Tuesday 27 May 2014

In-Sight vision systems critical to successful handling and character reading of turned parts

Cognex Machine Vision System
The manufacturing of automobile disc brakes can be a physically demanding and challenging process that has sophisticated tracking requirements. Alber Gussbearbeitungs-GmbH, developed a fully automated disc brake finishing and testing process that assures the highest quality product and relieves employees of physically heavy work. Integrated machine vision gives the handling process eyesight with a modern vision system and reliably reads alphanumeric characters (Optical Character Recognition).
Car parts manufacturers today are no longer satisfied manufacturing first-rate precision components only.  Many manufactured components must be tracked in order to ensure complete reliability in the traceability process; to meet this challenge Alber acquired two In-Sight® smart vision systems from Cognex to read alphanumeric codes on rotating discs brakes.  Not only does this increase the safety of the process, but it also relieves employees of performing the strenuous task.

Hard times

Disc brakes for cars weigh between 12 and 20 kg (26.5 and 44 lbs). Before Alber implemented Cognex machine vision technology, employees had to repeatedly lift the heavy discs out of a stainless steel box and place them on different stations. Performing this heavy work posed health risks to people on the production line.  Today this is no longer an issue because the turning and milling process of downstream finishing and inspection work has been fully automated.
To automate this process, automation specialist CNC Automation Würfel GmbH, in collaboration with image processing experts from i-mation GmbH, taught a Yaskawa Motoman MH50-35 robot how to see.

A keen eye

An In-Sight vision system was installed directly on the gripper's head. With its automatic focus, quick image acquisition and built-in lighting, the fully-integrated smart camera recognizes the location of disc brakes delivered onto a conveyor belt. The camera aligns itself to the inside diameter then image data is transmitted to the robot control within fractions of a second, allowing high-performing magnets to quickly grip the discs.
After picking up the disc brake, the first step is reading the alphanumeric characters. To perform this step, the robot puts the disc brake on a rotary disc. A second In-Sight system reads the alphanumeric characters, helped by its integrated red LED lights to put the characters into focus. The high-speed 1K In-Sight line scan imager captures the pixelated embossed characters as the disc brake makes two rotations.
Reliable reading of different embossed characters was one of the most challenging tasks for the machine vision experts at i-mation, because the type of embossing can differ from one product lot to the next. i-mation overcame the challenge using a step-by-step teach-in procedure of all possible variants. This was made easier by the high-performance OCRMax™ image processing tool for OCR applications from Cognex and with user-friendly In-Sight Explorer software.

Exact positioning

After reading the alphanumeric characters, the finishing and inspection steps take place, including balancing and sound testing. Finally, the robot creates stacks of six discs each in a stainless steel box and then placed a wood cover on top.  The robot's In-Sight camera locates the exact position thanks to a simple black cross.

Secure future

For Alber the fully automated disc brake handling system and both machine vision systems by Cognex are the first of their kind and they are playing critical roles in automating the production line and relieving employees' stress.

Cognex  vision systems are unmatched in their ability to inspectidentify and guide parts. 
These self-contained, industrial grade vision systems combine a library of advanced vision tools with high-speed image acquisition and processing. Best of all, configuring and deploying an In-Sight vision system has never been easier.

To Know More :-
Contact us at:
Menzel Vision & Robotics Pvt Ltd
Address: 4, A-Wing, Bezzola Complex,
Sion Trombay Road, Chembur
400071 Mumbai, India
Tel:(+91) 22 67993158
Fax: (+91) 22 67993159
Mobile:+91 9323786005 / 9820143131
E-mail: info@mvrpl.com 


Tuesday 20 May 2014

Cognex VisionPro 3D Software India

Cognex VisionPro 3D Software

Vision-guided pick-and-place assembly and inspection applications

Cognex's 3D machine vision tool delivers accurate, real-time 

3D position information to improve vision performance in a wide range of applications where 2D tools alone are not enough. The 3D tool is available for VisionPro® and CVL® and works with any number of fixed or robot mounted cameras for complete application flexibility.  The tool is based on the leading PatMax® tool and other alignment technologies from Cognex, which is why it’s not just any 3D machine vision—it’s Cognex 3D! 

