Laser capsule marking system and method

A system for laser marking of individual consumable articles, the system comprising:

• two indexing wheels being substantially coaxial and having respective circumferential peripheries with a multiplicity of open pockets distributed thereabout, each said pocket being configured to releasably receive an individual consumable article for substantially stabilized transport of said article with the respective said pocket, said indexing wheels configured to be incrementally rotated in alternating indexing fashion for transporting discrete arrays of respective said pockets through at least a loading zone, a marking zone, an inspection zone, a reject zone, and an unloading zone, wherein each indexing wheel is paused between respective incremental rotations, said marking zone and inspection zone being collocated;
• a pair of stepper motors for providing said incremental rotations of said indexing wheels, said stepper motors being in communication with control electronics for controlling said incremental rotations;
• a feeding mechanism configured to feed one of said articles into each pocket transported through said loading zone;
• a laser marker device for marking said articles in respective pockets positioned within said marking zone while the respective said indexing wheel is paused;
• a first inspection system by which articles that have been marked within said marking zone may be inspected for proper marking and identified as either accepted or rejected, said first inspection system being configured to receive a marking zone image during each period in which both said indexing wheels are momentarily paused between respective incremental rotations, said marking zone image encompassing a respective said array positioned within said marking zone by each said indexing wheel, wherein said marking zone image is adapted to provide pocket presence data for the positioned array which has yet to be marked on one said indexing wheel, and marking inspection data for the positioned array which has been just marked on the other said indexing wheel;
• a rejection subsystem for removing each of said rejected articles from respective pockets within said reject zone;
• a reject verification sensor for verifying said removing of each of said rejected articles;
• and
• a collection device configured to receive articles from said unloading zone which have been marked by said laser marker device and identified as accepted.