Machine vision is key to smooth print and application workflows

Cheng Ning, Technical Director of Zebra Technologies Greater China

For manufacturers, warehouse operators or others who need to comply For downstream supply chain companies that meet multiple industry, government and customer requirements, trust cannot replace verification. This is the preferred way to prevent problems before they occur. Therefore, companies need to train employees on how to confirm the quality consistency and design compliance of each part and finished product, and may also need to invest in machine vision systems to automatically inspect automobiles, electronic components, food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, etc. products to ensure accuracy in production, assembly and filling. In addition, companies also need to understand the potential risks caused by negligence from the aspects of consumer safety and financial impact.

However, do companies give equal consideration and investment to the production and verification of labels on these products or their packaging? Or is it entirely dependent on the printing and application systems being configured and functioning properly?

Give more value to label verification

Although the print engines used in today’s print and application systems are renowned for their accuracy, there is complete confidence that the label is in the correct position And the idea of ​​reflecting the correct message remains risky. The print engine is programmed by hand and is still a printer at its core. If people fail to replace the print head in time, it will cause a temporary decrease in label quality.

In actual work, companies cannot arrange employees to pay close attention to each labeled product or package running through the printing and application system on the production line. It can be difficult to thoroughly inspect every tagged item without slowing down or stopping operations. Employees responsible for verifying label quality and accuracy may also miss issues. There is no way to fix erroneous or non-compliant labels once they make it to the supply chain.

Maybe the people in the next link can solve the labeling problem. For example, if the warehousing team discovers a labeling issue in the warehouse, they may be able to intercept mislabeled product from further shipment. But what if a regulatory inspector or a consumer discovers a labeling error? Or what if a package is sent to the wrong recipient, or gets stuck at a sorting station with an incorrect or illegible address? The consequences can be serious and costly.

That’s why we’re seeing a trend in labeling applications – trusting automation, but still requiring validation, especially for print and apply labeling applications.

Fixed industrial scanners and machine vision systems help build label trustworthiness

1D and 2D label verification should be integrated with printing and application systems for several reasons Together with automatic execution, companies need to be 100% sure that:

1. The label is attached and the information when printing and applying is correct. Label integrity is particularly important for compliance in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, and restaurants. If the text is not obvious enough, the colors are incorrect, or the batch number is missing, the company may be financially responsible for misuse or the inability to recall quickly. Of course, missing labels is always undesirable because it leads to waste and fulfillment delays.

2. Tag data is readable. Sometimes an employee may think a barcode or address is readable, but the scanner cannot. It is important for scanners to be able to extract all types of data as goods move through the supply chain.

3. The labeling position is correct. As I just gave an example, people's opinions are subjective. If the labeling position is half a centimeter short of the requirement, even though the human eye may not be able to discern such a small gap, it may be considered non-compliant.

By installing fixed industrial scanning and machine vision systems on the production line next to the print engine, companies will be able to immediately detect and detect problematic items before they leave the production line, arrive at the loading dock, or are transported further downstream in the supply chain. Resolve issues with label quality, location, or data accuracy.

Stationary industrial scanners can look for missing tags and data, while machine vision systems can be trained to look for shapes or logos (also called "samples") on tags. As the item passes under a machine vision camera in an outbound inspection application, it looks for that sample to ensure the tag is present and in the correct location. If used for sorting, it will look for express signs and redirect packages to the correct sorting line for onward delivery. Machine vision systems can also measure brightness or perform pixel counting within the tag search area. Companies can define inspection standards and set a set of limits that need to be met. Products that exceed these limits will be considered unqualified.

The advantage of this type of automated verification scan is that it doubles as a progress report and does not involve human intervention unless a problem is discovered by the system. As we all know, product traceability is particularly important today for many reasons. Therefore, whenever an enterprise can confirm that an item has passed a certain checkpoint, it means that the enterprise itself and other stakeholders have gained valuable operational insights that can inform business planning, reporting and optimization. information. At the same time, there are no product or packaging touchpoints throughout the process, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value tasks. This will help companies better maintain compliance with production, order fulfillment and distribution operations and consistently run on schedule.

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