For high-speed glass bottle labeling, accurate bottle positioning is important when the label needs to be applied at a specific position.
There are two common ways to position the bottle: mechanical positioning and vision positioning.
The right solution depends mainly on the bottle design.
Mechanical Positioning with a Bottom Notch
Some glass bottles have a small positioning notch or recess at the bottom.
On a high-speed rotary labeling machine, this feature can be used by a mechanical positioning mechanism. A cam-driven structure rotates the bottle to the required position before the label is applied.
The process is generally:
Bottle feeding → Mechanical positioning → Bottle rotation → Label application
For bottles with a suitable bottom positioning feature, this is a simple and reliable solution for high-speed production.
What If the Bottle Has No Positioning Notch?
Some glass bottles, especially wine and spirits bottles, do not have a positioning notch at the bottom.
If the label still needs to be placed at a fixed position, the machine needs another way to determine the bottle's orientation.
This is where vision positioning can be used.
How Does Vision Positioning Work?
A camera captures the bottle and identifies a predefined visual feature, such as:
The vision system calculates the bottle's angular position and sends the information to the labeling machine. The bottle is then rotated to the correct position before labeling.
In simple terms:
Camera detection → Position calculation → Bottle rotation → Label application
This allows precise positioning without relying on a bottom notch.
Mechanical Positioning or Vision Positioning?
| Mechanical Positioning | Vision Positioning |
|---|
Reference | Bottom notch | Visual feature |
Camera | No | Yes |
Bottle without notch | Not suitable in many cases | Suitable |
High-speed labeling | Yes | Yes |
Flexibility | Depends on bottle design | More flexible for special bottles |
If the bottle already has a suitable positioning notch, mechanical positioning may be sufficient.
If the bottle has no positioning feature but requires accurate label orientation, vision positioning can be a practical alternative.
Feyvan's Experience with Glass Bottle Positioning
Feyvan has worked on rotary labeling projects for customers in the Russian alcohol and spirits industry.
Some of these customers use glass bottles without a positioning hole or recess at the bottom. Their bottles still require the labels to be applied at a specific position.
For these applications, we use vision positioning systems to identify the bottle's reference feature and control bottle rotation before labeling.
This allows customers to keep their existing bottle design without adding a positioning feature to the bottle bottom.
Do You Have a Similar Application?
If your glass bottle has no bottom positioning notch but requires accurate labeling at high speed, a vision positioning system may be an option.
To evaluate the application, you can send us:
Feyvan can evaluate the bottle and recommend a suitable mechanical or vision positioning solution for your rotary labeling machine.
