Label Inspection

Label Inspection Solutions for Label Manufacturers

We provide label inspection technology to the Label printing industry with extensive solutions for simultaneous print quality, integrity verification, bar-code grading, and production/piece level reporting. Our machine vision technologies and application engineering have years of proven performance in the field.

Food & Pack Labelling

Food and packaging labels are becoming more complex, with variable data, traceability devices and RFID security tags. Demands for increased throughput, improved process efficiency, and quality assurance are driving the dependency on inspection to reduce the risk of costly product returns, enhanced client satisfaction, and ultimately protect profitability. Our Discovery systems focus on print and label inspection requirements specifically for the food and packaging environment. Return on investment can be quickly achieved through reduced inspection costs, improved efficiency, waste reduction, and reduced risk.

Pharma, Shipping & Security Labels

Discovery’s standard verification, quality control and reporting tools can easily be applied to pharmaceutical, shipping and security labels such as tax stamps and authentication/anti-counterfeit labels. Our solutions read critical data even from challenging surfaces, and UV/IR printed codes and validates them for accuracy, integrity (missing/duplication detection) and compliance to industry-standard protocols. Our Discovery suite can easily communicate with an MIS system associated with a pharmaceutical track & trace or lifecycle tracking system within a converting or packaging facility.

Solution capabilities

Lake Image Systems is a leader in delivering cost-effective print quality and integrity management solutions to the labeling industry, providing:

• Variable data integrity, including weight, batch/lot code, sell-by dates, correct label flash/promotional label inspection
• Missing/duplicate detection
• ANSI/ISO Bar-code grading & quality
• Pin number & Scratch off verification
• Handles highly reflective surfaces & UV/IR printed codes
• ePedigree tracking/Pharmaceutical Vision Systems
• Sequence/batching/sorting verification
• Inline inkjet integration & print verification
• Database matching
• Base stock verification
• Track & Trace reporting
• Integrity & Audit reporting

 DISCOVERY MULTISCAN Label Integrity Manager (LIM)

When an error is detected, DISCOVERY MULTISCAN Label Roll Mapping tool logs the nature of the error, its location (distance from a start marker), and the option to link to an image of the defective label in a Roll Mapping file. For multi-lane label production, DISCOVERY MULTISCAN Label Integrity Manager (LIM) tracks and collates information on each label in all lanes independently. Using the header information printed at the start of each label lane, LIM knows precisely the number of labels to expect in each lane as well as the start, end, and the increment of the printed variable information (in instances where the label sequence is across the web) to determine that the correct sequence is being maintained. For random or non-uniform increments, the variable information captured can be matched against a lookup file or database to detect missing or out-of-sequence labels.

After each lane on the web has been slit and rewound onto multiple reels, LIM drives a Zebra printer to produce a “closure” label, incorporating an identifying barcode, for each reel. LIM also provides this support for turret rewinders. At the inspection station, by scanning the closure barcode on each reel, the correct Roll Mapping file is automatically selected for subsequent inspection. This greatly simplifies and speeds up the inspection process, removes operator error, and provides the Label Printer and the client with a quality audit file for each label reel.

The Discovery systems are scalable, from inspection only, to full roll-up modules designed to fit within your existing label processing lines. Comprehensive maintenance and support contracts are available to ensure maximum system availability, long operational life, and future-proofing.