Acquire Automation’s (acquireautomation.com) new Q Series CapQ vision inspection system features 360-degree inspection of capped beverage and consumer good containers. The system inspects for cap height, cap skew and raised or missing cap, and integrity of the tamper-evident band. It also confirms that the correct color cap is on the packaged product while simultaneously inspecting for fill level. The CapQ system has a stainless steel Nema 4X/IP65 enclosure. The inspection unit fits over an existing conveyor and, along with its height adjustability feature, ensures easy integration into existing production lines.

Machine vision of caps and bottle fill levels prevents defective and potentially brand-damaging products from reaching the public. Inspection of 100 percent of products also detects errors early, allowing quick correction, minimizing quantities of product that are rejected. 

The key differentiator for the CapQ system is its integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the cap inspection process. AI enables the CapQ system to ignore water droplets and plastic fragment shedding that can skew measurement results, leading to false rejects. The software advancement and easy-to-use operator touchscreen interface make the CapQ a good choice.

The system produces reports and audit data that support accurate ongoing and year-end production records and inventories, and provide useful data for the user’s Continuous Improvement program.

Various options for the CapQ system include a height-adjustable main system enclosure, automatic camera and light adjustments as target packages change over and a high-speed reject system. And a moisture detection feature, detection of plastic residue around the bottle neck and foam detection for carbonated products. Additional cameras can be included, such as two tamper-evident band cameras, and fill defects can be tracked to the individual upstream filler-capper for corrective action, preventing waste as low-fill bottles are discarded.