CF Controls (Avonmouth, Bristol) has deve-loped a system for checking the colour and height of products including buns, biscuits, cakes, pizza bases and bread.

The system measures and records heights to an accuracy of 1mm, while software analyses the colour of each product and categorises the results into one of five groups, from too dark to too light. Colour is recorded by high-resolution 24-bit colour cameras and height is measured by lasers linked to a computer. The lasers mea-sure average height, with highest and lowest points. These criteria are compared to the pre-set parameters of the computer.

All product is scanned and non-conforming product is removed by a reject mechanism.

The package is controlled by a PC using Microsoft Windows. This enables production information to be gathered and exported to Microsoft Excel or Access in real-time over an ethernet network.

CF Controls says the system can be fitted after the prover or oven stage, and it is easy to set up for new products.