An application approached wenglor with the task of reliably checking the best-before date printed on bread packaging – even with changing positions and high belt speeds. The specific challenge facing the application was to reliably check whether a best-before date (BBD) is printed on each bread pack – and whether this date is correct and legible. The position of the print varies from pack to pack; there is no fixed field. In addition, the production line runs at 60 to 70 cycles per minute – too fast to carry out a manual check.
The solution is provided by a Smart Camera from the B60 series, which is mounted above the conveyor belt and looks vertically at the passing packaging. Uniform illumination of the glossy or textured surfaces is achieved with the help of dome lights – regardless of the packaging color or print quality.
The camera’s integrated OCR (Optical Character Recognition) module recognizes and reads the printed best-before date information in real time. It does not matter where the imprint is located on the pack. The camera automatically recognizes the date across the entire visual field and checks it for presence, legibility and plausibility.
In addition to pure recognition, the system can also perform logical checks: For example, do daily and monthly values match the current production date? Is the best-before date within the expected time window? Such plausibility checks help to detect incorrect or faulty imprints at an early stage – before entire batches are affected.
Configuration is carried out via a user-friendly software interface. Product changes can be adapted with just a few clicks – for example, if different packaging designs or print positions are used.
The Smart Camera B60 can be integrated into existing lines and automatically sends warning messages to the line control system in the event of deviations or missing imprints. Optionally, the error output can also be used as a stop signal to stop the line and avoid rejects.
The system delivers reliable results even at belt speeds of over one meter per second. The combination of high-resolution camera optics, fast image processing and intelligent software makes the B60 solution ideal for packaging lines with high throughput – such as for bread, baked goods or snack products.
With the Smart Camera B60, wenglor offers an efficient, camera-based solution for checking best-before dates on packaging. It detects missing or incorrect imprints, even with changing positions and high cycle rates – and thus makes a decisive contribution to quality assurance and process reliability in food production.
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