Machine vision inspection by industry
Food and beverage, plastics and packaging, metal components, agro-processing and building materials lines in South Africa.
Vision inspection fits wherever a production step can leave a visible fault. On food and beverage lines that means filling, capping, labelling and coding. In plastics and packaging it means moulding, forming, printing and closure assembly. For metal components it means machining, stamping, assembly and part marking; in agro-processing, bagging, sealing and labelling; for building materials, surface, size and grade. Each industry page lists the usual inspection points, the site conditions that affect the camera, and what a sample test needs.
Industries we cover
Each page follows the same order: production steps, the faults each step can cause, the checks that apply, and the conditions on site that decide the station design.
Food & beverage
Filling, capping, labelling and coding lines, often with washdown, several SKUs and frequent changeovers.
Plastics & packaging
Moulded and thermoformed parts, closures and printed packaging, where cavity-to-cavity variation is normal.
Metal components
Machined, stamped and assembled parts where missing features, dimensions and surface marks decide acceptance.
Agro-processing
Milling, sugar, feed and dried-goods lines where bag labels, seals and visible foreign matter matter, in dust and humidity.
Building materials
Tiles, boards, blocks, roofing sheets and pipes, checked for surface defects, dimensions and grade in dusty, hot plants.
Production steps and matching inspections
Start from the step that causes the fault. The inspection usually sits straight after it, before the fault is hidden or packed.
| Industry | Typical production steps | Typical visible faults | Relevant applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & beverage | Filling, capping, labelling, date coding, case packing | Low fill, missing or tilted caps, wrong labels after a changeover, missing or wrong codes, short cases | Fill level, cap & seal Label & print OCR/OCV & date codes Presence & counting |
| Plastics & packaging | Injection moulding, thermoforming, closure assembly, printing and decoration | Short shots, flash, contamination, print faults, parts out of size or the wrong way round | Surface defects Dimensional measurement Label & print Presence & counting |
| Metal components | Machining, stamping and forming, assembly, part marking | Missing holes or features, dimensions out of limit, scratches and dents, missing fasteners, unreadable part codes | Dimensional measurement Presence & counting Surface defects DPM code reading OCR/OCV & codes |
| Agro-processing | Milling, bagging, sealing, labelling, palletising | Wrong or missing bag labels and codes, open or creased seals, visible foreign matter on the surface, short counts | Label & print OCR/OCV & date codes Presence & counting Carton & pallet |
| Building materials | Pressing, forming, cutting, glazing and finishing, grading, packing | Cracks, chips, surface and shade faults, dimensions out of limit, wrong grade | Surface defects Web & line-scan Dimensional measurement |
The five industries side by side
Site conditions decide how a station is built; the product decides how it is lit and presented. Find the row closest to your line, then check the industry page for detail.
| Industry | Typical site conditions | Common products | Checks that matter most | Lighting and presentation challenge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food & beverage | Washdown, condensation and foam; wet surfaces; daylight at doors; product temperature at the check | Drinks in PET, glass and cans; jars; cartons and pouches | Fill level, caps and tamper bands, the right label after a changeover, date codes, case counts | Glass reflects and cans hide the level; a shroud and the right backlight keep wet reflections and daylight out of the image |
| Plastics & packaging | Heat from moulding, static that pulls dust onto parts | Closures, preforms, thermoformed trays, moulded parts, printed film and packs | Short shots, flash, contamination, part size, print and decoration | Clear and translucent parts hide flash and thin walls; backlight or transmitted light shows what front light misses, and warm parts may still be shrinking |
| Metal components | Cutting fluid, oil mist and chips; vibration from presses and machines | Machined, stamped and assembled parts; fasteners; marked parts | Missing features, dimensions, scratches and dents, fasteners present, part codes readable | Polished faces reflect like a mirror; dome or low-angle light, plus a fixture that presents every part the same way |
| Agro-processing | Flour, sugar and feed dust; humidity, steam and cold rooms; washdown or dry cleaning; heat and cold in open sheds; vibration | Bags and sacks of flour, sugar and feed; pouches and cartons of dried goods | Bag label and code, a visibly complete seal or stitch line, foreign matter on the surface, bag counts | Bags arrive creased and at changing angles, and dust on a bag can look like a defect, so the check is proven on your samples |
| Building materials | Clay, cement and gypsum dust; radiant heat; vibration | Tiles, boards, blocks, roofing sheets and pipes | Cracks, chips, surface and shade faults, size, grade | Large or continuous products often need line-scan; shade grading needs steady, even light; flatness and warp need 3D |
Industries not listed here
The same checks apply to many other products that move along a line. Other industries are assessed project by project: describe the line and the fault, and the sample test shows whether a camera can see it.
What you can check about us
Statements you can verify on this site, not claims about results.
Johannesburg-based integrator
Stations designed, built and commissioned from Douglasdale Village, Johannesburg, for lines across South Africa.
Sample test before a quotation
Your good and faulty samples are imaged first; the quotation follows what the test shows.
Accepted against agreed figures
False rejects and escapes are agreed in writing and measured at FAT and SAT.
Limits stated on every page
Each application and line solution says what a camera will not do.
One tool chain
Stations are built on HIKROBOT cameras, code readers and VisionMaster software.
Named author, sources and dates
Technical pages name their author, list their sources and show the date of the last content update.
Industry questions
What industries use machine vision systems?
Is the inspection different in each industry?
Plan the complete inspection station
Factory conditions shape the inspection, while station design connects the camera check to your line. Our machine vision inspection systems in South Africa overview brings together applications, a delivered project, indicative budgets and the path from sample testing to commissioning.
Tell us what runs on your line
Describe the product, the production step and the fault you need to catch. We will say which checks apply and what a sample test would involve.