Paint tin inspection: lids, labels, batch codes
Paint tin inspection is a camera check after the lid press that confirms every tin or pail has its lid on and seated, carries the approved label for the product being filled, and has a readable batch code. addaScan builds it on a HIKROBOT vision sensor and code reader, or on three cameras and a code reader with a pusher reject for heavy containers. An indicative installed budget for a typical application is R 130 000 – R 790 000 excluding VAT.
The station in three lines
- Faults caught
- Missing or raised lids; missing, wrong or skewed labels; missing or unreadable batch codes; hazard label absent where one is required
- Configuration
- HIKROBOT vision sensor and code reader (low), or three cameras and a code reader on a VC3000 with a pusher reject (high)
- Line link
- PROFINET or EtherNet/IP from the vision sensor and code reader (where the chosen HIKROBOT device lists it); product and batch from the filler PLC
What this station will not do, and what it needs
What it will not do
- The paint inside: the camera sees the container, not the contents; wrong paint in a correctly labelled tin is not found.
- Seal and leaks: a lid with no visible step may still not be locked all round; leaks are not tested.
- Label content: whether a GHS label is needed and what it says is decided by your classification, not by the station.
- Code grading: reading the batch code is not an ISO/IEC verification grade.
What makes it work
- Samples: good and faulty tins and pails in each size, with every label you run.
- Product data: the filler or MES tells the station which product and batch are running.
- Spaced containers: tins upright and separated at the cameras, not bunched after the lid press.
- Somewhere for rejects: a reject table or lane that holds heavy containers safely.
Paint tins in South Africa, and why lids, labels and codes are checked
Paint is made and filled in volume in South Africa. SAPMA, the paint manufacturers’ trade association, says it regulates more than 90% of all paint manufactured in South Africa (SAPMA), and Nampak describes itself as the leading South African manufacturer of aerosols and metal containers, alongside food cans and ends (Nampak). Paint leaves the factory in metal tins and in plastic pails, filled, lidded and labelled on the same line.
On a paint can filling machine the faults that reach the customer are simple ones: a lid the lid press did not push down, so the tin leaks or skins over in the store; a label for a different colour or product after a changeover; a batch code that is missing or smudged, so a complaint cannot be traced to a batch. Where a paint is classified as a hazardous chemical agent, the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021 require the manufacturer or importer to ensure that it is correctly labelled (HCA Regulations, 2021): the GHS label. Not every paint is classified as hazardous, and the regulation sets the outcome, not the method. A camera is one way to check, on every container, that the label you approved for this product is the one applied.
The station does not decide what a label must say. Classification and label content are your regulatory team’s work; the station checks that the approved label is present, straight and the right one for the product on the filler.
What the filling line reports, and what paint tin inspection checks
| What the line reports | What a station checks | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| “Tins come off the lid press with the lid not down” | Lid present from above; in the high case a side view measures the lid edge against the rim, so a lid left proud shows as a step. | A lid that is down but not locked all round, with no visible step, is not found; nor is a leak. |
| “The white went out labelled as grey” | Label identity against the product on the filler: the label barcode read and compared with the recipe, or the label artwork matched to the approved one. | The paint inside is not seen; wrong paint filled into a correctly labelled tin is not found. |
| “Batch codes missing or smudged” | Batch code on lid or label present and readable: OCR of printed text, or the code reader for a barcode or 2D code; compared with the batch from the filler. | Readability on this camera is not an ISO/IEC grade; a code on the base is not seen from above or the side. |
| “Labels skewed or creased on the pails” | Label position and skew against the container outline from the side views. | Small creases and bubbles under a glossy label are confirmed on samples; one side view does not see the back of the container. |
| “Is the hazard label on every tin that needs one?” | Where the GHS label is a separate label, its presence and pattern on each container of a product flagged as hazardous in the recipe. | Whether a product needs a GHS label, and what it says, comes from your classification, not from the camera. |
Paint tin inspection station: hardware, software and installation
The station sits on the conveyor after the lid press and before the palletiser. Each container passes a trigger, a camera above the lid, side cameras on the label and a code reader for the batch code. Failed tins and pails are pushed onto a reject table, and a sensor confirms each one left the line.