Cognex's 3D tool delivers accurate, real-time, three-dimensional position information to automate challenging assembly verification, logistics, and robot applications in automotive and precision manufacturing industries, including:
  • Racking/de-racking
  • De-palletizing
  • Kitting and assembly verification

The 3D tool uses multiple sets of two-dimensional features found by VisionPro and CVL’s robust library of tools, including PatMax, PatFlex™ and other geometric pattern matching tools. These tools tolerate non-uniform lighting and remain reliable even when patterns are partly covered, ensuring accurate part location under the most challenging settings and conditions.

Application performance is enhanced by high-precision Cognex calibration tools that adjust for optical distortion and camera position, and synchronize cameras with moving elements like robot grippers—key to the success of any 3D application.



Cognex  vision systems are unmatched in their ability to inspectidentify and guide parts.
These self-contained, industrial grade vision systems combine a library of advanced vision tools with high-speed image acquisition and processing. Best of all, configuring and deploying an In-Sight vision system has never been easier.
  • Simple-to-follow EasyBuilder® configuration software helps users of all experience levels to quickly setup their entire
    In-Sight application—no programming or spreadsheet knowledge required.

  • The Cognex Connect™ suite of communications capabilities ensures that In-Sight vision systems easily integrate with any factory network or automation control system.

  • The VisionView® operator display panel provides a "plug-and-go" solution, a PC software version as well as a VGA adapter for monitoring the runtime operation of any In-Sight vision system on the network.
Available in a wide range of models to meet any price and performance requirement, In-Sight vision systems set the standard for automated inspection and product quality assurance across a wide range of industries.    

Sunday 11 May 2014

Camera Options Increase for Machine Vision Applications

The combination of cheaper, larger sensors - thanks to maturing semiconductor manufacturing processes and an explosion of digital interfaces - is pushing machine vision camera suppliers to broaden their product offerings. But is having more options always a good thing?

According to Michael Cyros, Chief Commercial Officer of Allied Vision Technologies (AVT), a Stadtroda, Germany-based provider of high-performance digital cameras for image processing, diversification among machine vision cameras is both a benefit and challenge to the growing AVT’s Bonito 4 MP high-speed camera featuring CMOS sensor.machine vision market. With a growing, diverse customer base wanting more camera variations for their own needs, customers will be challenged to find the right camera, requiring suppliers to step up as consultants and offer more guidance than ever before.

More Pixels, But Bigger, Too?

The first of several trend drivers is the need for increased resolution, oftentimes combined with the need for increased sensitivity, Cyros notes. This is leading to higher-resolution sensors as well as larger optical formats, reaching beyond the needs of traditional C-mount optical formats.

Much of this push is coming from high-end applications - printed circuit board inspection, flat panel inspection, and so on - mainly so users can inspect more and more detail in these areas.

“What they have to inspect keeps getting smaller and smaller, which means more pixels, which means more camera link repeater per system,” says Mark Butler, Product Manager with Teledyne Dalsa, a Waterloo, Canada-based provider of digital imaging solutions, including cameras and frame grabbers. “It’s getting to the point where the number of cameras is getting unwieldy.” As a result, he notes, manufacturers have been trying to get more pixels into a camera.

The need for larger sensor arrays is pushing some camera makers toward pixel shrink. “In some cases, the objects users are looking at are so small, it’s to their benefit for us to shrink the pixel because that will help to lower their optics cost,” Butler says. “We’re always trying to manage that - how large the pixels should be relative to the cost of the optics and so forth.”

Rick Roszkowski, Senior Director of Marketing, Vision Systems Business Unit at Cognex Corp.'s West Allis, Wisconsin facility, specializes in Cognex Machine Vision System In-Sight smart cameras, including the DataMan AutoID image-based code readers. His customers want to be able to read barcodes across an entire carton or pallet at one time. This means cameras with higher resolutions.

“VGA is losing favor to 1.3- and 2-megapixel [MP] cameras, which puts more pressure on the storage if you’re keeping images, and processing capabilities as well,” Roszkowski explains. “Processing 120 barcodes at once can take 2.5 seconds, for example. So, in some cases, customers are saving the images and performing post-processing offline to determine whether a bad printhead is the cause of a defective barcode. The image-based reader runs faster than the JAI's SP-20000 is a 20-MP camera built around the CMOSIS CMV20000 full-frame imager, delivering 30 frames per second at full resolution while maintaining a 6.4-micron pixel size.case packer, so that’s not a problem. But for more detailed image analysis, sometimes it makes sense to run that offline.”

