A vision for low-cost inspection

Access Business Group, the manufacturing arm for Amway, upgrades cosmetics packaging with new low-cost vision sensors that confirm literature insertion and label presence.

The vision sensor's hand controller for set-up parameters is wired through the cartoner's main panel (above) with the view displ
The vision sensor's hand controller for set-up parameters is wired through the cartoner's main panel (above) with the view displ

Ada, MI-based Access Business Group, Inc., uses economical vision sensors to bring its cosmetics operations new levels of speed, accuracy and automation. Access and sister company Amway Corp. are subsidiaries of Alticor Inc. Effective Oct. 24, 2000, Access is the new name for the research and development, manufacturing and logistics operations for Amway products.

Access uses F30 binary vision sensors from Omron Electronics (Schaumburg, IL) to confirm the placement of literature into cartons on three lines. On another cartoner’s infeed, the F30 unit confirms label presence on lipstick and mascara tubes.

“Sensors are cheaper, smarter and more user-friendly than ever before,” explains Bob Farmer, senior cosmetics facility engineer.

The units conform to Farmer’s purchasing philosophy of “The Three T’s.” “They must require no time, no talent and no tools....they can’t be too complicated,” he sums up. Through a team approach, Farmer led the automation upgrades within the cosmetics operations.

Insertion confirmation

One key area where vision sensors have helped make Access’ automation upgrades viable was with cartoners, which were upgraded from manual literature insertion.

“In the past, we’ve used four or five workers to place the literature into cartons, but for drugs and cosmetics, we’ve gotten away from that as it’s crucial to place the literature and then confirm it with high accuracy,” says Farmer. “Those lines are now automated.”

Thus far, Access has installed the 510x492 pixel vision sensors on three German-made IWK (Fairfield, NJ) cartoners to check product literature as it is pushed into the carton.

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