Challenge
Inspect the label on each product package to ensure the correct product is delivered.
Solution
A Cognex In-Sight 7802 vision system, a custom mounting structure, a 23.8-inch touchscreen monitor, a standard PC, and a handheld scanner.
Story
A medical device manufacturer wanted to verify that each label placed on a device’s package was the correct label according to the work order. Each label contains both a barcode and a lot number. Scanning the barcode alone would have been simple, but the customer wanted to read the barcode and the lot number and make sure both matched the work order, so they contacted the engineers at EMP.
The team at EMP designed a solution around Cognex’s In-Sight 7802, a 5-megapixel camera that can read the barcode and perform the character recognition in one device. EMP also created a custom mount so the camera attaches directly to the bag sealer.
Before a bag is inspected and sealed, the work order must be entered. Each work order carries a 1D barcode, so EMP used the customer’s existing handheld scanner to scan it in. That information is then matched against what the Cognex camera reads from the product label.
The customer also wanted to track who was operating the machine. EMP integrated a touchscreen monitor that requires the operator to type in or scan a badge number. The HMI, along with a stack light, gives a visual warning when the label information does not match the work order. On a no-match, the package is released from the machine so it cannot be completed and shipped.
EMP integrated the solution into the existing bag sealer setup. It was a seamless upgrade that lets the customer verify that every work order contains the correct products.
Do you have a process you would like to improve? Reach out to the engineers at EMP today.
