Expiry date and print inspection on a wet-wipes line: every pack read at line speedOn a wet-wipes packaging line, an industrial camera reads and verifies the expiry date, lot and barcode print on every pack; packs with missing, faded or shifted print are rejected. The system runs on-premise on a closed network.2026-10-12
At a wet-wipes plant, the expiry date, lot number and barcode printed on every pack had to be legible and correct. Checks relied on operators pulling packs at intervals. Hype Vision installed an industrial camera and lighting at the packaging outfeed to inspect every pack's print at line speed.
On glossy, wrinkled packaging the expiry and lot print sometimes came out faded, incomplete, shifted or with the wrong date.
AI-powered OCR reads the lines in the print area and compares them with the shift's production order.
Expiry and lot print checked on every pack at line speed; Packs with defective print rejected automatically before shipping; Time-stamped image for every rejected pack
Problem
On glossy, wrinkled packaging the expiry and lot print sometimes came out faded, incomplete, shifted or with the wrong date. Sampling missed some of these packs, which could end up in shipments.
A wrong or unreadable expiry date means recall, complaint and regulatory risk.
Industrial camera and lighting
Foil packaging reflects light, so consistent reading with a standard camera wasn't possible. A global-shutter industrial camera and glare-suppressing diffuse lighting were placed at the outfeed, capturing the print area at the same scale and sharpness in every frame.
- Global shutter: no blur on fast-moving packs
- Diffuse light: foil glare suppressed
- Fixed optics: same reading area on every pack
- Triggered capture: one frame per pack
What we check
AI-powered OCR reads the lines in the print area and compares them with the shift's production order. The print itself is also assessed: missing characters, faded print, shifts or smears are detected.
- Is the expiry date correct and in the right format?
- Does the lot number match the production order?
- Is the barcode readable and correct?
- Is the print missing, faded, shifted or smeared?
- Reject signal and image record for defective packs
Closed network, on-premise
The system runs entirely inside the plant on a closed network with no internet connection. Images and records never leave the site; production order data comes from the local system and results are written to a local dashboard.
Results
Once live, print inspection moved from sampling to 100% inspection.
- Expiry and lot print checked on every pack at line speed
- Packs with defective print rejected automatically before shipping
- Time-stamped image for every rejected pack
- Less manual inspection for operators
- Digital evidence archive of print quality for audits
Related solutions
Frequently asked questions
Does it work with different products and packs?
Yes. The reading area and expected format are defined once per product; on changeover the operator selects the recipe.
Is an internet connection required?
No. In this project the system runs on a closed network, fully on-premise.
