacitive sensing technology
02:20 – Kasprzak introduces the headline segment
02:24 – Wynn discusses JLS Automation’s Kestrel, a high-speed hygienic robotic collate-and-load system for protein packaging, making its debut at IPPE
03:31 – Wynn highlights BW Packaging’s Hayssen X850, a multi-jaw flow wrapper engineered for high-speed sealing applications
03:37 – Kasprzak chats about Plant Engineering’s salary survey results and its new report available for download
05:21 – Interview with CAPTRON’s Walters begins
26:33 – The co-hosts and Walters play a game called censor or sensor in which they determine which trends should be “censored” and which trends they enjoy
33:11 – Episode ends
About The Downtime podcast and co-hosts
The Downtime is a weekly manufacturing podcast from WTWH Media that features insights from its automation and controls publications. It’s co-hosted by Wynn, who serves as the senior editor (digital) for Packaging OEM, and Kasprzak, who is the executive editor for Plant Engineering, Control Engineering, and Consulting-Specifying Engineer.
The podcast is available weekly on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Spotify.
Check out The Downtime’s recent episodes
Episode 31: Morrison Container Handling Solutions on timing screws and OEM support
Episode 32: Career insights for women in the trades from an engineer
Episode 33: Storytelling the year in packaging and manufacturing
Episode 34: Wrapping up packaging and manufacturing trends for 2025
Episode 35: Schneider Electric on AI, robotics, and digital twins in packaging
Episode 36: How Weintek’s HMIs act as a “universal remote” for packaging OEMs
