Code reading systems use industrial cameras to read every barcode, QR code, Data Matrix and printed date or lot code on the line, check it is correct and legible, and reject anything that is not. Every read is logged, so you can trace any unit back to its batch.
Code reading means decoding the barcode or 2D code on every product at line speed. Code verification goes further: it checks the code matches what should be printed for this batch and grades how well it is printed, so that retailers, distributors and customers can scan it too.
OCR (optical character recognition) reads printed text such as best-before dates, lot numbers and prices. OCV (optical character verification) checks that text against the expected value. Together they stop the most common and most expensive packaging error: the wrong date or lot on the pack.
A sensor or the camera itself detects each product as it passes on the conveyor.
A fixed-mount reader or camera captures the code or text, even at an angle, on curved surfaces or on shiny film.
The content is compared with the expected batch data, and print quality is graded so that declining print is caught early.
A failed read triggers a rejector, or stops the line after consecutive failures so the printer can be fixed.
Every read, grade and image is saved against batch, line and time for traceability and audits.
Compact readers with built-in lighting and decoding, ideal for high-speed barcode and 2D code reading on conveyors.
ISO/IEC 15416 and 15415 grade codes A to F on contrast, modulation, decodability and damage. Tracking the grade catches a failing printer before codes become unreadable.
Reads printed dates, lot numbers and prices, including dot-matrix inkjet and laser-marked text, and verifies them against the expected value.
Laser-etched or dot-peened codes on metal and plastic parts are read with lighting designed for low-contrast marks, and graded to ISO/IEC 29158.
Two example project scopes showing how the station, the checks and the outputs are defined. Every plant is different, so the final configuration is confirmed after a feasibility study on your own parts.
The situation: A snack producer prints dates on film and has had a recall scare after a changeover.
The situation: A pharmaceutical packer must prove every carton carries a readable, unique code.
Industrial cameras, lenses, line-scan cameras and code readers are available through our machine vision catalog, quoted with delivery to Sri Lanka. We select the hardware for your application during the feasibility study.
Browse the hardware catalogEvery product, surface and line behaves differently under a camera, so every project starts with evidence from your own material.
A site visit to understand your product, line speed, quality criteria and where the check should sit.
We image your good and defective samples and show what the system can reliably detect. This is the go or no-go.
One station on one line, running beside your inspectors until results match and your team trusts them.
More lines, integration with your PLC and systems, and local support from our Sri Lankan engineering team.
Vision inspection for labels, caps, fill levels, seals and cartons. Check the right label is present, straight and legible, caps are fitted, containers are filled and packs are sealed, on every unit at line speed.
Vision error-proofing (poka-yoke) for assembly lines: confirm every component is present, correct, oriented and seated, count parts, and keep an image record of each assembly for traceability.
Sort fabric rolls, cut panels and washed garments into buyer shade bands with CIELAB measurement and 555 codes.
Every machine vision application we design and build, in one place.
Reading only decodes the code. Verification also grades its print quality against ISO/IEC 15416 for linear barcodes or ISO/IEC 15415 for 2D codes, so you know a code will scan reliably for your customers, not just on your own line.
Yes. OCR can read dot-matrix inkjet, thermal transfer and laser-marked text, and OCV confirms the text is exactly what should be printed for the current batch.
Common linear codes such as EAN-13, UPC-A, Code 128 and GS1-128, 2D codes such as QR and Data Matrix including GS1 DataMatrix, and direct part marks laser-etched or dot-peened onto parts.
The failed unit is rejected automatically. If several fail in a row, the system can stop the line and alert the operator, because consecutive failures usually mean a printer problem or the wrong job loaded.
Yes. Readers mount after the printer on the existing conveyor, take the expected code from your production system or the printer, and drive a rejector on the same line.
Tell us what you need to check and share some good and faulty samples. We will show you what a camera can reliably see before you commit to anything.
Photographs show representative plants and equipment, not Cerox installations or client sites. Diagrams by Cerox Engineering. Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: Barcode and QR code on packaging by Donald Trung Quoc Don, CC BY-SA 4.0; Blister pack by Retired electrician, CC0.