Automatic Yogurt Container Orientation Detection and Laser Marking at Hellenic Dairies SA

The Customer

HELLENIC DAIRIES SA is one of the largest and fastest-growing dairy companies in Greece. As a third-generation family-owned business, it has a strong presence in the domestic market and exports its products to more than 50 countries worldwide.

Through continuous investments in technology, production infrastructure, and high-quality raw materials, the company remains committed to supporting Greek livestock farming and producing premium-quality products that meet the evolving demands of the global market.

The Need

In industrial dairy production, reliable and clearly readable product marking is a critical factor for traceability, regulatory compliance, and the overall appearance of the final product.

In this particular application, the main challenge was to achieve high-quality printing on yogurt containers that entered the production line without a predefined orientation. Although the containers arrived on the line without any mechanical positioning, the marking had to be applied consistently at a very specific location, ensuring stability, precision, and an excellent aesthetic result.

This requirement made conventional solutions difficult to implement, as the mechanical orientation of the containers would have increased line complexity, cost, maintenance requirements, and the likelihood of production downtime.

The Solution

THEODOROU GROUP designed and implemented a complete dynamic marking solution based on automatic container orientation detection using an industrial vision camera and precise marking using an industrial laser printer.

The solution includes:

An industrial camera for detecting the orientation of each container.
An industrial laser printer for high-resolution, consistently high-quality marking.
An Industrial Panel PC for camera image visualization and easy monitoring of the application by the operator.
An automation control panel with PLC, responsible for managing the application logic, adjusting the laser printer according to the orientation detected by the camera, and providing
line interlocking functionality whenever required.

Through this approach, the camera identifies the position of each individual container in real time, while the system dynamically adjusts the marking process so that printing is always applied at the correct location, without requiring product orientation before the printing stage.

The Benefits

The solution delivers significant operational and production advantages:

Elimination of the need for mechanical container orientation, reducing production line complexity.
Accurate marking at a specific location regardless of the product's initial orientation.
Excellent print quality through laser marking technology.
Consistent and clean marking results suitable for products with high aesthetic and traceability requirements.
No printing consumables required, as laser technology does not use inks, solvents, or ribbons.
Reduced maintenance requirements compared to other printing technologies.
Fewer production stoppages thanks to the high reliability of laser technology and the absence of consumables.
Improved line availability with reduced operator and maintenance intervention time.
Enhanced process control through visualization on the Industrial Panel PC and integration with the PLC.
Safe line interlocking capability in the event of incorrect detection or when inspection is required.

This application is a representative example of combining machine vision, laser marking, and industrial automation technologies to improve production reliability, marking quality, and overall manufacturing efficiency.