IE4000-IoT: even simpler and more technological

A system at the same time simple and complete to take care of issues like the calibration of a new label format in a few minutes or self-learning of the position of the labels and of the OCR font.

Is the label missing on the wine or liqueur bottle? Is it torn or crooked? Was a bottle sold abroad with a label in the wrong language? Are all the data required by standards always present and correctly printed?

These are just some of the questions to which wineries search for an answer to protect the quality of their Trademark and to avoid returns and market disputes. In a context where changing the type of label and frequent format changes on the bottling line are ever more customary, quick and easy label quality control is crucial to increase productivity and to reduce errors which lead to rejects or reprocessing costs.

We talk it over with Gabriele Saveri, Vision Software Manager at Antares Vision Group Beverage, who describes IE4000, the solution capable of meeting all of manufacturers’ label quality control requirements.

In-line quality control of the label is an essential control for wine and liqueur companies. What types of control are IE4000 capable of offering?

Modular and flexible IE4000 devices can perform the label quality controls. Starting from the basic system, which covers the main manufacturer requirements, and performs controls regarding label presence/absence, positioning and matching with the format under production, up until being able to integrate many other inspections, with simple upgrades: barcode reading, batch code presence and reading, data matrix, QR, presence of creases or tears on the label, filling level control, presence and integrity of the cap. Our experience in the wine and liqueur world have allowed us to have extensive knowledge of manufacturers requirements and therefore to make an extremely efficient machine as far as results are concerned and complete as to the number of inspections that can be added.

The calibration of a new label is a crucial stage to be able to perform the inspection. Can it easily be done by the line operator?

IE4000 is a system that can always be completely configured by the customer, without needing the intervention of our technicians. Many wineries today change the label format much more frequently than in the past, in some cases reaching batches with 3000 to 5000 bottles. The operator has to be able to easily set the basic controls in just a few minutes. For this reason, the latest innovations made on IE4000 address the need to reduce the time required to make a new format, thanks to the new label detection wizard based on machine learning and self-learning of the OCR font.

Speaking of OCR, code reading is a required control that not all in-line control manufacturing companies are able to perform easily. What solutions has Antares Vision Group Beverage come up with?

Our solution allows you to automatically learn the font which will then be inspected. The user only needs to select the inspection area and to type in the word they want to check. The software will handle the automatic adjustment of the parameters and creation of the font. This is an innovation compared to traditional systems based on default fonts, which could be different than those on the label.

Are you working on new developments in label quality control for the future?

Antares Vision Group Beverage strongly believes in the research and development of new inspection solutions. We’ve often developed new controls together with the manufacturer, starting right from their needs. We know that this is very important in this production stage in the wine and liqueur field because there are many variables that can lead to quality nonconformities and are added to the high number of products processed on the same line. This is why the developments underway, always aimed at the enhanced precision and completeness of the inspections, never lose sight of the simplicity of use, which is rather a fundamental component in our research. And so we will keep on working both to meet new needs and to make already existing inspection solutions easier to set.