Envisioning More

These days, healthcare product manufacturers routinely employ in-line packaging inspection systems to scrutinize their packaging processes closely, often as they are happening. Some applications call for 100% verification, like pharmaceutical label inspection, whereas others randomly inspect packages and their contents during forming or filling.

Inspection tools have gotten more powerful, allowing packagers to inspect very fine print and other minute details. They have also increased their speeds, helping operators maintain line speed and efficiency. For instance, Faber Associates (Clifton, NJ), a distributor for ipd, the intelligent products division of Coreco Imaging (Billerica, MA), is replacing a system that is currently using bar code scanners that are reading 200–300 labels per minute with an ipd NetSight machine vision system that is inspecting at 1800 labels per minute.

But the recent news is that vision inspection has become easier to use. "Over the last several years, there has been a trend toward easier-to-use systems," says Steve Geraghty, director of ipd. "Customers expect to do things quickly, easily, and with high degrees of accuracy, so they require products that support these needs."

Such demand for ease of use has led to simpler systems that can perform more complex inspections, says Dan Holste, manager of vision products for Banner Engineering (Minneapolis). "Smart cameras with onboard processors offer stand-alone inspection. The camera captures an image, analyzes it, and yields a judgment about the image. These stand-alone units are easy to install and to maintain."

EASY TO PLUG

As vision becomes a mainstay of every packaging line, it must be easy enough to install and use to be supported by product line operators, says Holste.

DVT's Legend 544 offers ultrahigh in-spection resolution (1280 x 1024 pixels) at high speeds.

"The biggest request [we get] involves making the systems easier to set up and troubleshoot," explains Richard Daigle, media relations manager for DVT Corp. (Duluth, GA). "DVT is addressing this with custom front-ends and Active X controls." In June, DVT released version 2.6 of its FrameWork software, the operating system for its range of machine vision products. A few changes aimed at easing use are the addition of a common interface to all DVT SmartImage sensors and the addition of enhanced script language, allowing user-defined functions.

Geraghty says ipd also helps users design their own inputs: "ipd's NetSight system with its Sherlock software enables distributors to develop custom front-ends for particular customer requirements," he explains.

Ease in programming is another trend, says Gilbert Chiang, product marketing manager for Cognex's (Natick, MA) In-Sight sensors. "Programming a sensor used to require an engineer who knew C++. Now, if you know how to use a spreadsheet, you can program an In-Sight sensor. There is no programming language—it is all menu driven."

A system that is easy to program and troubleshoot will help minimize problems during use. "It is important that inspection systems provide sufficient feedback to allow for troubleshooting without scrambling to find a qualified technician with a laptop," explains Peter Buczynsky, president of Micron Automation Inc. (Tampa, FL). However, he warns, "the danger is in allowing the parameters of the inspection system to be loosened in order to increase efficiency with the risk of allowing faulty product to be manufactured. It is therefore critical that access be limited to the adjustments that affect the system's pass/fail result."

Holste adds that the modularity of smart cameras simplifies installation and maintenance. "Quick disconnect features are very important. One of the most critical parts of the camera is its sensor head controller, which can be damaged because it is exposed on the line. We have developed a two-piece unit for our PresencePlus Pro camera so that the damaged head can be changed for less-expensive replacement." He also adds that the wide voltage operation (10–30 V) of the PresencePlus Pro eases installation and that its cables that can flex many times save maintenance time and cost.

EASY TO PLAY

Holste says, "In a typical system, users capture an image, lay down tools, evaulate the tool parameters, capture another image, adjust the tool parameters, etc., going back and forth in an iterative way. This iterative process has been simplified by Banner's PresencePlus Pro. Using the Pro, users capture an image, lay down tools, and employ the Quick-Teach function, training the camera to inspect a particular object or objects and establish the pass and fail criteria of the inspection based upon the image."

Micron Development Group released the latest model of its Alumivision foil fracture/pinhole detector, capable of exactly identifying the defective material location. According to Buczynsky, this system allows a packager to easily integrate the device onto the packaging line without any PLC programming.

Uhlmann Packaging Systems (Towaco, NJ) has combined vision inspection and infrared spectroscopy in its VisioNIR in-line system. VisioNIR performs contact-free chemical identification of tablets, capsules, and gels, ensuring that all blister-packaged products have the right ingredients and composition. According to Christopher Anderson, aftermarket sales engineer, the technology helps companies control their processes more closely, especially those that involve highly controlled substances or life-saving drugs. He reports that Uhlmann is looking to use VisioNIR in the future for liquids and powders.

DVT's Daigle says one of the developments that facilitated vision inspection is Ethernet capability, which DVT introduced in 1998. "It has had a major impact on the use of smart cameras, allowing them full communication abilities with systems on the line and outside the plant."

The In-Sight 4100 sensor from Cognex is a compact, remote-head camera suitable for harsh environments.

Carl Gerst, ID program manager for Cognex, says that Ethernet use simplifies reporting of product or package failures recognized through inspection. "You can send failure information over the Ethernet to a PLC for an immediate adjustment. Or, you can send the image of the failure to a server via FTP or to a database for analysis or into an ERP system."

DVT is also boosting the onboard capacity of its sensor line, improving the memory of its sensors to allow the storage of more inspections in the SmartImage sensor. That means that sensors can tackle more-intricate inspection projects.

Adding the system logic to react to a failure further upstream can even simplify line operation. "You can implement a feedback loop to feed data further up the line to control the process," Gerst continues. "For instance, if you pick up changes in print, you can add toner to the printer before it runs out."

However, Gerst and Chiang say that while using numerous sensors to monitor and control processes can ease line operation because errors are caught as or before they occur, programming and maintaining dozens of stand-alone sensors could complicate things. "If you have 150+ units in your facility, you can't have operators running around maintaining them. That's why our latest software enables centralized maintenance and monitoring," says Gerst. "There's a big need to document and track what these systems are doing and who has access to them." Adds Chiang: "The software will run externally on a PC, but the PC won't act as the vision system. Instead, it provides the ability to view and control multiple systems, as well as perform administrative tasks such as documenting operations, uploading software to individual sensors, and more."

EASY-GOING SUPPORT

DVT's Daigle says that machine vision is becoming more prevalent in packaging lines but there is still a vast amount of potential. "Little by little, plant managers are seeing the benefits of vision. As they see successful applications in use, they may realize there are creative solutions that will provide 100% inspection rates for their lines."

The easiest aspect of using vision may be finding supplier support. DVT, Cognex, and Banner, among others, are all heavily competing on price, driving costs for smart cameras down to as little as $2300. DVT and Banner provide free training, free technical support, and free software upgrades. Both Cognex and DVT hold free seminars around the country, offering demonstrations of their systems' capabilities using attendee products and packages. Banner Engineering offers localized technical support that provides the customer with comprehensive solutions for their inspection needs. And Cognex is certified to award continuing education units.

Machine vision suppliers may also help with one challenge currently facing pharmaceutical and medical packagers—compliance with 21 CFR Part 11. Cognex published guidelines last year for developing compliant automation projects using vision, the most complicated current aspects.

DVT is working on an application in which a sample pharmaceutical carton is inspected. Data Matrix codes are inspected as well as the presence of parts, paper, and the amount of capsules, using the color of the cap to perform this function. "The most crucial element of this inspection is that the entire inspection is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant. This inspection uses four DVT cameras, a 542c color camera, and three high-speed 540 cameras," explains Daigle.

When it comes to vision, it is easy to find the support, and it may be just as easy setting up.

IMAGE OF THE PRESENCEPLUS PRO COURTESY BANNER ENGINEERING (MINNEAPOLIS)