Swipe sideways to see the whole drawing →
Hardware
| Component | HIKROBOT example | Role in this station |
|---|---|---|
| Lid and label (low) | HIKROBOT SC3000-series colour vision sensor (MV-SC3016C) with a HIKROBOT ring light (MV-LRDS-H-160) | Lid present and label present from one view; OCR where the batch code is printed as text |
| Batch code (low) | HIKROBOT ID2000 code reader (MV-ID2016M) | Reads the batch or product barcode |
| Cameras (high) | 3 × HIKROBOT CS-series 5 MP mono GigE cameras (MV-CS050-10GM) with 25 mm 10 MP lenses: one above the lid, two on the label sides | Lid edge from the side, label identity and position on two sides |
| Batch code (high) | HIKROBOT ID5000 code reader (MV-ID5060M) | Reads the batch code on lid or label over a larger field of view |
| Processing (high) | HIKROBOT VC3000 vision controller (MV-VC3302P) running HIKROBOT VisionMaster | Runs all views and compares label and code with the product on the filler |
| Lighting | HIKROBOT bar lights (MV-LLDS-H-600) on the label sides and over the lid; a flat dome light (MV-LBES-H) if a shiny lid still glares after the sample test | Even light on curved, glossy labels and on reflective tin lids |
| Trigger | HIKROBOT MV-PE photoelectric sensor (e.g. MV-PE5101) | Fires the cameras for each container |
| Reject | Not HIKROBOT: heavy-duty pusher with confirmation sensor and reject table (high case); the low case signals your existing reject | Takes failed tins and pails off the line |
Software and vision tools
| Tool or software | What it does here |
|---|---|
| SCMVS and IDMVS (low) | Existence and pattern tools on the vision sensor for lid and label; the code reader’s own software for the batch code. |
| HIKROBOT VisionMaster pattern and edge tools (high) | Match the label to the approved artwork, measure label skew and the lid edge against the rim. |
| VisionMaster OCR and OCV | Read a batch code printed as text and check it against the expected string from the filler. |
| Product and batch recipe | Approved label, expected codes, container size and hazard-label flag per product, selected by the filler PLC at changeover. |
| Result and image log | Reject reason per container and images of rejects, kept with the batch. |
Installation and integration
Mounting and enclosure
Cameras on a frame over the conveyor after the lid press, with covers against paint splash; brackets adjust for each tin and pail size. If the filling area is classified as a hazardous (explosive) area, the station goes outside it or into suitable enclosures, settled in the site survey.
Lighting and shrouding
Bar lights at a low angle on the label sides and a shroud around the station, so curved, glossy labels and shiny lids reflect the same light every shift.
Trigger and tracking
One trigger per container; the PLC tracks each tin from the cameras to the pusher, so the right one is removed even when containers bunch after the lid press.
PLC link
Product and batch number from the filler PLC; pass/fail and reason back. The vision sensor and the ID-series readers list PROFINET and EtherNet/IP; the VC3000 controller has opto-isolated digital I/O.
Reject and confirmation
Heavy-duty pusher onto a reject table with a sensor that confirms each container left; if the station is not ready or the table is full, the conveyor stops rather than passing tins unchecked.
Recipes and operator screen
Product recipes chosen by the filler at changeover, so the expected label and code always follow the paint being filled; the screen shows the last rejects and why.
What this station costs, excluding VAT
Indicative budget for a typical application of this kind. Every project involves custom requirements (your products, line speed, layout, PLC and acceptance criteria), so the final price differs from case to case. A firm price follows the sample test.
- Low
- R 130 000
- one view and a code reader
- High
- R 790 000
- four views with pusher reject
- Basis
- Typical application of this kind, indicative
- South African rand, excluding VAT
- Prices as at 2 October 2026
- Travel (Gauteng): outside Gauteng quoted separately
The low figure is one colour vision sensor for lid and label presence and a code reader for the batch code, with the result sent to an existing reject. The high figure is three cameras (lid and two label sides) and a code reader on a VisionMaster controller, with lid-edge measurement from the side and a heavy-duty pusher with confirmation for tins and pails. A flat dome light for glossy lids, if the sample test shows it is needed, is extra. Changes to your conveyor, hazardous-area measures, utilities and VAT are excluded.
Hardware is priced from public list prices converted at the ECB reference rate, plus freight, clearance and margin; engineering at R 900 – R 1 300 per hour. How these ranges are built →
Swipe the table sideways to see the high figure and the basis →
| Cost block | Low | High | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vision hardware (landed, with margin) | R 64 600 | R 248 000 | Low: one colour vision sensor with ring light and an ID2000 code reader. High: three 5 MP cameras with lenses and bar lights, ID5000 code reader, VC3000 controller |
| Software licence | R 0 | R 40 100 | Low: vision sensor and code reader software carries no licence fee. High: HIKROBOT VisionMaster standard licence |
| Local materials and reject | R 15 000 | R 130 000 | Low: brackets and cabling; the result goes to your existing reject. High: mounts, heavy-duty pusher with confirmation and reject table, panel |
| Engineering (recipes, PLC link) | R 28 800 | R 195 000 | 32 h at R 900 to 150 h at R 1 300 |
| Installation, FAT, SAT, training, documents | R 14 400 | R 93 600 | 16 h to 72 h |
| Project management | R 7 200 | R 39 000 | 8 h to 30 h |
| Travel (Gauteng) | R 2 000 | R 6 000 | Outside Gauteng quoted separately |
| Total (rounded) | R 130 000 | R 790 000 | Low: one view and a code reader. High: four views with pusher reject |
Which technologies this scenario uses, and why
The technologies behind this station, how much each matters here, and where each is explained in depth.
