TOMSK — Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have introduced a new non-destructive testing technology that will allow pharmaceutical plants to move away from manual inspection of packaging quality. The development utilizes thermal imaging and short-term heating to identify hidden defects on high-speed conveyor lines.
The research results, published in the scientific journal Infrared Physics & Technology, were reported on February 9, 2026, by the TPU press service, which presented the technology to the general public.
The Problem of “Invisible” Defects
Modern automated lines easily detect major damage to containers but often miss minor defects in labels or shrink film that affect product appearance and airtightness. Until now, such inspections often had to be performed manually. The solution is a methodology that combines two types of heating: convective (using a stream of warm air) and optical (using halogen lamps).
“Convective heating is optimal for detecting peeling labels and shrink film, as well as film displacement, thanks to the uniform heating of surfaces with different emissivity. An optical heating source, such as a halogen lamp, is better suited for checking the presence of information labels and identifying contaminants on the labels or the vial itself.”
— Arseniy Chulkov, Research Co-author, Lead Researcher at the Center for Industrial Tomography, TPU
How It Works
The technology simulates the gripping of a vial from the conveyor. The surface temperature of the container is briefly increased by only 10°C, after which the system takes a series of thermograms. The development is capable of detecting 11 types of defects, including cap misalignment, breach of the aluminum membrane seal, and vial deformation. The main advantage of the method is the full automation of the defect classification process.
“It has been established that certain types of packaging defects cause characteristic temperature anomalies. Specially developed software records and analyzes the data, recognizes anomalies, and classifies them by defect type. Based on the inspection results, objects are sorted as ‘defective’ or ‘non-defective,’ after which they can be automatically directed to the appropriate container.”
— Arseniy Chulkov, Lead Researcher at the Center for Industrial Tomography, TPU
Speed and Prospects
Laboratory tests were conducted on products from Artlife LLC (dark glass and plastic vials). The sensitivity of the instruments proved to be so high that they find defects that are difficult to notice with the human eye or by touch.
Implementing the technology in production promises to multiply the speed of quality control. According to the scientists, the inspection time for a single vial can be reduced to 0.3 seconds with simultaneous scanning of four objects. The method can be scaled not only for pharmaceuticals but also for the food industry and household chemical production.
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