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A basic smart camera that only checks that a label is there can cost under $1,000 in hardware, but an installed label inspection system that reads lot and expiry codes, rejects the bad unit and talks to your PLC usually costs many times the camera. JM Automated Solutions quotes every station in writing after a fixed-fee assessment, and the lowest-cost first step is a feasibility study on sample parts you send us, from $4,500 per application.
Published industry figures give a sense of scale. MVPro Media notes that basic smart cameras are available for under $1,000, but the overall cost of a working system is still many times the hardware, because the parts have to be specified and tested against good and defective samples (MVPro Media, 2025).
One U.S. integrator publishes planning numbers of about $5,000 to $15,000 installed for a simple smart-camera check, and $15,000 to $40,000 for a smart-camera inspection cell with proper lighting, fixturing and a PLC handshake (Willowark, 2025). Treat these as orientation, not a quote: the same label check can cost very different amounts on two lines.
JM Automated Solutions is a machine vision integrator in Carlsbad, CA, working with food, pharmaceutical and packaging lines across the US.
A vision sensor that confirms a label is present costs far less than a high-resolution camera that reads small print. The smallest feature you must see, such as one character of the expiry date or a narrow bar, sets the resolution and the lens.
One front label needs one camera. Front and back labels need two. A wrap-around label on a round bottle needs several views, or a three-camera station that sees all the way around.
Faster lines need shorter exposures, strobed light, faster processing and a tighter trigger. Speed also sets how much room there is to reject one unit without taking its neighbors.
Checking presence and position is the simplest job. Reading the lot and expiry with OCR, checking the printed text against the recipe with OCV, and reading barcodes each add setup. Grading a barcode's print quality needs a verifier setup and costs more than reading it.
If the line already has an air jet, pusher or diverter, the station uses it. If not, the reject is supplied and timed to the unit, ideally with a sensor that confirms it fired.
A simple pass/fail signal is quick to wire. Sending recipes from the PLC, showing results on the HMI and logging every reject with its image and lot take more engineering.
Food lines with washdown, dust or powder need sealed housings and mounts that survive cleaning. Shields that block room light and sunlight keep the picture the same on every shift.
Every product, label version and language is a recipe. Many SKUs mean more setup, plus a check that the right label is loaded for the order running.
Pharmaceutical and other regulated lines usually need a functional specification, a site acceptance test, operator training and documentation to support your IQ/OQ process. That engineering time is part of the price.
One camera or vision sensor confirms the label is there, straight and in the right place. It suits a single front label with good contrast, often on a packaging line, and it is the lowest-cost tier.
The station reads the lot code, the expiry date and the barcode, and checks them against the product running. This is the common tier on food and pharmaceutical lines, where a wrong date or the wrong label on a product is the costly fault.
Several cameras see every face, or all the way around a wrapped label. The reject is confirmed, and every reject is saved with its image, reason and lot. It costs the most, and it fits lines with many SKUs, high speed, or quality records that must be kept.
Where a line lands inside each tier depends on the drivers above, so JM quotes each application after testing your parts.
JM prices
JM does not publish a station price, because the drivers above change it. Each station is quoted in writing after an assessment. These starting prices are on the services pages.
Starting price
Starting at $1,950
Fee credited to the build within 90 days.
Starting price
Starting at $2,950 per station
Fee credited to the build within 90 days.
Starting price
From $4,500 per application
Fee credited to the build within 90 days.
Starting price
Starting at $7,500
Fee credited to the build within 90 days.
If the label check goes on an older line, legacy line rescue covers the controls: SLC 500 to CompactLogix from $18,500 labor, plus hardware, and PanelView to PanelView Plus 7 from $7,500 labor, plus terminal. After handover, a support plan starts at $750 per month, per site, plus $2,900 one-time onboarding. See Services and pricing.
Name, email and a line or two on the quick message form, for example "wrong label after changeover". A person reads it and replies.
If a camera can see the fault, we agree which good parts and bad labels to send, how many, and how they reach us. If parts cannot leave the plant, the check is a visit.
We test the sample parts you send us. You get test images, a written yes or no, a concept and a budget quote. From $4,500 per application.
If you go ahead with the build within 90 days, the fee comes off the build quote.
Want a rough picture first? The instant estimate shows what a typical station for your application includes, with no email needed. Or reach us on the contact page.
FAQ
Often, for one check on one face with good contrast, such as label presence, position, or reading one code. When you need several faces, a wrap-around label, print grading, or a saved record for every reject, a multi-camera station or a vision controller usually fits better. The feasibility study tells you which, in writing.
After a 20-minute call, you get a written quote for the assessment within 2 business days. Build time depends on hardware lead times and your shutdown windows, and it is stated in the build quote. Long-lead hardware is ordered against a purchase order.
Yes. OCR (optical character recognition) reads the printed lot and expiry date, and OCV (optical character verification) checks it against what the product running should carry. Print quality, contrast and the label material decide how reliable the read is, which is what the sample test checks.
Yes, when the line has a place to reject. The station times the reject to the unit and confirms it fired. If your line has no air jet, pusher or diverter, the reject is quoted with the station, or the station can stop the line or raise an alarm instead.
Yes. Most label checks are added to a line that already runs. The station is mounted on your conveyor, wired to the PLC you have, and tested on your line at site acceptance. If the controls are an SLC 500 or an old PanelView, legacy line rescue can upgrade them in the same project.
For a new label check, the feasibility study covers one application, using sample parts you send us. You get test images, a written yes or no, a concept and a budget quote. It starts from $4,500 per application, and the fee is credited to the build if you go ahead within 90 days.
Or try the instant estimate, send a quick message, or use the contact page.
