How is manual visual inspection of amber glass and colored solution performed? Currently cannot see much wondering if there are more efficient methods. Currently using visual inspection booth with black and white background and lux up to 3700.
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Hello Arly and welcome.
For amber containers or colored solutions, increasing the light intensity like you did is a good and very common measure to improve visual inspection effectiveness, you can try even higher intensities if needed (e.g. 8,000 to 10,000 lux or higher, as suggested by USP).
However, if incresing the light is not enough to have an effective inspection, like when dealing with practically opaque containers, you can do a supplemental sampling testing, where you take a statistical sample and do a deterministic analysis of particles, like filtration, or transfer the solution to a clear container where you will do the visual inspection better. The method and sampling will have to be based on the associated risk.
USP <1790> includes good guidance on how to perform visual inspection of particles in difficult to inspect products like amber containers and colored solutions, where 100% inspection is not enough to ensure no visible particles are present in the product, and supplemental testing is required.
Just note that doing the addtional testing (supplemental testing) does not replace the mandatory 100% visual inspection; it is “supplemental” for that reason, to help reduce the residual risk from the 100% inspection.
This process should be validated. Let me know if you want me to elaborate more. Hope this helps!
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Thank you this was very helpful!
Hey @aflores,
Can you tell a bit on what are defects your trying to identify, as I have been in the machine vision industry for a long time. Might be able to provide a different approach.