A bakery relies on statistical manual inspection, basically sampling multiple loaves from the production line on a regular basis to detect process issues that affect the quality of the product shipped. These inspections would typically include:

  • Inspect the coverage of any toppings or coatings applied, such as grains or seeds
  • Measure the size of the loaf
  • Inspect the shape of the top of the loaf to detect when the center of the loaf “falls” or an excessive fissure forms during baking
  • Detect burn marks

With volume increasing and new types of bread being produced, statistical inspection lead to too many loaves escaping to the consumer that did not meet the established quality criteria.

 

VAIA’s inspection solution mounts over a section of dedicated conveyor and automatically inspects 100% of the loaves of bread after they exit the oven and are de-panned. An inspection “recipe” is created for each bread SKU so that all the appropriate inspection parameters and pass/fail threshold values are automatically loaded when that SKU is loaded.

 

Using the 3D Machine Vision inspection system, the client is able to monitor the quality of 100% of the bread loaves in real-time as they move through production on their way to cooling and packaging. By detecting defects as quickly as possible after baking, it is possible to make corrections to the topping distribution and baking processes quickly, rather than creating hundreds of defective loaves, some of which are bound to escape. In the end, the goal is to prevent sub-standard product from making it to the store shelf.

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Installed System, Rejecter Visible on Right Side

3D Machine Vision Inspection of Baked Bread

3D Machine Vision Inspection of Baked Bread

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3D Machine Vision Inspection of Baked Bread

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