ASM designed and installed an automated quality control system that continuously checks the presence, positioning and conformity of bottle labels, directly on a packaging line in production.
Quality control integrated into an existing line
Our client, a manufacturer in the cosmetics sector, was facing complaints related to missing or incorrect labels on its packaging lines. At the time, there was no automated control system in place on the line.
The challenge: to control each bottle without slowing down a demanding production process.
- Lines operated in 3 shifts, with weekend service periods
- Production rates of up to 2,400 bottles per hour
- Over 40 product references and 14 formats, from 35 mL to 500 mL
- Bottles of various shapes (round, oval, square, rectangular), made of plastic or glass
- Labels made of paper or synthetic materials, for front-facing, back-facing or coating labeling
- Clean workshop, with integration constraints on an existing machine.
Our solution: industrial vision, barcodes, and automatic ejection
ASM has studied, manufactured, installed and developed a complete control station, directly positioned on the labeling machine.
Each bottle is double-checked.
- A vision sensor checks the presence of the label, its adhesion, its squareness and its correspondence with the reference being produced.
- A barcode reader checks the presence, readability and consistency of the back label with the main label.
Automated non-conformity management
- Defective bottles are ejected by a pneumatic switch to a dedicated waste conveyor.
- A sensor checks that the ejection is correct, and an overflow detector alerts the operator.
- The labeler is automatically stopped after a configurable number of consecutive rejects, or if the control system is stopped.
Simple operation for production teams
- A Siemens S7-1500 PLC and a touch screen allow the recipe corresponding to each item to be selected.
- Operators can create new references themselves, after training provided by our teams.
- A three-colour light column indicates the system status, and dedicated pages provide access to alarms, compliant and non-compliant part counters, and maintenance functions.
- Recipes can be exported and imported via USB key, and secure remote access facilitates diagnosis.
Careful integration, designed for production
The system is compact (approximately 2m x 0.6m x 2m for 100kg) and connects to existing equipment: stop control, emergency stop signal, and pneumatic network of the labeler. It is delivered with its complete technical file: electrical and pneumatic diagrams, 3D plans, safety instructions, instruction manual, and CE certification (Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC).
From the study to commissioning, the project was carried out in approximately three months, with on-site installation and fine-tuning completed in a few days.
The benefits for the customer
- A systematic check of 100 % vials, without manual intervention
- Fewer claims related to labeling errors
- An evolving system: new references can be added independently, and inputs/outputs are available for future development.
- Production data (meters, alarms) to monitor quality
ASM, your designer of special machines in the PACA region
For over 25 years, ASM has been designing and manufacturing custom-made special machines: assisted workstations, fully automated lines, test benches, and vision control systems. From our sites in Biot (Alpes-Maritimes) and, with our subsidiary HighTaiX, in Gardanne (Bouches-du-Rhône), we support manufacturers in the region and beyond, from the initial specifications analysis to installation in their workshops.
Do you need quality control or automation on your line? Let's talk about it. Contact our teams
ASM has designed and installed more than 300 professional machinesProduction. Here are some examples of projects that might interest you:
