The dietary supplement industry, which has heretofore been less than sensitive to labeling concerns, is coming under increased FDA scrutiny and developing a heightened awareness to consumer concerns regarding label and package issues. This should result in the increased use of machine vision in this market niche. Because of vision systems, packaging lines are becoming more flexible without sacrificing throughput. When simple sensors are used to verify line functions, changeover times inevitably increase and physical position changes are often required. This changeover could even include physical changes in camera optics with computer-controlled zoom lenses or servomotors.
Machine vision is fundamentally one of the most intelligent data collectors.
Interpreting and acting on the trends detected by machine vision systems can make filling and packaging lines far more productive while delivering optimized quality. Given all these market drivers there is no question that machine vision is being pulled into the pharmaceutical packaging line. Engineers should consider employing such systems to ensure product quality while expediting their operations.