Menu
The food industry is subject to strict quality and consumer protection standards, the violation of which can have severe liability consequences for manufacturers. In this industry, there is usually intense price competition. Therefore, manufacturers deploy Machine Vision systems at every stage of the production process to ensure seamless, preferably fully automated quality control without compromising productivity.
Image processing applications in the food industry include sorting natural products such as fruits and vegetables, inspecting quality and visual characteristics, and identifying impurities, color variations, size differences, and defects.
Foreign object detection is a crucial aspect where Machine Vision is used to identify foreign bodies such as metal, glass, or plastic in food products. This helps to avoid contaminations and ensures food safety.
Another application area is labeling and packaging, where Machine Vision supports the monitoring of labels on food packaging to ensure all required information is correctly placed. This technology is also utilized to inspect packaging for accuracy and integrity, ensuring that the products comply with regulations.
Food traceability, a vital aspect for safety and quality, is also supported by Machine Vision. It monitors the entire lifecycle of a food product, from production to delivery, enabling swift traceability in case of recalls.
In dimensional control, especially in meat processing or the baking industry, Machine Vision can be used to monitor the exact dimensions of food products, ensuring they adhere to specific standards and regulations.
When selecting lenses for Machine Vision in the food industry, various criteria need to be considered:
Crucial for applications where either a wide FoV may be required to monitor multiple products simultaneously, or a narrow FoV is needed to monitor specific details, as in label inspection.
High-quality lenses with high resolution and color accuracy ensure precise inspections and accurate capture of visual features.
The aperture size regulates the amount of light reaching the image sensor and is crucial to optimizing image quality and ensuring accurate inspections. Like focal length, it does not need adjustments during ongoing operations due to controlled testing conditions.
Near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) lenses enhance the quality of inspection systems by detecting non-visible properties such as moisture content or foreign objects. NIR lenses analyze ingredients and enable non-invasive quality control, while SWIR lenses can detect defects and foreign objects through opaque surfaces, thereby increasing safety and product quality.
By carefully considering these criteria, cameras and lenses can be optimally tailored to the specific requirements of food inspection. The following lens series were specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of food production.
CCTV Camera Lenses
FA and Machine Vision Lens
Camera Module
Lenses for Automotive
Medical Devices
Optical Devices
Customised Products
Technology (Corporate)
Support/Contact
© Tamron Co. Ltd
