Machine Automation

Machine Automation
Location: USA
 

Project Introduction:
As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bar-code regulation raises packaging standards, drug manufacturers are turning to increasingly sophisticated machine vision inspection solutions for optical character verification to inspect human-readable data such as the date, lot code, and expiration date on drug labels as well as reading bar code, logos and directions.

System Requirements:
A typical blister pack, measuring only 3 x 5 inches, may hold as many as 20 tablets, and drug companies are often looking to simultaneously read each RSS / CS code on as many as four blister packs at line speeds of up to 150 packs per minute. This demand poses a challenge for modern 2-D imaging products (array-based CCD products), which lack the resolution to read all the cods in a single field of view. Any solution supported by array-based CCD product often requires as many as 10 cameras to meet the desired field-of-view and line speed requirements.

Project Implementation:

System Diagram:

System Description:
The most efficient solution involves a line-scan camera, a frame grabber and Advantech's IPPC-6172F.

• A single 2K line-scan camera can easily capture the required field of view with more than enough resolution, 3 pixels per element with a 6-inch-wide field of view, to enable pharmaceutical companies to read every code.
• Standard high performance Industrial Panel PC delivers, controls and stores adequate image and information for inspection and printing.

Conclusion:
The IPPC-6172F provides an excellent interface for this solution, because it can also provide active mimic diagrams, alarms, event logs and more.  The simplicity of the display allows operators of all knowledge levels to understand UPS status and operation at a glance, limiting operator errors.

After implementing, the solution also provided the following benefits:

• Increased Reliability
• Quicker Time to Market
• Reduced Cost of Ownership
• Increased Security
• Accessible