Line solution

Inspect visible defects in returnable glass bottles after washing

// Short answer

Returnable glass bottle inspection places camera checks after washing and before filling to examine accessible bottle mouths, bases and sidewalls for specified visible defects or residue. Views, lighting and bottle handling must be proven on the actual bottle population, including normal scuffing and wet surfaces. The station can isolate suspect bottles when defects are visible. It does not establish chemical cleanliness, microbiological safety or the absence of every hidden foreign object.

// At a glance

The station in three lines

Inspection point: After the operation that creates the visible feature; before it is hidden.
Release: PLC quality hold or confirmed rejection, defined for this line.
Validation: Your good, faulty and borderline production samples.

// Fit & limits

What this station will not do, and what it needs

What it will not do

Cleanliness Camera inspection does not validate cleaning chemicals, chemical residues or microbiology.
Complete EBI equivalence No claim is made to reproduce every check of a specialised empty-bottle inspection machine.
Invisible foreign material Occluded or insufficiently contrasted objects are outside the demonstrated scope.

What makes it work

Bottle population Supply new, worn, embossed and production-wet bottles for each family.
Defect map Identify each reject condition and the view where it can be seen.
Washer interface Provide layout, available space, wet conditions, speed/spacing and reject access.

// On South African lines

Inspect visible defects in returnable glass bottles after washing: where the check belongs

Returnable bottles vary with age, scuffing, embossing and residual water after the washer. A test on a new dry bottle does not represent that population. Start by defining the reject conditions: visible mouth damage, a base defect or an observable residue are different imaging tasks. Map each condition to a view with optical access. An integrated empty-bottle inspection machine may use several technologies; a proposed camera station must state exactly which subset it covers. Crate inspection checks the contents of a crate before bottle handling and cannot replace these individual-bottle views.

This is an engineering scope for sample assessment, not a report of a completed customer installation. The sources below support measurement, imaging or test-method principles; station performance must be established on your products.

What the line reports, and what the station checks

How faults are described on the line and what a station checks
What the line reports	What a station checks	Where it stops
A mouth is visibly chipped	Image the accessible rim with a defined presentation	A chip hidden on the far side needs another view or bottle movement.
Something remains at the base	Inspect the visible base region through suitable illumination	Embossing, coloured glass and residue may conceal or imitate an object.
Scuffed bottles create false rejects	Include worn acceptable bottles in the sample population	Do not reduce sensitivity without rechecking the unacceptable defects.
Wet bottles behave differently	Validate at the actual post-washer condition	A dry-bottle demonstration does not prove wet-line performance.

// The complete solution

Hardware, software and installation

[Schematic]Plan view, not to scale

Swipe sideways to see the whole drawing →

[1]: Trigger

[2]: Lighting

[3]: Image

[4]: Hold / reject

[5]: Confirm

Hardware

Hardware for this station
Component	HIKROBOT example	Role in this station
Views	HIKROBOT cameras positioned for mouth, base or sidewall tasks	Select views from the defect map rather than a promised universal bottle check.
Lighting	Transmitted and reflected lighting tested on the glass	Separate visible defects from embossing, wear and reflections.
Handling	Bottle guidance and accessible inspection windows	Maintain separation and avoid covering the view with guides.
Control	Trigger/encoder and confirmed reject	Carry the result to the correct bottle and stop or hold uncertainty.

Software and vision tools

Software and vision tools used in this station
Tool or software	What it does here
Bottle recipe	Bind bottle family, colour and permitted wear to the selected inspection.
Region checks	Inspect the specified mouth, base and wall regions in their own views.
Uncertain results	Treat obscured or missing views according to the agreed hold/reject rule.
Evidence	Record defect reason, view, bottle recipe and reject confirmation for process follow-up.

Installation and integration

Define the inspection contract

Agree the defect/feature list, acceptable variants, reference samples, failure response and excluded checks.

Establish optical access

Supply new, worn, embossed and production-wet bottles for each family. Identify each reject condition and the view where it can be seen.

Connect the quality decision

Provide layout, available space, wet conditions, speed/spacing and reject access. A result is valid only for its own part or pack cycle.

Control changes

Bind the program and inspection limits to the authorised product revision; record who changes them.

