INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS

Inspection and ID Solutions

for Pharmaceuticals and
Medical Devices
The Right Choice for Life Science
Now there’s a simpler, more cost effective way to comply with patient
safety and traceability requirements. Deploy Cognex® vision-based
inspection and identification (ID) solutions.
Unmatched Accuracy and Ease-of-Use
With easy-to-use, integrate and maintain products, Cognex
machine vision and ID systems provide the lowest cost of
ownership in the industry.
In the lab or in the manufacturing and distribution supply
chain, profitability depends on product quality, package and
label integrity, inventory visibility, and process automation.
Breakthrough Cognex technologies offer unparalleled
accuracy and repeatability to prevent defects,
improve quality, increase yield and boost
Pharmaceuticals
productivity. And, Cognex read and
verify solutions for mass serialization
help achieve compliance with Drug
Discovery
new product authentication and
traceability requirements.
Healthcare
Laboratory
Automation
Cognex offers the broadest range of
products that extend versatility for a wide Dietary
range of applications. Supplements
Global Leader, Local Expertise, Worldwide Reach
With globalization, outsourcing and international joint
ventures, more pharmaceutical and medical device companies
manufacture products at locations throughout the world.
Standardizing inspection and ID solutions across all
production lines reduces the total cost of ownership for
any enterprise, but it also requires a supplier that’s able to
deliver and support large scale deployments that require a
lot of cameras at multiple locations.
As the undisputed global leader in vision-based inspection
and identification systems, Cognex offers greater security
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The Most Complete Product Line
The complete line of Cognex products support every
inspection and ID need. Whether it’s using low cost
sensors to ensure package integrity, tracking serialized
product from manufacture to patient, or ensuring label
accuracy with barcode and text verification, Cognex offers
the products that add value every step of the way.
With four major product families ranging from low-cost
pass/fail sensors that are very high speed and
high precision, to very powerful, highly
customizable vision software, Cognex
has a product that is well suited to
Drug
Delivery
the application, environment, and
Devices level of user experience.
This broad range of products
means Cognex can better support
the healthcare industry with a
Medical consultative sales process to
Devices
address a wide range of inspection
and traceability applications efficiently
without force fitting a solution.
for manufacturers and equipment suppliers striving to comply
with rapidly approaching regulatory deadlines.
With more than half a million systems installed, inspecting
billions of products every day, Cognex has the capacity
and resources available to support even the largest
enterprise–wide inspection and barcode deployments
across multiple production lines. Every day leading life
science companies and the machine builders that serve
them rely on Cognex sales engineers and application
specialists located around the world to provide assistance
wherever and whenever needed.
Package Compliance and Traceability

From safety seal inspection, to text and barcode verification, Retrofit Existing Lines
manufacturers that put package compliance and traceability
With little room and smaller budgets, many drug and
at top of agenda achieve a significant competitive
device packagers striving to achieve package compliance
advantage. And only Cognex provides a full range of
opt for compact In-Sight® vision systems that can be bolted
inspection and ID solutions to address the varied
onto their existing lines instead of large, standalone
packaging requirements of the healthcare industry.
inspection machines that may require costly and
Implementing package inspection and traceability by time-consuming line reconfiguration.
uniquely coding each lot, batch or individual item to
identify time and location of production helps manufacturers Code Quality Verification
and packagers: In addition to breakthrough code reading, Cognex offers
• Comply with packaging requirements DataMan® products for every step of the traceability
process, including quality verification, and data validation.
• Combat counterfeiting
Easy-to-use and reliable DataMan products enable quality
• Improve patient safety control solutions for applications that require the highest
• Protect the brand read rates for 2D Data Matrix codes—critical to product
• Avoid fraud traceability. The fully integrated DataMan verifiers feature
compliance with industry standards, certified calibration
• Detect product diversion into
and reliable and consistent results.
unauthorized channels
• Identify and resolve quality problems
• Prevent defects
• Isolate the source and extent of
quality control problems
• Minimize production and distribution
of unsafe or poor-quality products
• Maintain customer satisfaction
• Reduce liability exposure
• Achieve more efficient and less
costly recalls
• Minimize supply chain costs
• Maximize profits

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Inspection and ID for Pharmaceuticals

Ensure Package Integrity
From blister pack inspection to cap and safety seal verification,
Cognex vision systems ensure that pharmaceutical
products are manufactured to the highest quality. Whether
you’re checking labels for accuracy or reading 1D and 2D
barcodes printed directly on curved, reflective or flexible
surfaces, In-Sight® vision systems provide a simple,
low-cost, smart camera-based approach that is easier to
integrate, use and maintain than traditional turn-key
inspections systems.
Optimize Production Efficiency
Expiring patents, low price generics, high R&D costs,
and thinning margins make improved process efficiency
and profitability through Overall Equipment Effectiveness
(OEE) improvements increasingly important to the
pharmaceutical industry.
Cognex vision and ID products help with three traditional
OEE drivers: material handling, product quality and
package integrity. Vision systems for sorting, product
orientation and tracking, as well as robotic guidance,
improve material handling efficiency and flexibility.
Particulate detection and inspection of tablets, capsules
and other items for flaws elevate product quality and yield.
And, verifying the presence of caps, safety seals, inserted or
attached leaflets and checking label position can ensure
package safety and integrity.
In addition to these OEE drivers, Cognex inspection and
ID solutions address emerging brand protection and
compliance drivers, and form a key part of the foundation
to support track and trace, random mass serialization and
traceability applications.

