20Engineered solution

Inspection & testing

Product inspection and testing is central to quality and safety: confirming a product works, checking foods or pharmaceuticals for foreign objects, and verifying weight, size or shape before packaging.

Discuss your process Explore inspection methods

Blue components illuminated on a backlit inspection conveyor — **In-line quality control**See, measure, verify and respond

21The right inspection conveyor

Quality checks without breaking the flow.

In-line inspection can be manual or automated. Conveyor modifications position each item for reliable measurement and can coordinate downstream removal of damaged, unsafe or out-of-specification product.

Quality: Catch malfunctioning or broken products before packaging adds more cost.
Safety: Identify metal and other foreign objects in sensitive products.
Conformance: Verify weight, size and shape against the required specification.
People: Automate repetitive handling and isolate questionable product safely.

22In-line inspection process

Three questions every line must answer.

Inspection systems establish whether the product works, is safe to use and meets its specification.

Does the product work?

Test functional attributes before packaging, then use manual or automated control to remove damaged or malfunctioning product.

Is the product safe?

For food and pharmaceutical lines, connect metal detection or other inspection equipment to automatic reject solutions.

Does it meet specification?

Measure weight, size and shape, integrating the conveyor with the wider quality-control system.

Sanitary conveyor integrated with a metal-detection unit

23Metal detection

Detect, isolate and reject questionable product.

Food-production lines must keep products free of metal and other contamination. A conveyor can feed an existing detector, align containers into one line and trigger an appropriate reject response.

Stop and alert

The line stops and an alarm prompts an employee to remove the questionable item.

Automatic retract

A retractable tail opens the path and drops the identified item into a reject bin.

Historical source case

Fresh-food packaging into an existing detector

A source case describes a sanitary plastic-chain line carrying product from mixers into adjacent 1-, 3- or 5-pound containers. After filling and capping, containers were diverted into one staggered line for metal detection. The selected conveyor fitted the customer's existing detector, avoiding a wait for a replacement detection system.

24Precision movement

Position heavy parts through assembly and testing.

Pinpoint positioning and controlled routing support robotic, assembly and inspection operations.

80 lbBattery cells in steel modules

The archived application used electrostatic-dissipative timing belts because conductive batteries travelled without pallets.

Laser weldA heavy-load precision conveyor feeds the battery into a laser welder.
Transfer 90°A lift stops at its middle position, rises and moves the battery onto a transverse conveyor.
Lift and rotateA pneumatic centre lift rotates to the desired orientation. The module supports 200 lb and includes lift/rotation sensor tracks and breakaway magnetic-coupled rotation plates.
Operator assemblyTwo pneumatic stop-and-lift stations use cushioned pallet stops with spring return.
Test and returnA second transfer sends the battery left or right to testing, then drops so the returned unit can pass over it.
ReleaseE-stop/release stations coordinate the modules; after the final stops, a crane moves the battery to the next phase.

20 batteries per hour

The source case reports this output while improving operator safety with protective belting for conductive material capable of producing electrostatic charge.

25Backlit vision inspection

Use contrast to make every edge measurable.

A compact backlit conveyor uses an LED panel beneath the belt to create contrast for visual inspection and a vision-system interface. Parts may stop directly over a lighted section or move continuously.

3/4-inch frame height in the archived 1100 platform specification
LED panel access without removing the belt
Different belt colours to contrast with the product
Suitable for medical, pharmaceutical, life-science and industrial work
The archived platform is stated as Clean Room Class 100 certified

Small translucent parts shown under contrasting backlight

Food pieces being aligned into a single lane on a conveyor

26Low-profile integration

Fit inspection into new or existing equipment.

Low-profile conveyors can tuck under or inside machinery for product handling, visual inspection and removal. Precision movement improves product control and positional accuracy.

For miniature conveyors, a pinch-drive design and low belt tension reduce belt stretching. A T-slot and T-bar provide flexible mounting for automation components and accessories.

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27Applications