Checker verifies labels and production codes

OTE Group, based in the Netherlands, now uses the Cognex Checker to verify the presence of product and packaging features.

The company produces and exports special hydrating, cleaning and lubricating fluids for the lens-care market.

As well as its own three product lines, OTE delivers more than 100 private labels to customers with their own brands.

The company needs to be sure that all bottles reach their destinations in perfect condition and in good time.

It also faces the strict requirements of the medical and pharmaceutical industry.

Previously, quality control was assured manually by the naked eye.

However, the Cognex Checker ensures that production codes are present on labels and checks if the labels are on the bottles.

Checker ensures that quality control is improved, meaning better traceability and faster, more reliable production, according to Cognex.

Essentially a versatile 'multi-sensor', a single Checker detects features that would require multiple photo-electric sensors or that may not be within the capability of photo-electrics.

Netherlands-based Cognex partner Digitron provided OTE with the vision sensor solution.

Three Checkers were installed on the group's packaging line.

Here, the Checkers perform the tasks of checking for the presence of a code printed on the bottom of each bottle and simultaneously checking for the presence of the label.

In the first application, the Checker is used to detect the presence of a code.

The system checks for the print on the bottom of the bottle.

If a code is missing, the line is stopped.

OTE has more than 250 different labels for many different customers, so it needs to be sure that the right labels are present on each bottle.

For this second application, the Checker is used to detect the presence of the label.

For round bottles, one Checker is used to detect the presence of the label; for bottles of other dimensions, two Checkers are used.

Labels are 'taught' at the input and then an external trigger uses the reflection of light to detect its presence.

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