Leading The Way, By Design.
Innovation is one of the major forces that drives our success. Our team of experts is not afraid to tackle engineering problems that others thought unsolvable. We invest heavily in R&D for laser machine and vision inspection patents and are committed to developing cutting-edge new products and to improving existing ones. Since being awarded our first patent in 1978, Ackley Machine Corporation has grown to hold over 40 patents, both inside and outside of the US. Contact us to see how we can put our years of experience and innovation to work for you.
Number of Patents*
50+
Years of Patented Innovation
40+
Foreign Country Patents*
30+
* Includes patents pending
Vision Inspection System
Ackley patented an approach to vision inspection in which pellet shaped products are conveyed in carrier bars and inspected using one or more cameras. Faulty products are conveyed to a removal unit where vacuum nozzles use suction to selectively eject defective products.
Laser Drilling, Marking and Vision Inspection Machine
Ackley patented a conveyer apparatus using carrier links to move pellet shaped objects along a path. The apparatus is designed to orient, inspect and process both sides of the product.
Carrier Bars
Ackley patented a carrier bar designed to convey pellet-shaped products along a path. The carrier bar contains pockets which are dimpled to position and hold products in the correct orientation.
Select Active US Patents
| Patent Number | Description | Priority Date |
| US D603885 S1 | Carrier bar | 4/3/2009 |
| US D656972 S1 | Carrier bar | 10/20/2009 |
| US D725163 S1 | Carrier bar | 4/18/2012 |
| US 8,373,081 B2 | Inspection system | 6/1/2010 |
| US 8,770,413 B2 | Inspection system | 6/1/2010 |
| US 9,101,962 B2 | Inspection system | 6/1/2010 |
| US 9,259,766 B2 | Inspection system | 6/1/2010 |
| US 9,757,772 B2 | Inspection system | 6/1/2010 |
| US 7,102,741 B2 | Printing/inspection unit | 11/13/2002 |
| US 7,995,083 B2 | Method and apparatus for processing and/or inspecting pellet-shaped articles | 12/14/2006 |
| US 8,102,520 B2 | Methods and systems for inspection and/or identification of pellet-shaped articles | 6/14/2004 |
| US 8,593,494 B2 | Method and apparatus for processing and/or inspecting pellet-shaped articles | 12/14/2006 |
| US 9,096,390 B2 | Apparatus and method for inspecting and processing pellet-shaped articles | 9/20/2013 |
| US 9,734,360 B2 | Apparatus and method for applying bar codes to pellet-shaped articles | 11/13/2003 |
| US 8,381,896 B2 | Ejection system | 4/13/2009 |
| US 8,037,992 B2 | Method and apparatus for transporting and processing on-edge tablets | 8/22/2006 |
| US 8,141,697 B2 | Method and apparatus for transporting caplets | 4/3/2009 |
| US 8,220,619 B2 | Method and apparatus for transporting pellet-shaped articles | 10/20/2009 |
| US 8,944,242 B2 | Method and apparatus for transporting pellet-shaped articles | 4/18/2012 |
| US 9,004,272 B2 | Method and apparatus for transporting and processing a plurality of articles | 12/7/2005 |
| US 7,456,946 B2 | Laser system for pellet-shaped articles | 11/13/2002 |
| US 7,701,568 B2 | Laser system for pellet-shaped articles | 11/13/2002 |
| US 8,072,590 B2 | Laser system for pellet-shaped articles | 11/13/2002 |
| US 8,269,958 B2 | Laser system for pellet-shaped articles | 11/13/2002 |
Select Active Foreign Patents
| Patent Number | Description | Priority Date |
| CA 135060 S | Carrier bar | 10/20/2009 |
| CA 2672587 C | Method and apparatus for processing and/or inspecting pellet-shaped articles | 12/14/2006 |
| CN 103210296 B | Inspection System | 6/1/2010 |
| EP 2738119 B1 | Method and apparatus for transporting pellet-shaped articles | 12/3/2012 |
| ES 2612555 T3 | Method and apparatus for conveying articles in tablet form | 12/3/2012 |
| JP 5676103 B2 | Conveying and processing method and apparatus for on-edge tablets | 8/22/2006 |
