Mettler-Toledo develops new inspection system for bottles

Using four cameras, the 360 Full View machine inspects un-orientated bottles and containers for print, label, composition, and cap defects.

To be deployed in wineries and distilleries as well as pharmaceutical and other food and drink plants, the new system can inspect up to 700 bottles per minute depending on the number of inspections required.

Inspections ​

With the cameras connected to Mettler-Toledo’s CIVCore software, the machine can perform a variety of inspection tasks from virtually unwrapping labels to check alignment, to the inspection of cap height and orientation.

Bottles that pass through the system at any orientation are photographed by four cameras to provide a complete picture for the CIVCore vision processing algorithms to analyse. If for any reason a bottle fails inspection, it is tracked and diverted through a soft rejection mechanism. As inspection requirements evolve in the future, Mettler-Toledo said the software can be enhanced to meet those needs.

Improvements​

Mettler-Toledo spokesperson James Lee picked out two main advantages of the 360 Full View compared to previous generations. He said the system features better mechanical fixtures for the cameras and is more intuitive for the operator. In particular, the machine is easier to calibrate and is better at unwrapping and stitching images together for inspection.

Suitable for cylindrical, conic, paneled or tapered containers made from glass, plastic, metal or rigid paper, the 360 Full View inspection system is a turnkey machine that Mettler-Toledo said can be integrated easily into existing production equipment or conveyor lines.

It will be showcased for the first time at the Interphex pharmaceutical trade show in April this year in New York.

The Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection Group, consisting of CI-Vision, Hi-Speed and Safeline, supply in-line checkweighers, metal detectors, machine vision systems and x-ray inspection systems.