Vision System for Manufacturing Industries

Vision systems are one of the primary tools to be considered by manufacturers looking to automate and enhance their production process. Machine vision systems can be regarded as advanced robots with eyes that identify, inspect and communicate critical information on eliminating costly errors, improve productivity and enhance customer satisfaction through delivery consistency of high quality products. Primarily used for online inspection, machine vision systems can do mundane, complex and repetitive tasks at a high speed with accuracy and consistency. Any deviations and errors in the manufacturing process are quickly detected and relayed to the proper personnel so that controlled modifications can be made to reduce waste or scraps in the manufacturing process and minimise costly downtime. Machine vision can also be applied for non-inspection tasks like guiding robots to pick parts, welding seams, dispensing liquids and placing components for assembly.

Machine vision systems come in different designs, sizes and shapes to suit any application, but possess the same core elements. Every vision system has one or more sensors that take images or capture pictures for analysis. It includes inspection software and processing elements that execute user-defined programs that defines the inspection. It is essential to know that there are significant differences between all vision systems available on the market for any given application. 

• Improvements in user-friendly interfaces
• The shift from analog to digital interfaces
• The need of machine vision in other applications
• The rise and popularity of smart cameras
• The gradual decline in machine vision prices
• Readily-connectible equipment
• Increasing measurement speed and throughput
• Significant return of investment for manufacturers

1. Inspection

2. Verification

3. Recognition

4. Location Analysis

5. Data Collection