Design and development of the bench top 2D Code Verification System

Our customer is an international company that operates in the field of R&D and manufacturing of world-class oncology drugs.  The company provides advanced third generation chemotherapeutic drugs, from development to manufacture, and runs small production batches of boxed vials which are assembled manually.   

An assembly operative must add a patient information leaflet (PIL) into each box along with a vial.  When batches of PILs are issued for a production job the printed 2D code is unreadable to the operator.

Due to the nature of the strict guidelines that any drug development and manufacturer needs to adhere to, it was vital that a system was put in place to ensure that the correct data matrix codes appeared on the PILs. 

Solution

More Control was approached to develop a robust and efficient code checking system.  The engineers at More Control designed, built and programmed the bench top 2D Code Verification System based around the Cognex Dataman fixed 2D code reader.

The production supervisor logs into the HMI and enters the 2D code string that is printed on the batch of PILs.  The log in function on the HMI ensures that only a production supervisor can enter a new code string.

An operator now presents the batch of PILs individually to the scanner, a green LED and an audible signal verifies that the code is correct.  If an incorrect code is detected, a red LED flashes to signify that the code is not correct and does not match the programmed 2D code string.

The 2D Code Verification System is simple to use, it has improved manufacturing quality and performance by eliminating defects and verifying assembly.

The 2D Code Verification System means fewer production errors, which equates to lower manufacturing costs.

Benefits

• Verification of code number and quality
• Increased throughput
• Reduced costs

The 2D Code Verification System can be used on any production line and not just for PILs. A range of scanners can be programmed to verify data matrix codes on virtually any material. Handheld versions are also available where required.

These systems can be used for almost all industry sectors.

2D Code Reading Application

As products become increasingly more safety critical, total product traceability is a paramount requirement of many manufacturing systems which produce these products. This includes ingredients in food, racing car part traceability or PCB"s in automotive applications and much more.

In many of these applications for accurate readings, this requires the precision use of 2D codes, to generate highly reliable pieces of information and a large amount of data in a small contained space.

As space on packaging is a premium on many products, this means that any code must be small, often resulting in the use of direct part marking or small labels being applied.

This then requires the use of high specification 2D Code Readers to ensure that the 2D codes can be read quickly and repeatedly so as not to slow down the manufacturing process.

This is why More Control design and sell a range of high specification 2D Code readers to match any product tracking requirement.

2D Code Reading Scanner Application

In response to the growing needs to accurately develop precision vision systems in recognizing and detecting barcodes, More Control have adapted an Omron ZFX to read even the most compact 2D barcodes.

An Omron ZFX Vision System was used along with a low angle ring light to achieve a good contrast of the product code on a white ceramic product.

The Omron ZFX could reliably read the code with the implementation of internal filtering and BGS setting.

The product code may also be checked with a V400 handheld scanner. This uses an inbulit lighting system to automatically select the best light level and direction.

This allowed our customer to accurately detect and recognize a range of 2D barcodes in different lighting on different background surfaces.

If you have a 2D Code reading application that you wish to have designed or developed, feel free to contact More Control on: 0345 00 00 400 with your required specifications.