Product Identification Solutions
1D codes, 2D codes, QR codes, colour rings and more – many industries use all kinds of codes to mark their products, make them easily identifiable, and collect data. The codes have to be read and checked back with a reference. In case there is anything wrong with the code, for example if it is not readable, printed in the wrong position or the code itself is incorrect, an error message is created.
Codes for every eventuality
- Product codes can now be found everywhere; we come across them every day and, with technology advancing very quickly, they now serve many purposes in different sectors. QR codes, in particular, are becoming especially more common, and can be scanned to access information, from as simple as linking to a company website or proving purchase to allowing entry to a concert or sporting venue. End users now routinely rely on codes to confirm the authenticity of a product or a service, and this builds on the trust in a company and its brands. Reliable quality control and identification of codes by means of vision inspection is therefore crucial in any industry, especially in highly regulated industries like healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
Spot the difference
- Checking for the presence and completeness of a code is a key element of effective quality control. One- and two-dimensional codes – such as barcodes, pharmacodes and GS1 DataBars – are used in virtually all industry sectors to identify individual products and to record data. Typically, they are read and inspected using optical character recognition (OCR) and verification (OCV) methods, which compare the code with a reference in a database. If the code, its position, and its orientation on the packaging is not identical, the system reports an error and the operator is alerted.
Not just alphanumerics
- Differentiating between items is not limited to machine-readable data. For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, glass ampules are coded using colored rings, meeting GxP regulations to provide clear identification of products within the same tray. Visual inspection is used to check a range of criteria including the color, number, order, and width of the rings.
Secure your investment with ARGUS
- Laetus has been helping companies to identify and check printed codes for many decades by offering pioneering visual inspection tools that are cost effective and sustainable. We closely work with you –visiting on site if necessary – to pinpoint unique challenges and offer a solution tailored to meet your needs. ARGUS is one of our core technologies, offering a flexible, modular design – for both hardware and software – that can be adapted for countless applications. This sophisticated system detects codes with unbeatable precision and speed, checking for legibility and correctness, and guaranteeing continued high quality, which provides end-to-end traceability to boost brand trust in many markets.
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