How to improve the efficiency of production lines with visión systems

Author: desarrollo
August 21, 2023

Production line vision systems have become a key element in any factory or production plant. These systems can be applied to a range of sectors, improving processes and streamlining production. We at E2M Couth are specialised in artificial vision systems and our post today is going to tell you how to improve the efficiency of production lines using this type of system.

The requisite for every company to compete in the market is to have a good level of efficiency and productivity. Production line vision systems are a must to achieve a good level of quality, precision and speed within a production plant.

What are production line vision systems?

Production line vision systems are systems based on vision technology that are integrated into the production lines of a range of types of industries to perform a wide variety of tasks, such as inspection and quality control. These systems use cameras and advanced algorithms to capture images of products during the different stages of the production process and analyse them in real time.

Production line vision systems can also be applied in different sectors such as beverages, food, industrial products, chemical products, etc. These types of systems are capable of analysing, orienting and removing products from the line to ensure quality throughout the process, until they are in the hands of the end customer.

The benefits of using production line vision systems

There are a range of advantages and benefits of using production line vision systems, regardless of the sector in which these systems are applied.

Automated quality inspection

Vision systems are capable of inspecting and analysing products in real time, which makes it possible to accurately and quickly detect defects, imperfections or production errors. This significantly improves the quality of the final product, reducing the number of defective products reaching the market.

Within the beverage industry, for example, production line vision systems will be able to detect the status of your label as well as other important parameters that may affect the quality of the final product. E2M’s beverage vision systems are ideal for increasing the quality of your production.

Increased productivity

The use of vision systems in the production line allows greater efficiency and productivity. These systems can carry out repetitive tasks on a continuous and accurate basis without the need for any breaks or pauses. And automatically identifying and removing defective products does away with the need for manual inspections and reduces production line downtime.

These systems can perform many actions, removing the need to use human labour. This can be seen, for example, within many types of industry where different containers are passing through the production line. These do not need to be in the correct position meaning vision systems can take care of this orientation. These are very often found in food vision systems, where it is necessary for the container to be in the correct position for filling.

Cost reduction

Automating quality inspection and avoiding the production of defective products allows you to reduce the costs associated with rework, returns and warranty claims. The early detection of production problems also allows them to be corrected in a timely manner, preventing greater expenses and material waste.

There are many industries that greatly benefit from this cost reduction in this regard, especially those that do not have a very large price margin. Couth’s E2M industry vision systems, for example, are ideal for reducing times, but also for increasing the quality of each of the products. Thanks to the fewer errors means that defective products do not need to be discarded, thus allowing you to benefit from these savings.

Improved security

Vision systems can also help improve safety on production lines. This helps prevent the sale of products that are defective or potentially dangerous to customers.

In this regard, there are many industries that can benefit from a higher level of safety. Increasing production safety will also allow the final output of the products to be improved. Errors can be very costly in certain industries. For this reason, chemical product vision systems, for example, are the ideal solution to ensure maximum safety and quality in production.

Data collection and process analysis

Vision systems can collect real-time data on production and line performance. This data can be analysed to identify patterns, trends and potential process improvements. The information gathered can also be used for production optimisation, capacity planning and data-driven decision making.

Vision systems will not only help you automate processes within any production plant, but also have the ability to learn as they process products. This will therefore allow you to improve the entire production systems, improving all processes and ultimately ensuring quality production.

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Waste reduction

Production line vision systems are also very useful to reduce waste within a factory. This is because the system will learn over time from the different errors that may occur in the process in order to prevent them from re-occurring in the future.

These systems will be able to check that everything is correct before the product is filled or it passes to another compromised phase of production. Vision systems are found in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, where any error means that we have to reverse the product. The correct application of these systems allows you to ensure that the quality is at its best at all times.

Brand image protection

Another clear benefit of production line vision systems is how they help you ensure that any product that leaves the plant offers the highest level of quality. Therefore, any product that is defective or that does not meet the necessary qualities to be accepted will never reach customers’ hands. In addition to ensuring that your products are of high quality, this will allow you to protect the image of your brand.

Reduction in human errors

Finally, another of the benefits of production line vision systems that we wish to highlight is how they reduce human errors and the risk of them occurring. The entire safety and quality system used to be based on manual inspections and sensory tests. This significantly slowed down the process without being free of errors.

Therefore, the automation and application of these systems allows a higher level of precision and efficiency during quality controls. Any error will be detected in time to be corrected.

What solutions are offered by E2M Couth production line vision systems?

After learning about the many benefits of production line vision systems, we now wish to tell you about the types of solutions offered by E2M Couth and that may be present in companies from a range of sectors. These include:

Rejection systems

As we have already repeated throughout the post, quality is a key aspect within a production line, regardless of the sector. Rejection systems, such as those available at E2M Couth, are therefore a must. Data available tells us that 2% of total production corresponds to products that are rejected.

A range of issues can occur in the products, from a simple labelling failure, to blows where the packaging has become defective. While there are certain products where a basic look lets you know that they are rejected, these errors will be imperceptible to the human eye in the vast majority of cases, hence the need to use these precise systems.

E2M Couth has different rejection systems. These include our impact rejection systems, which are ideal for products that are not delicate and that can be separated from the production line with a simple blow. These would be inspected later on to see if they can be salvaged.

We also have soft deviation rejection systems, which are ideal for products that are somewhat delicate. This system separates the product, creating a parallel line to the production line. These rejection systems can also be applied to different sectors, including the food and the pharmaceutical industry.

Inspection systems

Apart from rejection systems, another of our production line vision systems includes those in charge of inspection. These aim to examine and measure the characteristics of a product, as well as the components and materials that have been used in its manufacture.

The different functions performed by these systems in this regard include an inspection of the level of the container, as well as the cap. Labelling can also be inspected to see if it is placed correctly or if it contains any printing error. Any type of irregularity will be detected. They can also be withdrawn to see if they can be processed again later or need to be withdrawn permanently.

Orientation systems

Container orientation is one of the most important missions within production line vision systems. The systems provided by E2M Couth are capable of rotating each container 90, 180 and 270 degrees to allow all of them to pass through the production line with the same orientation.

While containers come in a range of different shapes and finishes, our orientation system adapts its operation by adjusting these parameters. Errors could occur during the placement of the labelling or even in the filling of the container if the orientation is not perfect.

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Find the best production line vision systems at E2M Couth

Artificial vision has managed to ensure the maximum level of efficiency within production lines. As we mentioned earlier, our artificial vision systems are perfect for controlling different processes in your plant, therefore inspecting all your products to allow it to reach your customers in perfect condition.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information or if you have any query.

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