Machine vision inspection systems for South African production lines
addaScan, based in Johannesburg, designs and integrates machine vision inspection systems for manufacturers across South Africa. Our automated inspection solutions cover label verification, date code inspection, surface defect detection and dimensional measurement, with each station developed around your products, inspection requirements and production line.
To start, describe your product, the defect and your line speed. We will agree how to share photos or arrange samples.
Swipe sideways to see the whole drawing →
What is machine vision inspection?
Machine vision inspection uses industrial cameras, controlled lighting and image-analysis software to check visible product features against agreed criteria. On a production line, a trigger associates each image with a product; the result can then drive a PLC, a tracked reject or an operator review.
The inspection may check a label or date, identify a visible defect, measure a dimension or confirm an assembly. Its scope depends on the product, lighting and line conditions. Barcode reading and content matching are separate from formal print-quality grading; a visible seal check does not prove leak tightness.
What do you need to detect?
Choose the fault, then check the product conditions and limits on its application page.
Label & print inspection
Catch missing, crooked, doubled or wrong-SKU labels, and incomplete print, before the product is packed.
OCR/OCV & date codes
Check that best-before dates, batch and lot codes are present, readable and correct, whether printed by inkjet, thermal transfer or laser.
Fill level, cap & seal
Find under-filled containers, missing or crooked caps and missing tamper bands. Visible seal checks only: this is not a leak test.
Surface defect detection
Find scratches, dents, flash, short shots, marks and contamination, where lighting can make them visible.
Dimensional measurement
Measure lengths, diameters, hole positions and gaps without contact. Achievable accuracy depends on field of view, optics and how the part is presented.
Presence, absence & counting
Confirm that every component, insert or item is present, and count units in a pack, tray or kit.
Envelope verification and sorting line
An anonymised project led by addanode, the company behind addaScan, with a manufacturing partner. Factory acceptance passed in August 2026.
- Inspection task
- Locate the envelope window and barcode, check front or reverse, and match barcode and card readings to the batch data.
- Delivered scope
- HIKROBOT-based camera inspection, barcode and card readers, matching software, collection and reject handling, and batch result files.
- Acceptance evidence
- The FAT covered functions, throughput, deliberate faults, correct samples, format changes and endurance. Every agreed target was met or exceeded.
Customer and supplier are anonymised. Measured figures belong to the customer and are not published.
Read the project brief, system design and acceptance results →Find an inspection for your production line
Lighting, mounting and product presentation are chosen for the conditions in your factory.
Food & beverage
Washdown, foam, condensation and SKU changes affect filling, capping, labelling and coding checks.
Food & beverage inspection guide →Plastics & packaging
Cavity variation, clear surfaces and glare affect checks on closures, moulded parts and printed packaging.
Plastics & packaging inspection guide →Metal components
Reflective finishes and part presentation affect surface checks, dimensions and assembly verification.
Metal components inspection guide →What does a machine vision inspection station cost?
Indicative installed budgets in South African rand (ZAR), excluding VAT, as at 24 September 2026. A firm quote follows the sample test.
- Single-view check
- R 50 000 – R 250 000
- One smart camera or camera with lighting; digital I/O to an existing PLC and reject.
- Multi-view station
- R 300 000 – R 1 300 000
- Several cameras and lights, a PC or vision controller, product recipes and a PLC network link.
- Complete station
- R 500 000 – R 2 900 000
- A multi-view station plus conveyor section, product handling, reject confirmation and guarding.
Included: vision hardware, software licence, application engineering, installation in Gauteng, FAT, SAT and training.
Excluded: VAT, changes to the line outside the station, utilities, travel outside Gauteng, annual support, and line-scan, 3D or telecentric systems. Those specialist line solutions have their own budgets.
What moves the quote: number of views, line speed, lighting and optics, environment, PLC work and the reject mechanism. The cost guide explains the estimates and their sources.
Can a camera reliably see your defect?
The first engineering step is to image your good and defective samples. Software cannot recover a defect that lighting and optics do not reveal.
Prepare the variation
Include normal colours, print runs and finishes, plus examples of each defect and borderline faults.
Prove the image
Try candidate lighting and optics, record what is visible and agree the trade-off between false rejects and missed defects.
Document feasibility
Receive a written conclusion with example images. Internal defects, leak tightness and adhesive strength are outside a visible camera check.
View an illustrative pass and reject example
What a pass and a reject look like
Each decision comes from a rule you agree during the sample test: a position limit, a fill band, a code that must read and match. Results are shown with an icon and text, never colour alone.
Pass
ALL CHECKS IN LIMIT- Cap position
- Seated, within limit
- Fill level
- Inside agreed band
- Date code
- Readable, matches run
Reject
3 CHECKS FAILED → REJECT- Cap position
- ✗ Tilted beyond limit
- Fill level
- ✗ Below minimum
- Date code
- ✗ Unreadable
From a sample test to a commissioned inspection station
Camera, lens, lighting, mounting, inspection recipes, PLC signals and reject or alarm handling are scoped together, with installation, acceptance testing, training and handover.
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01 Requirement
Define products, defects, speed and acceptance criteria.
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02 Sample test
Document imaging conditions and feasibility.
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03 Design & quote
Specify the station, interfaces, installation window and scope.
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04 Build & FAT
Test the station against the agreed samples before delivery.
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05 Install & SAT
Commission and test on real production at the agreed line speed.
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06 Train & hand over
Provide the agreed training, backups, documentation and support plan.
Questions before requesting a vision assessment
Speed, integration, budget, samples, installation and support.
Can machine vision inspect my product at our line speed?
Can the station integrate with our existing PLC and reject system?
How much does a machine vision inspection system cost in South Africa?
What samples and information are needed for an assessment?
What happens if the sample test shows the defect cannot be detected reliably?
Where are installation and commissioning available?
What support is available after handover?
Tell us what your line needs to detect
Describe your product, the defect and the line speed. We will discuss the information and samples needed to assess feasibility and scope a station for your line.
Planning this inspection outside South Africa
Use the country guidance to prepare the line data, interfaces and delivery scope for a project assessed from Johannesburg.
Vision Inspection Systems in Africa
Country guidance for factories outside South Africa, assessed from Johannesburg with USD quotations.
Vision industrielle en Afrique francophone
Guides par pays en français : Maroc, Algérie, Tunisie, Côte d’Ivoire, Sénégal, Cameroun, RDC.
Inspeção por visão em África lusófona
Guias em português para Moçambique e Angola.
Cross-border quotations
How reader supply and vision stations are quoted for factories outside South Africa.