High speed web printing inspection with multiple linear cameras

Abstract

Purpose: To detect the defects during the high speed process of web printing, such as smudges, doctor streaks, pin holes, character misprints, foreign matters, hazing, wrinkles, etc., which are the main infecting factors to the quality of printing presswork. Methods: A set of novel machine vision system is used to detect the defects. This system consists of distributed data processing with multiple linear cameras, effective anti-blooming illumination design and fast image processing algorithm with blob searching. Also, pattern matching adapted to paper tension and snake-moving are emphasized. Results: Experimental results verify the speed, reliability and accuracy of the proposed system, by which most of the main defects are inspected at real time under the speed of 300 m/min. Conclusions: High speed quality inspection of large-size web requires multiple linear cameras to construct distributed data processing system. Also material characters of the printings should also be stressed to design proper optical structure, so that tiny web defects can be inspected with variably angles of illumination.