Application Examples

Detect presence of inserted Check for missing, incorrect, Check label position Read barcodes and text
or attached instruction or damaged capsules in on flat, curved or
leaflets on packaging blister packs shiny surfaces

Read 1D and 2D barcodes Read barcodes and verify text Read and verify 2D barcodes Verify presence of safety
and text on labels on flexible films and packages printed direct on a product or seals on bottles
container surface

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 Complete ID and Data Validation Solution

Healthcare product manufacturers preparing for the Ready for 21 CFR Part 11 Validation
coming global traceability standards know a successful
Track & Trace provides all of the technical controls needed
transition to mass serialization of product packaging
for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 validation, including secure user
involves more than simply reading a barcode on a label;
authentication and automatic audit trail generation with
all of the data on the label must be verified for accuracy.
electronic signatures.
In-Sight Track & Trace™ works with networked In-Sight
Multi-level permissions can be configured to limit a user
vision systems to create a complete identification and
group’s access to only the controls for which they are
data verification solution for serialized labels on
authorized. Plus, the compact, all-in-one In-Sight “smart
pharmaceutical and medical device packaging.
camera” systems are easier to maintain and validate for
In-Sight Track & Trace meets today’s needs and provides
Part 11 compliance than Windows® PC-based vision systems.
a solid foundation to support tomorrow’s traceability
requirements:
• Read barcodes, including Data Matrix, GS1-128,
GS1 DataBar and Pharmacode.
• Validate ID code content and format complies with
GS1 Healthcare data standard.
• Assess Data Matrix quality online to detect
print degradation.
• Verify code quality, text accuracy and readability.
• Detects label misalignment and skew.

Easy to Integrate, Easy to Use

A touch screen friendly user interface makes Track & Trace easy to
configure and operate. Developers can integrate the Track & Trace
interface into a PC-based HMI or custom application using the
included Cognex HMI Display Control for .NET. For a ready-to-
deploy solution, Track & Trace can also be controlled using the
Cognex VisionView® 700 Operator Interface panel or VisionView
PC software.

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 Inspection and ID Solutions for Medical Devices

Makers of hospital supplies and medical technology Automate Production

products know that quality inspection is critical to success.
Whether picking loose products off of a conveyor to feed a
High liability for defective product, inconsistent quality,
process or palletizing cases for distribution, using vision in
rapidly changing cost, increased global competition and
tandem with robotics eliminates costly precision part fixtures
new regulations all challenge the profitability of medical
and provides production flexibility by allowing manufacturers
device manufacturers.
to process various part types without tooling changeover.
So many best-in-class manufacturers rely on Cognex inspection
Another benefit of using vision guided robotics is that it
and ID solutions to optimize production, packaging and
eliminates the need to physically handle the products. This
supply chain efficiency because Cognex offers world-class
can improve product safety by minimizing the risk of
vision and ID performance to achieve tremendous cost
contamination due to human contact, or facilitate clean
savings in all of these areas.
room assembly or packaging operations.
Pending Unique Device Identification (UDI) Quality Control and Inspection
For the sake of patient safety, the ability to track and trace
In addition to locating parts for pick-and-place or guiding a
medical devices at a global level is paramount. Currently
robot to assemble components, vision systems can also
there is no single global regulation for uniquely identifying
inspect, measure, and read linear barcodes and Data Matrix
medical devices in the supply chain. This means recalling
codes as products are being handled or assembled.
devices is less efficient and more complex than it could be,
negatively impacting patient safety and confidence. By inspecting parts entering a process and ejecting
non-conforming product, vision systems can pre-qualify
Medical device manufacturers preparing for upcoming FDA
parts. Eliminating flawed product up front, prevents
Guidance for UDI must place the UDI in human readable
downstream product or package failures. Minimizing
and/or Auto ID formats on a device, its label (packaging) or
downtime, labor, waste and rejects increases OEE to
both. Cognex ID products quickly and reliably read and verify
improve overall line efficiency, achieve greater throughput,
1D and 2D barcodes printed by all methods to help these
and provide superior quality control.
companies make trade, distribution and usage more secure.

