Medical Device Link.

Originally Published PMPN November 2004

Inspection

The Express robotic camera from Global Vision is a fully automated camera system that now contains an upgraded, more accurate lens.

by Ben Van Houten
Senior Editor

As with most packaging trends these days, low cost and high speed are at the top of customers’ concerns when it comes to designing and implementing inspection systems. That’s why more and more companies are investing in affordable, fully automated machine vision systems that cut down on the human element. And as the demand for product leads to increased line speeds, companies are installing systems that are easier to use and contain more-diverse applications than ever.

“Business is picking up dramatically, and customers definitely don’t want to worry about costs,” confirms Tim Lydell, director of sales and marketing for Label Vision Systems (LVS; Peachtree City, GA). “In addition to becoming more stringent about inspection, they also want an automated 100% inspection system. That’s the trend across the board.”

Indeed, at a time when budgetary constraints can prevent companies from installing high-tech vision systems, industry players agree that cost-effective and so-called “robust” systems are the new wave. As a result, the use of smart vision sensors, smart cameras, and vision computers is at an all-time high. In addition, the demand for simplification is leading to systems that can handle more complexity. Smart cameras with onboard processors and other stand-alone units are making that a reality, allowing for ease of use at the same time.

Automated Systems Do More Than Ever

Application diversity is certainly the hallmark of many current vision systems. Optel Vision, for example, recently updated its packaging line inspection system to offer multiple inspection capabilities for ampules and vials. The system now combines an LED lighting system and high-resolution camera with data acquisition tools to maintain high speed and accurate inspection. It also offers complete code reading capabilities and reportedly delivers inspection rates of 80 to 1500 ppm with rapid toolless changeovers.

“Customers want their inspection systems to do more,” says Lydell from LVS. “Our company is providing a complete system—the LVS 7000— that looks at a whole label, for example. It checks the text code, bar code, and date and lot codes. It also allows customers to pick and choose and add modules. It basically does more for less, and that’s the trend.”

Cognex Corp. (Natick, MA) is another company providing just that. The company’s In-Sight vision sensors are designed for high accuracy and higher performance. “We’ve really expanded on the system’s auxiliary tools,” says John Lewis, the company’s public relations specialist. A big trend in pharmaceutical packaging is offering more diversity, and that’s what this does. From a vision sensor standpoint, this system now has tools allowing changes in scale and palletizing and portability. That’s huge if you have multiple lines, if the camera mounts aren’t the same, or the lighting is different.”

PatMax geometric-pattern-matching software from Cognex has been installed on the company’s In-Sight vision sensors.

Lewis explains that today’s inspection systems are also required to do more. Blister pack inspection, label verification, pill sorting, and bar code inspection are just a few of the many steps requiring good machine vision systems. “Today’s packaging is also more elaborate and therefore requires more-stringent inspection,” he adds.

Not to mention a system that’s easy to use. The Siemens Energy & Automation (Norcross, GA) Simatic machine vision system, for example, has been designed for a total automated inspection and part identification process. The Simatic contains intelligent vision sensors that allow customers to set parameters and configurations on the device or through external controllers.

It also simplifies the training process, since the operator only needs to place a unit in the correct position in front of the camera. The Simatic VS 110 vision sensor, for example, optically inspects small parts during material feeding for correct shape and position, and signals faulty or incorrectly positioned parts through an electronic signal. After an operator inputs and saves the parameters, he or she can immediately begin working.

DVT Corp. (Duluth, GA) has also begun to provide a low-cost, simplified vision system that does more. DVT’s Legend 510 camera, in fact, is lower priced and includes software, training, and on-line diagnostic support. The company has also been increasing the onboard capacity of its sensor line, a move designed to improve the memory of its sensors to allow the storage of more inspections in the Smart-Image sensor.

Omron Electronics (Schaumburg, IL) offers a wide variety of machine vision applications. “Machine vision can provide so many things,” says Reno Suffi, Omron’s marketing manager, sensors. “We offer multiple cameras that provide high-speed image acquisition. These can allow customers to handle very complex inspection applications at high speeds.”