More Pixels, More Bandwidth, Please

“We’re redesigning some of our camera front ends to deliver both increased resolution without sacrificing frame rate and speed, such as our new SP-5000 5-MP camera that can go up to 209 frames per second today and will go to 250 frames per second very soon,” says Steve Kinney, Director of Technical Pre-Sales at JAI, Inc., a San Jose, California-based provider of digital CCD/CMOS camera technology.

The advent of CMOS sensors is allowing camera designers to cost-effectively adopt larger sensors that operate at higher frame rates. “The growing selection of high-resolution global shutter CMOS sensors is starting to displace traditional CCD sensors in certain applications,” says AVT’s Cyros. “The image quality of these new generations of CMOS sensors has made remarkable improvements in recent years, which is why we are finally seeing a big increase in demand for CMOS sensors for higher performance-type applications, instead of just the low-end application price points where CMOS traditionally fits.”

The most common way to offer more resolution while maintaining costs is to leverage improvements in semiconductor manufacturing and volumes to reduce cost or shrink the pixel size.

New high-speed, high-performance line-scan imaging cameras such as JAI’s SW-2000 2k line-scan camera with 20-micron pixels present another option. “That’s 400 square microns of active area compared with 50 for a 7-micron pixel,” Kinney explains. “And that means eight times the sensitivity improvement or throughput speed, or some combination thereof.”

The higher speed of new digital interface specifications is helping companies like JAI, Teledyne DALSA, and AVT to push camera designs into new territory, opening up new application areas. But it can make it more challenging for customers to choose the right combination.

“Since Camera Link , there have been a number of new standards available,” notes Cyros. “Rather than converging, each interface finds its way into certain application areas. Today, users are faced The high-resolution Prosilica GT4905 camera from AVT featuring 16 MP Truesense KAI-16050 CCD sensor.with a range of standards choices, including GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, and CoaXPress, in addition to Camera Link Repeater and others. This presents a challenge for a camera manufacturer that wants to address a wider range of the market.”

Cyros also points to the growing use of machine vision camera technology in non-industrial application markets to illustrate his point. “There are many newer applications such as specializations in medical, ITS (intelligent transportation systems), sports, and entertainment that require precise image capture in difficult lighting conditions, often in harsh environments, that are benefitting from the feature sets that are relied upon by the traditional machine vision market needs.

“In the end, this wide range of trends promises to keep things interesting for camera manufacturers as we all seek to find ways to differentiate ourselves from each other,” Cyros concludes. “This will likely lead to continued fragmentation in the camera market, making it difficult for camera manufacturers to achieve dominant positions. Combined with an increasingly lower barrier to entry for new camera suppliers, along with a growing range of interface standards and applications types, the camera user may be finding it increasingly difficult to make the right camera choice for their application needs, putting additional pressure on camera manufacturers to make sure their customers understand the unique performance of each model and guide the customer to the right selection.”

Contact us at:
Menzel Vision & Robotics Pvt Ltd
Address: 4, A-Wing, Bezzola Complex,
Sion Trombay Road, Chembur
400071 Mumbai, India
Tel:(+91) 22 67993158
Fax: (+91) 22 67993159
Mobile:+91 9323786005 / 9820143131

E-mail: info@mvrpl.com  

Monday 5 May 2014

North American Machine Vision Market Exceeds Growth Expectations in 2013

Ann Arbor, Michigan – Total sales of machine vision components and systems grew over nine percent in 2013, more than double the initially forecasted growth according to new statistics issued by AIA, the industry’s trade group.

Total machine vision sales include sales of machine vision systems and components. Last year’s surge in growth is largely due to an increase in sales of machine vision systems, which is comprised of application specific machine vision systems (ASMV) and smart cameras. Machine vision system grew 11% in 2013.

While sales of machine vision systems were up, sales of machine vision components remained flat in 2013. Standout component categories in 2013 were imaging boards, optics, and lighting, all of which posted growth over 2012.

