Automated analysis of coloured ink particles in recycled pulp by machine vision

An experimental system based on machine vision has been developed for accur ate and reliable measurement of coloured ink particles in recycled pulp. Th e system is able to measure automatically the number, total area and size d istribution of cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink particles. The experimen ts conducted showed the system to produce results that were consistent with manual microscopy. The system consists of a microscope, colour video camer a, PC with frame grabber and image analysis software. While the current set -up is For laboratory use, the authors anticipate its use in online applica tions in the future.