Commission on the real line

Repeat the challenge set under the agreed production conditions, then check cleaning, restart, bypass and rework handling.

// Budget and scope

What determines the station quotation

The optical test and integration survey define the scope before a rand budget is issued.

No numerical budget is assigned to this scope before optical feasibility and the handling/PLC requirements are defined. A shared camera model or similar product does not establish the cost of this complete station.

Quotation inputs for this station
Cost driver	What changes the scope	Information needed
Optical coverage	Which bottle regions and defects are in scope	Defect map and bottle families
Handling	Guidance, separation and access beneath/around the bottle	Washer-to-filler layout
Environment and rejection	Wet environment, cleaning and reject confirmation	Utilities, cleaning method and PLC signals

Compare the scope with the cost guide. The quotation states its price date, VAT treatment, installation, commissioning and exclusions.

// Related technology

Which technologies this scenario uses, and why

The technologies behind this station, how much each matters here, and where each is explained in depth.

Technologies used in this scenario and their relevance
Technology	Role	Why it matters in this scenario	Read more
Area scan cameras with a vision controller	Core	Supports the returnable glass bottle inspection task within the stated viewing and acceptance limits.	Camera and lens selection
Surface defect detection	Core	Supports the returnable glass bottle inspection task within the stated viewing and acceptance limits.	Surface defect detection
Lighting technique	Supporting	Supports the returnable glass bottle inspection task within the stated viewing and acceptance limits.	Machine vision lighting
PLC link and reject with confirmation	Supporting	Supports the returnable glass bottle inspection task within the stated viewing and acceptance limits.	PLC and reject integration

// Acceptance

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 →

Coverage by view

Challenge every stated defect in the required orientation; record blind spots.

Normal variation

Test wear, embossing, glass colour and water variation without treating all used bottles as defective.

Line isolation

Check close spacing, absent triggers, missing images and failed rejection before release to the filler.

Evidence and handover

Record the challenge set, outcomes, recipe revision, inspection conditions and unresolved limits. Agree false-reject and missed-defect targets before building; no universal performance figure is assumed.

// FAQ

Questions about this station

What samples are needed for this inspection?

Supply new, worn, embossed and production-wet bottles for each family. Identify each reject condition and the view where it can be seen. Include acceptable production variation and borderline failures, not only ideal parts.

Can the camera cover every defect?

Camera inspection does not validate cleaning chemicals, chemical residues or microbiology. No claim is made to reproduce every check of a specialised empty-bottle inspection machine. The agreed scope lists what is visible and what needs another method.

Can this be integrated into an existing line?

Assess optical access, available space, triggers, PLC signals and a safe physical hold or reject route first. The scope covers a new inspection station; it does not assume repair or takeover of an existing third-party vision system.

How is the station price established?

The sample study defines views and optics; the site survey defines handling, enclosure, PLC integration and validation. The quotation states the rand amount, price date, VAT treatment and exclusions. No transferable fixed price is implied.

Sources

HIKROBOT VisionMaster (Vendor tool scope, verified 25 September 2026 in the source ledger. Tool availability is not proof of performance on your products.)
NI: A practical guide to machine vision lighting (Lighting principles cited in the site lighting guide, checked 24 September 2026. Application depends on material and viewing geometry.)

Food & beverage →Empty container and preform checks →Crate contents inspection →Checks after filling and capping →Prepare inspection samples →From sample study to acceptance →All line solutions →

More line solutions in food and beverage:

Returnable crates →Multipacks →Can ends and dents →Juice box straws →Dairy cups →Bread bag closures →Meat tray labels →Wine labels →Sachets and pouches →Staple food bags →Egg cartons and trays →Bottled water (PET) →Food tray seal inspection →Food packaging version verification →Bakery product vision inspection →

// Next step

Send us your products and the fault you want caught

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.

Start an assessment

Use the country guidance to prepare the line data, interfaces and delivery scope for a project assessed from Johannesburg.

Vision industrielle au Cameroun

For Cameroon, scope returnable-bottle views, residual-water handling and the reject or rewash route. Country guidance in French.

Lecteurs code-barres au Cameroun

Lecture des bouteilles, packs et caisses sur les lignes de boissons ; guide en français.