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Stations

Pick the station for the fault you keep seeing.

Four stations: one camera, three cameras, a barcode tunnel, and a barcode station with a searchable record. Not sure which fits? Start with a feasibility study.

Station comparison

Best for↓Checks

Single-camera station

Faults that show from one side: fill, seal, presence, count.

Fill level, seals, empty pockets, missing pieces, short cases, surface foreign material, caps, print, flaps, desiccant and cotton.

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Three-camera station

Faults that can be on any side: wrapped labels, caps, cosmetic marks.

Missing, crooked, or wrong labels; cocked caps and tamper bands; flash and scratches on parts.

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Barcode tunnel

Codes on any face of a case or carton.

Unreadable date and lot codes, bar spread and ink bleed, mixed products, case codes that do not match the run.

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Barcode station

A searchable history of every decode for recalls.

1D and 2D codes on the line; reject when the code fails; every decode written to a database.

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Inside the station

Where the vision processing runs.

Every station pairs a camera with a processor. Where the processing runs shapes the speed, the flexibility, and the upkeep.

PC-based

What it is
Cameras cabled to an industrial PC or a vision controller that runs the software.
Speed
The most headroom. More cameras and larger images by adding computing power.
Flexibility
The widest: any camera interface, many software packages, rules and deep learning together.
Cost range
The most engineering. Cost per camera drops as more cameras share one PC.
Maintenance
Operating system updates, security patches, drive and fan wear, and license keys. Keep a disk image.
Food lines
Several cameras over one tray: fill, seal area, and label in one pass.
Pharmaceutical lines
Blister and carton checks with code reading at several points.
Packaging lines
Codes and labels on several case faces, and robot pick guidance.

Smart camera

What it is
Sensor, processor, software, and I/O in one camera housing.
Speed
Strong for one view at typical line rates. Heavy tools or large images slow it.
Flexibility
Good within one view and the camera's own tool set.
Cost range
The lowest entry cost for one inspection point. Cost grows with each view added.
Maintenance
Swap the unit and load the saved setup. Firmware updates.
Food lines
Date and lot code present, lid on, label on.
Pharmaceutical lines
Lot and expiry print, cap present, a code on one carton face.
Packaging lines
Barcode reading, label present, open flaps.

Embedded

What it is
A camera board and processor built into another machine by its builder.
Speed
Fast at the one task it was designed for.
Flexibility
Fixed once the design is frozen.
Cost range
High one-time design cost and low cost per unit in volume. Usually inside the machine's cost.
Maintenance
Serviced through the machine builder.
Food lines
A labeler or printer checking its own work.
Pharmaceutical lines
Checks inside a cartoner or labeler.
Packaging lines
Print-and-apply labelers that check the label they apply.

Application-specific

What it is
A complete system designed around one inspection.
Speed
Matched to the rate of the task it was built for.
Flexibility
Narrow. Strong at its task, hard to repurpose.
Cost range
A higher purchase cost with little application engineering.
Maintenance
Recipes and service from the system's maker.
Food lines
Optical sorters, seal checks on tray sealers.
Pharmaceutical lines
Blister inspection units, vial and ampoule inspection machines, leaflet print checks.
Packaging lines
Barcode grading units, inspection of printed film on the web.

Next step

Start with your line.

Tell us what you make and what is getting through. Start with a feasibility study.

Tell us about the system

Related: Compare stations · How the system works · Barcode station · Barcodes tool · All industries