Machine vision system inspects product labels on industrial lubricant bottles

Sinopec Group, a Beijing-based manufacturer of petroleum and petrochemicals that produces automotive and industrial lubricants, worked with systems integrator Beijing Nodes to install a complete vision-based information management to improve production efficiency and reduce errors.

The system required data capturing for 2D bar codes, optical character recognition (OCR), and 1D codes. Beijing Nodes selected Microscan’s Vision HAWK smart camera to read the 2D codes and OCR on its industrial lubricant bottles. Vision HAWK cameras are fully integrated with a processor, lens, and illumination and offer easy setup to industrial control systems through Microscan Link software. Its (1/3”) image sensor options include a 752 x 480 CMOS image sensor with a frame rate up to 60 fps, a 1280 x 960 CCD image sensor with a frame rate up to 20 fps, and a 2/3” 2048 x 1088 CMOS image sensor with a frame rate up to 48 fps.

The Vision HAWK camera was installed on the production line in order to detect the presence or absence or each label on the bottle by reading a 2D code printed on the label, to inspect the text on the label using OCR, and to validate its contents and transmit that data back to the information management system.

An MS-800 laser barcode scanner was used to read the 1D codes on the cases that hold the bottles of lubricant. During this part of the process, barcodes are scanned and read and that data is again transferred back to the information management system in order to ensure an accurate traceability.The MS-800 scanner is specially designed and customized for the Chinese market.

A manager at Beijing Nodes identifed as Ms. Zhu says that the vision system allows the company to operate at high effiency while ensuring product quality and traceability.

"Now, managers in the facility can respond quickly to any issues that arise, take corrective action, and ensure that the whole line works smoothly," said Ms. Zhu. "The staff on site can also easily and efficiently monitor the process. With automatic data acquisition, products can be traced throughout the process."

View the case study.
View more information on Microscan Vision HAWK cameras.

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