Exp. Date & Lot Inspection - OCR

In this application the customer wanted to inspect the print quality of the expiration date and the LOT number on the packaging of the products produced.

The application used a Cognex In-Sight 5000 series optical control camera and was supported with Inocon aluminum connectors. The camera reads and confirms the printed characters. In addition, an industrial PC with a screen was installed for live display of the inspection, statistics, selection of programs and definition of reading and verification characters.

Printing takes place at an earlier stage of production than an inkjet printer. Inkjet printers may stain the area around the print when spraying. That's why the camera also inspects for such errors.

Every day for each product that crosses the line the operator selects the corresponding stored program, enters the expiration date and the LOT that the camera must read and activates the control.

The system has been operating effectively since 2004 ensuring print quality on all products.

Below are some photos from the installation as well as the industrial computer used in the system through which the camera image is displayed and the operator configures the control.

The error in each case is managed in any way the customer wishes. Either by automatic rejection from the line, or by sound / light alarm, or by stopping the camera. In this case a valve is activated which through a nozzle releases with high air pressure which rejects the defective package from the line.