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Automatic Pharmaceutical Inspection

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 1 January 1993

99

Abstract

This article reviews automatic inspection within the pharmaceutical industry and deals, in particular, with the application of machine vision to these tasks. Although taking some time to be established within this industry, caused, in part perhaps, by unrealistic expectations of the performance available, machine vision systems are now available in a robust and reliable format, ideally suited to the demanding and security‐conscious needs of this sector. Such systems are now addressing a wide variety of applications, often aimed at the packaging, labelling and coding of products where the ever‐more‐stringent requirements of the regulatory bodies provide a considerable impetus to the improvement cycle. Given that effective quality management should recognize that improvements in products and processes should be sought continually, however good they are, all aspects of packaging, labelling and coding should come under scrutiny when the demanding standards of product security are considered. It is perhaps easy to understand why, when the implications of the accidental misuse of a drug could be severe, both in human terms and in the cost of any remedial action necessary. Therefore, in order to assure product security, inspection at strategic points in the manufacturing process will normally be required. However, the drawbacks of human inspectors being used to carry out repetitive inspection are numerous (and probably well known!) but include the maximum concentration span and the unavoidable subjectivity involved.

Citation

Roerig, C.S. (1993), "Automatic Pharmaceutical Inspection", Assembly Automation, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 8-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb004379

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1993, MCB UP Limited

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