METHOD FOR INSPECTING MANUFACTURED ARTICLES

A method is disclosed for detecting the cycling of a manufacturing machine, such as a bottle manufacturing machine, without the need for a mechanical detection device. An imaging device, which may also be used to inspect products manufactured by the manufacturing machine, monitors a portion of the manufacturing machine in order to determine when the machine cycles. Also disclosed is a method for correlating a product being inspected to its point of origin, e.g., correlating a bottle to its mold cavity of origin in the case of a bottle manufacturing machine. The manufacturing machine cycle time is divided by the number of origin points, e.g., the number of bottle mold cavities in the case of a bottle manufacturing machine, to derive a product interval time. The arrival time of each product being inspected may then be divided by the product interval time in order to predict the point of origin from which the product originated.