Packaging, in the cosmetics sector more than in other sectors, embodies the emotional message directed at the consumer.

It follows then that the major manufacturers are increasingly committed to finding ever more refined and eye-catching packages. Quality and creative design, however, must go hand in hand with quality workmanship and the total absence of even the smallest defects.

The plant where the inspection cameras are installed 

To cope with these market requirements, demand is growing for quality controls on all parts of the product: outer carton, instruction leaflet and primary packaging.

Antares Vision, leading manufacturer of inspection and checking systems for the pharmaceutical sector, has also designed a number of applications for the cosmetics sector, offering an entire suite of products and systems capable of checking the entire product packaging cycle, from formation of the primary packaging to shipment.

The application described here has been created at the Italian factory of a major German cosmetics and drugs subcontractor.

For an outsourcer, perhaps even more than for a brand, being able to guarantee the total quality of the entire production cycle provides an unbeatable competitive edge.

Part of the company's production is intended for the Japanese market, which is notorious for imposing even higher quality standards than those applied in Europe or America.

The control sequence begins with the tube check: a high-resolution linear camera checks the screen-prints, signalling any print or shape imperfection.

Rotating tubes are inspected by linescan camera

The check is performed by turning the tube in correspondence with the Antares Vision linear camera just outside the filling line: the camera reconstructs the image of the entire package and checks it conforms to a series of sample images, also checking the barcode is legible and the package is correctly closed.

The camera operates at a speed without limiting line output in any way.

The tube reconstructed image

Subsequently, six high-resolution colour cameras (matrix) check the cartons on all sides simultaneously, checking the screen-prints are correct and the variable expiry and batch data are legible.

Packaging insoection cameras 

Three other cameras check the quality of the instruction leaflet printing and that the barcode on both sides of the leaflet is correct.

All cameras are equipped with a powerful built-in image processor and dialogue with the central control system via Ethernet.

Each camera is able to independently reject non-conforming parts and send images of rejects to the central system, where the operator can analyse them, identify the causes and then take action to eliminate the root cause of the defect.

"The winning features of these systems", explains Mr. Emidio Zorzella, managing director of Antares Vision, "lie in their extraordinary image processing capacity, assisted by extreme simplicity and rapid set-up of sizes".

The distributed intelligence architecture of Antares Vision systems allows a virtually unlimited number of cameras to be coordinated and checks to be run on various points of the package and at different stages of the production and packaging cycle.

In this case, for instance, eleven cameras with different features monitor production over three different packaging operations, maintaining unique size management.

The exclusive self-guided learning system designed by Antares Vision enables all checks to be programmed with just a few simple operations since check thresholds are optimised automatically by comparing the variance of several samples, thus minimising the risk of false rejects from the outset of production.

All cameras can be managed, sizes programmed and production launched from a single touch screen control panel.

The safety standards implemented are those required of pharmaceutical production and therefore conform to pharmaceutical standards 21 CFR part 11 and GAMPP.