Suffi says the company recently introduced the F500 vision sensor, a new vision system that combines digital camera technology with a controller that uses separate measurement and communications processors. The system is designed to deliver fast processing via Ethernet for data collection, management, and troubleshooting.

“Inspection systems today are not only faster, but they’re easier to set up and use,” adds Suffi. “In addition, prices have continued to drop. The need for human intervention is also being eliminated, so labor costs are lower all around.” He confirms that inspection systems are growing much more diverse. “A company can correct fill levels in a filling line, make sure the proper number of cartons are counted, and find the correct lot codes on boxes,” he says. “Spot checks are becoming a thing of the past as more companies realize they can afford completely automated systems.”

One of Omron’s new systems is the F270, a 4-camera system that contains two separate Omron F210 cameras. “It’s designed for very-high-speed applications,” says Suffi. “It also features simple setup for the operator.”

Systech International (Cranbury, NJ) is also offering a more fully automated package. Systech’s director of sales and marketing Gaetan Spake says, “Pharmaceutical packaging companies are moving in a fully automated direction, for a variety of reasons. They need a robust system that handles all aspects of the inspection process.”

To help its customers meet those requirements, Systech has updated its TIPS Sentri automated inspection line. The new version, dubbed LX, is compact and easily fits on packaging lines. It can gather data from up to four laser bar code scanners and is designed for leaflet, carton, and label identification on labelers, cartoners, and thermoformers. It can also inspect more than 1000 parts per minute and verify components to ensure packaging security. The 21 CFR Part 11– compliant system’s camera enables a wide range of machine vision inspections, such as overprint inspection of lot and expiration date, color inspection, and verification of RSS and Data Matrix codes.

Global Vision Inc. (Montreal) is also producing fully automated systems. Its Express robotic and Express minirobotic cameras contain lens upgrades so customers don’t have to refocus or preset their systems. “It has resulted in dramatic time reductions for our customers,” says Mitchell Herf, the company’s director of marketing communications. “We’ve found it to be really ideal for QA/QC, prepress, and production situations. It makes the workflow much smoother and simpler for the operator.”

Mnemonics’ automated visual information analysis (AVIA) system was designed for accurate inspection of leaflets.

Banner Engineering Corp. (Minneapolis) has also launched a new vision sensor, the PresencePlus Pro. Jeffrey Schmitz, Banner’s corporate business manager, vision sensors, explains that ease of use is the main objective the company had in mind when developing the product. “It enables flexibility on the line,” he says. “It has a remote teach function, and it allows the user to change settings and other parameters on the fly.” The sensor handles 500 frames per second, according to Schmitz, and can inspect up to 6000 parts per minute. “We really tried to make it practical and affordable for factory floor deployment,” he adds.

Software Makes It Easier

Many companies are also updating and improving their machine vision system software, a move designed to make implementation even easier for customers. At the root of Systech’s Sentri LX system is TIPS, the company’s scalable software-based architecture. According to Spake, it allows operators to have a real-time global view of the line and make instant decisions. Specific inspection, reject tracking, device control, and reporting are associated to each product in the catalog, providing procedural standards for implementing and managing operations.

Similarly, DVT just announced a new PC-based server that works in tandem with its Legend smart-camera systems. The new server can reportedly eliminate expensive custom interfaces and drivers normally required for interconnecting equipment and moving data. It also promotes interoperability among different computing solutions and platforms both horizontally and vertically.

DVT has also launched the Intelligent Scanner XS with DSP technology. This new system is three to eight times faster than previously available readers and comes enhanced with version 2.7 of DVT’s free Frame software. That combination results in an inspection rate of more than 100 Data Matrix per second.

Global Vision is also concentrating on its machine vision software. Mitchell Herf says the new TVS 2.0 Pro proofreading solution now includes an overhauled software system. Used in tandem with a text verification system, it can identify any discrepancy or locate missing text. A digital page feature allows a customer to simultaneously import soft copy (PDF) files and a camera-viewed sample. It is designed for electronic inspection of labels, inserts, cartons, and press sheets. “It really makes the whole process simple, fast, and accurate,” says Herf. “It fits in with this trend of doing more for less and with less training required.” The software also automatically generates a list of all product defects. “It can pinpoint errors within seconds,” he says.

Cognex Corp. is also focusing on software, recently marrying its PatMax geometric-pattern-matching software to its In-Sight vision sensors. The company made PatMax available on its new industrial-grade In-Sight 5100, 5400, and 3400 vision sensors. The resulting vision spreadsheet and In-Sight Explorer software offer excellent vision performance for inspection, measurement, identification, and guidance tasks, according to John Lewis. “It’s all designed to make things fast and simple,” he says. “And more importantly, PatMax is a robust vision tool with high accuracy.” He explains that the software can produce accurate inspections of up to 1¼40 of a pixel and 1¼5 a degree in angular locations. “It can also locate an object under extremely difficult circumstances,” he says, adding that the software makes it possible to use vision in applications that cannot be handled by less-robust vision technology.

The PatMax software was also designed with cost in mind, he explains. “It enables customers to simplify their mechanical fixturing and lighting, making vision projects easier and less expensive to implement,” he says. The software allows In-Sight to locate production line features accurately even with changes in image angle, size, and rotation. PatMax has also been designed to handle variations in part appearance that may be caused by process variations, reflective surfaces, partial occlusion, or nonlinear changes in lighting.

Additional Applications

Machine vision isn’t the only aspect of inspection that’s getting a makeover. Other applications are being tweaked as well, all with the goal of lowering customer costs and making the process easier. For example, Loma Systems Inc. (Carol Stream, IL) has just launched an x-ray inspection unit called Sentry XR, sold under the Cintex brand. According to Gary Wilson, Loma’s director of business development, the unit enables packagers to enter the market at a 50% price reduction over traditional x-ray units. It also incorporates a new, low-power x-ray source to maximize inspection capability. “It’s all done with the goal of keeping costs down,” he says. The system also has an electronic self-cooling system that provides a solid-state design requiring less maintenance. In addition, says Wilson, the setup and calibration time is reduced via a patented electronics platform.

Elsewhere, Label Vision Systems recently introduced a new bar code inspection system that is designed for linear bar codes and newer Data Matrix versions. “It’s all about ease of use and offering a complete package,” says Tim Lydell of Label Vision.

Omron is now offering the F210 CF date verification sensor. The new system monitors printed codes for readability and rejects packages with unreadable, incomplete, or missing codes. It also alerts system operators to defects so that corrections can be made before large numbers of products are affected. Like other systems, this one is designed with cost in mind. “It provides savings and easy setup and changeover,” says Omron’s Reno Suffi. He adds that it automatically updates data codes daily without operator intervention, all while recognizing various date formats.

Scanner-based systems are also undergoing some changes, again designed with diversity of application in mind. One such company, Mnemonics Inc. (Mount Laurel, NJ), is in the process of updating its automated visual information analysis (AVIA) leaflet inspection system. “We are taking the software and building an on-line label inspection system for clinical trial applications,” says Dr. Michael Negin, founder and president. “Part of that is based on a trend we’re seeing where companies are migrating from off-line to on-line label inspection.” The new software will allow for easy loading of printing and other information onto a template label.

The AVIA system employs proprietary computerized visual information processing technology and compares one proof to multiple copies on a printing plate or press sheet.

With the help of high-resolution large-sheet scanners and high-speed computer processing, AVIA then detects print errors while discriminating against distortions caused by paper stretch and bleed-through. The system is designed to inspect textual content as well as graphics, chemical formulae, charts, logos, and pictures.

Similarly, Complete Inspection Systems Inc. (Melbourne Beach, FL) has developed a new electronic signature option for its AutoProof Pro scanner-based inspection system. Several new software options for the system include digital file comparison, bar code software, color verification, and yearly medical dictionary updates. New scanner inputs include clinical trial label feeders. The AutoProof Pro corrects errors in written copy, document formatting, graphics, and bar coding. It is also capable of real-time package inspection to validate the accuracy of materials from the production line.

As machine vision gains in popularity and affordability, there is little doubt that new and more-powerful systems will continue to flood the market in coming years. “It’s a trend that isn’t going away,” says Herf of Global Vision. “As long as production and inspection demands remain tough, more—and better—vision systems will be appearing on the scene.”

Copyright ©2004 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News