Case Study: Using Machine Vision for Accurate and Efficient Product Packaging

Written by: Roland Coonen, Motion Automation Intelligence

Over the years, the variety of household towel and toilet paper products has grown exponentially. There are now single- and multi-layer options, quilted versions and family-sized rolls, among others. As a result, paper converting and packaging machines must be versatile enough to transition quickly—and more importantly, accurately—from one product type or brand to another.

Challenges: Box formation and tape placement

In a household towel and toilet paper application, one of our customers recently faced two main issues in their packaging line. First, the customer needed an efficient way to verify that each box presented in the case packer was square and without damaged flaps or corners. Second, some boxes were either improperly taped or missing tape entirely. Down the supply chain, other customers reported that these boxes opened during transit or handling, causing product spills or other packaging damage.

Our machine vision solution: Motion Automation Intelligence expertise

The Motion Automation Intelligence (Motion Automation Intelligence) sales and engineering teams reviewed the application and engineered a cost-effective, accurate two-pronged solution to address both of our customers’ issues.

Box verification using an LMI Gocator

To ensure that boxes were correctly formed and undamaged, we implemented the LMI 2370 Gocator Laser Line Profiler. This innovative tool quickly scans and verifies whether a box meets our predetermined criteria for squareness and damage, helping to ensure a properly sealed box. It lets the customer define or update quality thresholds for acceptable boxes. The Profiler also captures detailed records to help monitor production rates and track quality issues over time.

Tape detection with Banner sensors

To detect missing or misapplied tape, we used the Banner Q3X Series Laser Contrast Sensor. As boxes enter the sensor’s field of view, it _quickly checks for correct tape placement. This high-speed sensor can process up to 2,000 events per second and accurately detect the presence and placement across all box sizes. The sensor’s compactness and low cost made it an ideal fit for this application.