Machine Vision systems or industrial vision technology have shown great advancements over the past decade, resulting in better efficiency and quality assurance while adhering to regulatory compliances. Once limited in its use as mere barcode readers, these vision systems have been enhanced by leaps and bounds. These advancements are in sync with the progress made in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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Today, AI systems are capable of training themselves in wide-ranging nuances without the need for extensive programming. AI has enabled machine vision to be used in unconventional ways.
Machine vision systems can detect variations in a cursive script, tell a green bean apart from a stalk of grass and so on. Such automated software and cameras are increasingly being used to inspect products, spot inconsistencies, direct products, scan labels and collect data, all at high speeds, impeccable efficiency and without any human intervention at all.
Here’s how these industrial vision systems can help businesses deliver on quality, reduce recalls, and thus, improve reputation:
Eliminating Error Margins
Quality assurance studies from the 1970s place the margin of human error in detecting defects in any manufactured goods at 20%. Machine vision systems, on the other hand, are capable of near 100% accuracy in defect detection. With the right optics, lighting and camera resolution, these systems can easily catch details that are too minuscule to be caught by the human eye.
Cost-Effectiveness
Industrial Vision Systems can, in the long run, prove to be a cost-effective alternative, as they improve production speed and accuracy and reduce scrap rates all while allowing businesses to scale back on human workforce needed to run production equipment.
Improved Safety Standards
Foreign elements can sneak into products – food, cosmetics, clothing, medicines and other consumables – in the production phase and impact the quality of the finished product. Machine vision can identify this cross-contamination effectively and save businesses from unnecessary recalls, potential lawsuits, bad press and a dented reputation.
Efficient Labelling
Mislabelled products are a legal liability that often results in recalls, insurance claims and so on. Machine vision can spot any such mislabelling and send out timely alerts so that the error can be corrected before a product is released in the market. It also helps ensure that all the labels are perfectly aligned, identical and without any chinks or wrinkles, adding to appeal of the products, which in turn, builds your brand image.
Great Tracking Abilities
Industrial vision systems are capable of tracking product ingredients and coding them efficiently at every stage of the production process. This helps ensure that lots, dates and barcodes don’t get mixed up. These systems also maintain a history of every product’s journey, right from the beginning of production till it’s marketed, allowing manufacturers to easily track different packages or lots should something go awry.
AI-enabled machine vision systems hold a lot of promise in delivering precise results, maintaining product quality, ensuring uniformity in production. Businesses must embrace this technology build brands that are credible, reliable and efficient.