Medical Device Application Examples

• Read 2D codes marked
directly on parts, devices,
and surgical instruments
• Read barcodes and verify
text on flexible products
such as solution bags
• Label verification and
match package to product
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• Verify products in kit
packaging are in the correct
location and orientation
• Read 1D and 2D barcodes
and text on packages
• Detect errors on rolls
of labels
• Measure angiographs and
medical tubing as it exits
molding process
• Detect and classify surface
and texture defects on
paper, fabric, metals and
non-wovens
• Detect scratches or
particles on the surface
of medical patches
• Gauge angle, diameter,
and distance between
marker bands on catheters
or syringes
• Inspect needle point quality,
proper sleeve assembly, bevel
location and orientation
• Verify component orientation
and part alignment
during assembly
• Weld and adhesive inspection
 Cognex Vision + ID

Cognex offers the widest range of vision and ID products

available from a single source. Life science, pharmaceutical
and medical device companies and the machine builders
that serve them rely on Cognex inspection and ID
solutions for compliance and process control.

The Cognex Product Family

Vision Systems Vision Software Vision Sensors

Rugged systems provide an easy-to-use
interface for configuring applications in a fully
integrated package. In-Sight vision systems are
ideal for inspection, text verification, and track
and trace. A wide range of models, including
line scan and color systems, meet all price and
performance requirements.
A library of powerful vision tools allows complete
flexibility in choice of cameras, frame grabbers,
and other peripherals. VisionPro® software
combines the power and adaptability of
advanced programming with the simplicity of
a graphical programming environment.
Easy, affordable sensors replace photoelectric
sensors for more reliable inspection and part
detection. Checker® vision sensors succeed
where traditional sensors fail, and allow
multiple inspections with a single device. The
Checker 3G offers configuration with
no need for a PC.

Fixed-Mount Industrial ID Readers Handheld Industrial ID Readers Code Verifiers

DataMan readers offer the smallest size and
®
DataMan offers the widest range of industrial Handheld and fixed-mount DataMan verifiers
highest performance in direct part mark and handheld readers in the industry. Innovative are easy-to-use, reliable and enable accurate
high-speed code reading applications. Reading lighting, image acquisition, and code reading evaluation of code quality to ensure the
everything from simple barcodes the most capabilities provide the most reliable reading highest read rates through production and
challenging 2D codes, DataMan readers are of virtually any code on any surface. the supply chain.
equipped with autofocus and Ethernet
capability for ease of networking to
factory platforms.

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Best of Breed Vision and ID Solutions

Because of high cost, many manufacturers that have standardized on a single turnkey vendor in an effort to reduce integration
time are pausing to reassess best tools and practices. Many have found that relying on a single source supplier for all
packaging equipment and software needed provides limited or no choice in component selection and technology choice.
Success depends on not only selecting best of breed production equipment, but also choosing the right hardware for
marking, coding, labeling, and especially for inspection and traceability.
Because companies with integrated serialization solutions must offer a variety of products and services beyond vision
hardware and software, they generally have limited machine vision offerings.
In contrast, Cognex is strictly focused on vision and ID and offers the broadest range of products in a variety of form factors,
resolutions, and processing speeds. As a result, Cognex delivers the most accurate and reliable vision and ID tools for text
verification, label inspection, barcode reading, and other general vision applications. In addition, Cognex offers both smart
camera and PC-based vision system architectures for a price and performance-optimized solution at each application level.

Install on New Equipment Partner Systems Integrators and

For manufacturing equipment suppliers serving the life
science industry, Cognex vision and industrial ID products
make integration easy, reduce support costs, and deliver
reliable performance that ensures customer satisfaction.
Machine builders appreciate the intuitive user interfaces
that reduce engineering investment, and decrease training
requirements for their customers, as well as the rugged
construction, compact form factors, and flexibility to
accommodate specific customer requirements.
As healthcare product manufacturers adopt more vision and
ID to improve patient safety and traceability, process and
packaging machine builders and integrated line OEMs
increasingly install machine vision systems and ID readers
on production equipment to capture additional revenue.
Automation Solution Providers
Cognex has a global network of partner systems integrators
(PSIs) for custom vision applications and support over time.
PSIs offer turnkey integration services that combine industry
expertise in medical device, pharmaceutical, life science
and laboratory automation technologies that complement
Cognex products.
A worldwide distributor network of Cognex automation
solution providers (ASPs), offer the most affordable
do-it-yourself inspection and ID solutions.

Companies around the world rely on Cognex vision to optimize quality and drive down costs.
Corporate Headquarters One Vision Drive, Natick, MA 01760 USA Tel: +1 508.650.3000 Fax: +1 508.650.3344

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South America +1 972-365-3463 Sweden +46 21 14 55 88
Brazil +55 11 9648-6400 Switzerland +41 71 313 06 05
United Kingdom +44 1908 206 000 www.cognex.com

© Copyright 2010, Cognex Corporation. Cognex, Checker, DataMan, In-Sight, VisionView and VisionPro are registered trademarks
of, and Track & Trace is a trademark of, Cognex Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Printed in the U.S.A.. Lit. No. MK6249-0610