A manufacturer of over-the-counter pharma products has commissioned vision systems integrator Olmec-UK to develop and install turnkey code-reading systems on three of its production lines to improve efficiency.
The systems check labels, eliminating those with partial, missing or smudged print before they are applied to the product. To accommodate different lot code demands and numerous background label colours worldwide, Olmec developed a system based on an Omron SC2M 2 Megapixel colour camera connected to an Omron FZ-9 vision controller, which enables the use of multi threading for high speed processing.
The system quickly checks characters and label format by automatically detecting the lot code location and then automatically sets itself up for the inspection.
The code reading systems offer fully validated character recognition, character verification and robust 2D data matrix handling and grading, and handle tasks ranging from simple verification to GS1 and CIP13 conformance. The code to be read was illuminated using an on-axis light source. The code readers were housed in FDA-approved stainless steel and anodised aluminium enclosures with provision for simple camera position adjustment.
A touch screen user interface allows fast and easy set-up of the system as well as access to an embedded user manual. Powerful facilities include image storage, statistical counting and batch reporting.
Olmec not only designed the code reader and user interface, but also collaborated with the coding and labelling systems supplier to ensure a seamless integration into the production line.
Commissioning included liaising with the customer’s engineers on the installation qualification (IQ) and operational qualification (OQ) phases of the project with full documentation back-up, before handing over to them for the performance qualification (PQ) phase. In addition, Olmec has remote access to the systems via a virtual private network (VPN), for performance monitoring and remote troubleshooting, if required.
