EPIC Systems stepped in to address this challenge by implementing an advanced vision inspection solution, designed with four critical stations to automate and streamline the process:
1. Component Verification and Seal Integrity: The first station was equipped to verify the presence and correctness of each component in the kit, ensuring that every kit contained the necessary elements. It also checked the integrity of the seal, ensuring that the latch was properly closed for both sanitary purposes and as a tamper detection measure. Maintaining seal integrity is crucial for patient safety, as it prevents contamination and ensures the product has not been tampered with. Additionally, this station’s rigorous verification of component presence and absence was critical to prevent assembly errors and guarantee that only correctly assembled kits moved forward.
2. Print and Apply: The second station automated the labeling process. It received the label data, printed the labels, and applied them accurately to the corresponding kits, ensuring that each kit was labeled correctly according to its specific configuration.
3. Optical Character Recognition (OCR): At the third station, the system performed OCR to verify the printed characters on the labels. This step was integral to meeting regulatory requirements for track and trace. It checked critical information such as expiration dates, manufacturing dates, and part numbers, ensuring that all details were correct and legible. Accurate tracking and tracing are mandated by regulations to ensure that products can be monitored throughout their lifecycle, from production to end-user. This precise verification provides accurate and reliable information to healthcare professionals and patients.
4. Rejection Handling: The final station was a rejector that identified and removed any kits with errors, whether due to incorrect components, improper sealing, or labeling inaccuracies. This ensured that only perfectly assembled and labeled kits proceeded to the next stage of production.
