Inline Versus Offline Inspection

Another approach, says Ivens, is to combine inline inspection and offline finishing in the following way. First, web inspection is performed via a 100 percent vision inspection system on the press where it assists the operator to quickly resolve problems that cause waste. The defects are logged into a digital file. The digital files are reviewed by a quality control department which determines if any noted defects are acceptable, and edits the file accordingly. The rolls of material are run through the offline finishing machine, which, by using the edited files of information, automatically stops where defects are noted for correction, and displays the corresponding defect images to the operator.