“It is great to see the machine vision market in North America grow in 2013 after experiencing a contraction in 2012,” said AIA President Jeff Burnstein. “We hope to see continued growth in 2014 as the North American economy remains relatively strong.”

In addition to its sales tracking report, AIA currently offers its 2013 Machine Vision Camera Market Study, which is available at a discounted rate to AIA members. AIA also prepares studies on special topics, such as its upcoming market opportunity study on Life Sciences, which it makes available to all AIA members free of charge on Vision Online.

About AIA

Founded in 1984 to advance the understanding and use of imaging and vision technologies and to drive global expansion and growth through education and promotion, AIA now represents over 330 vision suppliers, system integrators, users, researchers, and consulting firms from 32 countries. AIA is best known for The Vision Show (April 15-17, 2014 in Boston); vision and imaging standards such as GigE Vision®, Camera Link Repeaters, Camera Link HS™ and USB3 Vision™; the Automate Show (March 23-26, 2015 in Chicago); the annual AIA Business Conference; the Certified Vision Professional program; AIA Certified System Integrator program; and Vision Online (www.visiononline.org), the world’s leading online resource for vision information. AIA is part of the Association for Advancing Automation. 

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)

The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision + Imaging, and Motion Control Association (MCA). RIA, AIA, and MCA combined represent 750 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward.

For more information, please visit our websites: http://www.mvrpl.com/

Contact us at:

Menzel Vision & Robotics Pvt Ltd
Address: 4, A-Wing, Bezzola Complex, 
Sion Trombay Road, Chembur
400071 Mumbai, India 
Tel:(+91) 22 67993158 
Fax: (+91) 22 67993159
Mobile:+91 9323786005 / 9820143131
E-mail: info@mvrpl.com


North American Machine Vision Market Exceeds Growth Expectations in 2013

Ann Arbor, Michigan – Total sales of machine vision components and systems grew over nine percent in 2013, more than double the initially forecasted growth according to new statistics issued by AIA, the industry’s trade group.

Total machine vision sales include sales of machine vision systems and components. Last year’s surge in growth is largely due to an increase in sales of machine vision systems, which is comprised of application specific machine vision systems (ASMV) and smart cameras. Machine vision system grew 11% in 2013.

While sales of machine vision systems were up, sales of machine vision components remained flat in 2013. Standout component categories in 2013 were imaging boards, optics, and lighting, all of which posted growth over 2012.

“It is great to see the machine vision market in North America grow in 2013 after experiencing a contraction in 2012,” said AIA President Jeff Burnstein. “We hope to see continued growth in 2014 as the North American economy remains relatively strong.”

In addition to its sales tracking report, AIA currently offers its 2013 Machine Vision Camera Market Study, which is available at a discounted rate to AIA members. AIA also prepares studies on special topics, such as its upcoming market opportunity study on Life Sciences, which it makes available to all AIA members free of charge on Vision Online.

About AIA

Founded in 1984 to advance the understanding and use of imaging and vision technologies and to drive global expansion and growth through education and promotion, AIA now represents over 330 vision suppliers, system integrators, users, researchers, and consulting firms from 32 countries. AIA is best known for The Vision Show (April 15-17, 2014 in Boston); vision and imaging standards such as GigE Vision®, Camera Link Repeaters, Camera Link HS™ and USB3 Vision™; the Automate Show (March 23-26, 2015 in Chicago); the annual AIA Business Conference; the Certified Vision Professional program; AIA Certified System Integrator program; and Vision Online (www.visiononline.org), the world’s leading online resource for vision information. AIA is part of the Association for Advancing Automation. 

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)

The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision + Imaging, and Motion Control Association (MCA). RIA, AIA, and MCA combined represent 750 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward.

For more information, please visit our websites: http://www.mvrpl.com/

Contact us at:

Menzel Vision & Robotics Pvt Ltd
Address: 4, A-Wing, Bezzola Complex, 
Sion Trombay Road, Chembur
400071 Mumbai, India 
Tel:(+91) 22 67993158 
Fax: (+91) 22 67993159
Mobile:+91 9323786005 / 9820143131
E-mail: info@mvrpl.com