Product category:
Vision and scanning systems
News Release from: Cognex UK | Subject: Checkpoint machine vision system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 April 2002
Vision systems ensure mascara brush
quality
A German designer and manufacturer of premium cosmetic brushes and applicators, has implemented machine vision technology for 100% inspection of its mascara brushes.
Geka Brush, a German designer and manufacturer of premium cosmetic brushes and applicators, has implemented machine vision technology for 100% inspection of its mascara brushes The goal was to ensure that no defective brushes were ever shipped to customers, since defects could lead to poor combing through eyelashes and a build up of unsightly blobs and clumps of mascara
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 28 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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To ensure each mascara brush was defect free, the company needed to perform a number of quality checks.
They had to measure the length of each brush, count the number of brush windings, check the overall shape of the brush, measure the thickness of the underlying wire, and determine that the brush had enough bristles.
Because the entire series of inspections had to be carried out in less than two seconds to keep pace with Geka's demanding throughput requirements, manual inspection was not feasible and therefore automation was required.
Further reading
Complex vision technology in an affordable unit
Cognex have introduced the In-Sight 2000, an entirely new type of industrial machine vision sensor at a cost usually associated with "smart cameras"
Vision systems retrofitted like CNC
Special purpose machine tools and assembly systems, with Cognex machine vision systems as an integral part, are being supplied to the automotive industry by Douglas Curtis Machine Tools
Vision system dedicated to electronic production
Cognex has introduced Display Inspect - a machine vision software and hardware package for inspecting displays, keypads, and enclosures on LCD and LED display-based products.
Geka chose to automate the inspection process using a Checkpoint machine vision system from Cognex.
In order to perform all the inspections reliably, each brush has to be presented to the vision system in three different perspectives, since certain defects, such as missing bristles, may only be visible on certain portions on the brush.
To enable this, Geka developed a custom-built brush handling system, which uses a rotating arm to first grip a brush by its wire, just under the bristles, and then rotate it at three, 120-degree increments for full brush coverage.
The vision system's camera remains mounted in a fixed position to one side of the brush as it is turned, and infrared backlighting illuminates the part from the other side, helping to create high image contrast between the brush and background.
Once a brush comes into the camera's field of view, an image of the brush is captured and transferred the Checkpoint system.
There, various image analysis software tools are used to compare the image to that of reference image of the system was previously trained on.
Because the company produces roughly 30 different styles of brushes, they generated a reference image for each individual brush type.
To achieve the perfect model for each brush, the company milled synethic brushes out of aluminum, and then captured and stored images of these "master brushes" into the vision system's memory.
During image analysis, the Checkpoint system uses gauging and inspection tools to carry out the sequence of quality checks.
If any defects are detected, brushes are instantly air-blown into a reject bin wihtout any stoppage of production.
Defect-free brushes are dropped into a different bin and proceed to final assembly and packaging.
In additional to performing the inspections reliably at high speeds, the Checkpoint system has helped Geka improve its process control.
It records pass/fail data for each brush inspected, including data about the types of specific defects found, providing valuable information about potential problems in the manufacturing process.
For example, if the volume of bristles was unacceptably large, this may alert operators that the trimming machine needs to be adjusted.
Geka currently has Checkpoint systems installed at 11 different stations throughout their plant, and each system inspects roughly 43,000 brushes per day.
The company claims that more than 99.8% of all defects are detected.
As a result of using vision, the company has been able to ensure that every mascara brush leaving their facility is entirely free of imperfections. Request a free brochure from Cognex UK ...
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