17 PACKAGING Safety first
The importance of label inspection and code reading have been covered in the ‘Food’ and ‘Pharmaceutical’ sections. Other packaging applications can range from checking the packaging materials and the packaging themselves for defects to checking fill levels and the integrity of the final packaging for product purity and shelf-life considerations. Examples include the orientation of bottle lids, the integrity of seams in cans and the presence of foil seals in container lids which will ultimately be heat sealed onto the neck of the container.
Developing techniques
Many emerging techniques have facilitated packaging inspection. Smart cameras can be programmed for individual inspections and decision-making anywhere on the packaging line. Thermal imaging cameras can be used to check the correct application of hot-melt glue for cardboard carton assembly. NIR imaging makes it possible to image the contents through some packaging materials at the same time as inspecting the print on the packaging itself. Hyperspectral imaging is a new technique that can inspect the contents of packaging.
The impact of 3D imaging
From its early beginnings, 3D vision required specialist programming expertise to take the raw data output and configure it for different factory control networks. Huge amounts of expensive processing power and bulky equipment were needed. Now, with advances in embedded, smart technologies, 3D is affordable and accessible to many without specialist skills. Instead of a camera or lasers that need complex configuration with a separate PC, new ‘intelligent’ sensors offer all-in-one vision solutions. However, that does not mean that we have arrived at “one size fits all” in 3D vision. Instead, from high-performance cameras, advanced colour, 3D measurement and multi-scanning technology through to stand-alone programmable sensors, we have reached a continuum of choice. With a solution for every application, the challenge now is to match the best technology to the process.
PHARMACEUTICAL The packaging revolution
Whilst there are many applications for vision in the pharmaceutical industry throughout the manufacturing process, more recently there has been a lot of developments with regard to packaging inspection. Packs are no longer merely transport or storage boxes. They are dispensers, information sources, functional extensions of the product and even lifestyle accessories. For optical inspection systems, the resulting requirements are for more pack-specific data and a growing need for high-density code verification and image- based quality inspection on high-speed lines.
The packaging challenge
Mis-labelled products not only present a tangible threat to public safety but have major implications with respect to damage to the pharmaceutical company’s brand and reputation. Since considerable costs can be associated with recall notification, product retrieval and liability, the overall effect on the finances and credibility of a business during and post recall can be significant. For example, cartons inadvertently packed with the incorrect patient information leaflet can result in a product recall. Integrating a vision system into a packaging line goes a long way to eliminating such errors. There are also many logistics and quality control strategies, such as the EU’s Falsified Medicines Directive – the FMD (2011/62/EU) – or the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Annex 1- 121. GMP Annex 1-121 requires a check on the plug position on vials. Pharmaceuticals manufacturers have only until this year to comply with the FMD by printing serialised 2D codes on each pack.
Serialisation
These serialised 2D codes will provide traceability from the point of sale back to manufacture. This will allow product authenticity to be checked at any point in the supply chain to reduce counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products. Serialisation requires that the packs are labelled, the labels verified by machine vision and all data passed upstream to the appropriate place, and all at production line speeds. A number of companies have implemented solutions for the inspection of serialised codes. In the past, inline inspection was a compromise between speed, precision, functionality, ease-of-use and cost. That is changing. New, fast pattern-matching capabilities mean image processing speeds are increased and errors reduced. New algorithms address the effects of machine vibration and changing light conditions. They allow fast processing of multi- camera and high-resolution inspections and simplify finding optimal image processing parameters.
Interestingly, the tobacco industry has also begun to introduce serialised 2D verification for its so-called ‘dot codes’. Although the verification of alphanumeric codes – such as date and lot codes – remains standard, many printed promotions have started to use 2D codes.
3-D container lid inspection - Courtesy Sick UK
Applications include checking the contents, content, number and fill of a container.
This is useful for products such as
chocolates or biscuits in compartmented containers. Not only is the absence of an item noted, the insertion of a damaged or wrong item can also be flagged up. Overfill levels can be a problem, for example where totes, bags and tubs which must meet a safe carrying weight limit or allow safe stacking, or food products such as meat are over-height and filling would interfere with sealing the plastic film cover correctly. Checking the orientation of products like shampoo bottles prior to shrink wrapping can avoid awkward shaped packing that does not fit into outer cartons, resulting in waste and downtime.
The 2d DataMatrix forms a part of serialisation - Courtesy Omron
www.ukiva.org
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