|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
- IN THIS ISSUE of Vision & Sensors UPDATE:
- Reintroducing Machine Vision
- Machine Vision Evolves
- Vision Ensures Pen Quality |
|
|
 |
|
Sponsored By:
Super-Wide Beam LED/CCD Optical Micrometer Measures Large Diameter Targets
Keyence adds the new LS-7070 65mm super-wide beam LED/CCD Optical Micrometer to the LS-7000
Micrometer Series. Precision measurements can now be achieved on large diameter targets. Sampling rate is 2400 samples/sec. Repeatability is ±0.2um. The maintenance-free, continuous beam LS-7000 Series incorporates no moving/scanning parts, uses a high-intensity GaN green LED and telecentric (parallel) optics. The LS-7000 Series includes the LS-7030 30mm beam and the Super-Fine LS-7010 6mm beam models.
Download catalog
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product Spotlight:  |
|
|
Machine Vision Evolves
by Michelle Bangert
While cost has gone down, machine vision performance has gone up, so says Marcel Singleton, founder and director of business development, The Value Engineering Alliance (Cambridge, MA). "If it can be done by machine viion, it can be done faster and better," Singleton says. Vision has come a long way since 1984, when Singleton began working in Analog Devices' industrial automation division's machine vision product groups. A vision system went for $30,000 to $40,000, and typically companies made proprietary systems.
Learn more ... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec. 4-7, Introduction to Minitab, Basic Statistics, Quality Statistics, Factorial DOE, Phoenix. Minitab, (800) 448-3555, x236 www.minitab.com/training
Dec. 5-7, 2006 Designing Reliable & Rugged Electronics, Las Vegas. Equipment Reliability Institute, (805) 564-1260. www.equipment-reliability.com
/regist_form.htm
Dec. 6-9 PLC-5 Maintenance and Troubleshooting Course, St. Louis. Rockwell Automation, (877) 724-7864. www.rockwellautomation
.com/training
Dec 7-8, 2006 Product Safety & Liability Prevention Seminar, Milwaukee WI. Goodden Enterprises, (262) 594-5198. http://members.tripod.com
/~RLGoodden/seminar.html
Jan. 16-19, 2007 Six Sigma Upgrade to Black Belt, Southbury, CT. Juran Institute, (800) 338-7726. www.juran.com
Jan. 22-25, 2007 8th Annual Six Sigma Summit, Miami. Six Sigma IQ, (800) 882-8684. www.sixsigmasummit.
com/miami2007
April 23-26, 2007 Manufacturing & Measurement Conference & Workshop (MMCW), Clearwater, FL. Quality Magazine, (888) 530-6714.
www.qualitymag.com
/mmcw |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
 Reintroducing Machine Vision
by David Dechow
Over the years, machine vision has become an important tool for quality analysis. As a technology, it is well-suited for on-line improvement of the manufacturing process. Yet machine vision is not as ubiquitous on the plant floor as might be imagined. According to some market experts, operators barely have scratched the surface with respect to opportunities for machine vision inspection in the manufacturing process. Perhaps it is time to reintroduce machine vision to the quality professional, discuss where the technology is today and review how machine vision can be used successfully.
Machine vision is an automated technology in which images are captured and transferred to a computer-image acquisition-and then processed to perform an inspection task and report the results-image analysis. Although sometimes implemented off-line, it is most effective when used as an integral part of a manufacturing process to capture production errors. Machine vision inspection can enhance quality when used to evaluate manufacturing at various steps in a process, thereby providing immediate and targeted feedback that often includes information about how to improve the process.
Overall, machine vision technology is continually changing, growing and improving. Processing power has increased significantly in just the past few years, and higher resolution imagers are more readily available. At the same time, component costs continue in many cases to decline, making machine vision a cost-effective technology for the plant floor. According to the Automated Imaging Association, the machine vision industry will experience significant growth through 2010, with some industry sectors posting double-digit annual percentage increases in the number of units sold.
Learn more... |
|
|
|
 Vision Ensures Pen Quality
Although reliable, the machine occasionally creates defective pens as a result of improperly fed parts or tips that split during insertion. In the past, the company relied on operators to spot defects. But, because of high-production speeds, guaranteeing consistent product quality was difficult, if not impossible.
Faced with increased global competition and the high value of the New Zealand dollar, BIC realized it needed to solve this problem as part of an overall campaign to improve productivity and reduce its production costs. With this in mind, it installed a machine vision system that uses a pair of In-Sight 5100 vision sensors from Cognex Corp. (Natick, MA), one for tip inspection and one for end-plug inspection. The company also implemented special-purpose, LED-based lighting to increase imaging effectiveness and reliability.
"As a small plant we suffer from economies of scale compared to the larger plants offshore. We've looked at this technology before, but this time the price performance is at a level where we can justify the investment," says plant manufacturing manager Bernie Jamieson. "I've been impressed with what this equipment can do, how easy it's been to set up the inspections and how additional inspections can be added over time." Learn more... |
|
|
|
|
Look for these articles in the next issue of VISION & SENSORS
- Smart Cameras
- Lighting
- Machine Vision Integration |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