| Technology | Role | Why it matters in this scenario | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vision sensor (HIKROBOT SC1000–SC3000) | Core | One colour vision sensor covers lid and label presence on a small budget. | Choosing a smart camera |
| Fixed code reader (HIKROBOT ID series) | Core | The batch code on lid or label is read by an ID-series reader and compared with the filler’s batch number. | Choosing a code reader |
| Label inspection | Core | A wrong or missing label after a colour changeover is the fault most likely to reach the customer. | Label inspection |
| Area scan cameras with a vision controller | Supporting | Three cameras on a VC3000 add the second label side and a side view of the lid edge. | Camera and lens selection |
| OCR/OCV of printed codes | Supporting | A batch code printed as text rather than a barcode is read by OCR and checked by OCV. | OCR/OCV inspection |
| PLC link and reject with confirmation | Supporting | Full tins and pails are heavy: they need a pusher, a confirmation sensor and a safe reject table. | PLC and reject integration |
How the station is proven before handover
Every station is accepted on your products, against numbers agreed in writing before the build. How we deliver →
Sample test
Tins and pails in each size, with good lids and lids left proud, every label you run, and good and smudged batch codes; the result states which faults are reliably found, including how far a lid must sit proud to be seen.
FAT with challenge containers
Before delivery, marked containers (lid missing, lid proud, wrong label, no batch code, unreadable batch code) must each be rejected, and good containers of each size must pass.
SAT on the line
After the lid press, at production rate, the challenge containers are run again, and false rejects and escapes are counted over an agreed run of production.
Questions about paint tin inspection
Can a camera check that the lid is pressed down on a paint tin?
Yes, when a lid that is not down sits visibly proud of the rim. A side camera measures the lid edge against the rim, and a lid left proud by the lid press shows as a step; a top camera confirms the lid is there. A lid that looks down but is not locked all round, with no visible step, is not found, and the station does not test for leaks. How proud a lid must sit to be found is measured in the sample test.
How does the station know the label is right for the paint being filled?
It compares the label with the product the filler is running. The code reader reads the label barcode, or the camera matches the label artwork, and the result is compared with the product number sent by the filler PLC or MES at changeover. The camera never sees the paint itself, so a correct label on the wrong paint is not found; that is controlled at the filler, by the recipe and the tinting system.
Does it check the GHS label on hazardous paints?
It checks that the hazard label you approved for that product is present and in place. Under the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021, a manufacturer or importer must ensure that a hazardous chemical agent is correctly labelled. Whether a paint is classified as hazardous, and what its label must say, is your classification work; the station confirms on every container that the approved label is the one applied.
How much does paint tin inspection cost in South Africa?
An indicative installed budget is R 130 000 – R 790 000 excluding VAT, at 2 October 2026 prices. The low figure is one colour vision sensor for lid and label and a code reader for the batch code, signalling your existing reject. The high figure is three cameras and a code reader on a VisionMaster controller, with a heavy-duty pusher and confirmation. Both include hardware, software, engineering, installation, FAT and SAT in Gauteng; a firm price follows a sample test. This is a typical application: every project involves custom requirements, so the final price depends on your products, line and acceptance criteria.
Will it work on plastic pails as well as metal paint cans?
Yes, with separate recipes. A pail has a different lid, often with tamper tabs, and a curved wall that may be printed instead of labelled; a metal paint can has a shiny lid that can glare under the light. Each container type and size you run is part of the sample test, and the camera brackets are adjustable for size changes so a changeover does not mean re-aligning by eye.
Can the batch code be read on the lid or on the base?
On the lid or the label, yes: the top camera or the code reader looks down, and the side cameras see the label. The base is not seen by a camera above or beside the conveyor; a code on the base needs a camera below the conveyor at a transfer gap, which is quoted separately. Printed text is read by OCR; a barcode or 2D code is read by the code reader.
Sources
- SAPMA (South African Paint Manufacturing Association) homepage: regulates more than 90% of paint manufactured in South Africa (association’s own statement) (association page, checked 2026-10-02)
- Nampak Diversified: leading manufacturer of food cans and ends, aerosols and metal containers in South Africa (company page, checked 2026-10-02)
- Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021 (OHS Act), reg 14B labelling: NIOH copy (regulation, checked 2026-10-02)
- HIKROBOT VisionMaster: deep-learning OCR and code reading (vendor page, checked 2026-10-02)
- HIKROBOT ID3000 smart code reader: symbologies, light options, IP67 with lens cap (vendor product page, checked 2026-10-02)
Send us a good tin, a bad one and your labels
Describe the line, the products and the fault. We test on your good and faulty samples and reply with a feasibility note and a budget.