“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they hope it can be done, then they see it can be done—then it is done and the whole world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.” - Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden.

Does this sound like your company? Without adapting to change, companies may struggle in today’s global economy, with the constant need to make better products with fewer resources and in less time.
Vision & Sensors aims to help readers with any “strange new thing,” whether it is purchasing vision equipment, implementing a vision system or simply learning how vision will work with your application.

The May edition provides information to help you integrate the vision system, choose a smart camera and learn why lighting may be the most important component in the system. For more vision information, visit our new vision web site, www.visionsensorsmag.com . It contains exclusive content that couldn’t fit into the print edition, including more lighting information and vision integration tips.

Remember, even if the technology seems intimidating, eventually it will seem strange that you hadn’t always done things this way. www.visionsensorsmag.com

When buying a video measurement system, match the technology to the application.

Video measurement provides noncontact dimensional measurements with speed, accuracy, and above all, flexibility. Whatever type of system is used, it must match the application. These systems help ensure product quality, so getting the best system is crucial.

But how can operators ensure video will work for them? Like any system, video measurement has to be applied correctly, says Mark Arenal, president of Kinemetric Engineering LLC (Laguna Hills, CA). Certain applications work well with video or vision, while others are better suited to a coordinate measuring machine-style application. In general, with features that are mainly microscopic, or with flat parts where operators cannot physically touch an edge, such as 2-D, it is best to use a vision system. Vision is strong in these areas, and yields faster throughput than tactile measuring systems. VIEW STORY

Multivariate process monitoring and control improve common manufacturing problems.

Too much information, too few insights—that is a typical problem facing manufacturers who manage highly automated and well-instrumented processes. Over the past decade, a number of data acquisition, storage and related technologies have become less expensive. As a result, their implementation to support and monitor complex discrete, batch or continuous process manufacturing is now common in virtually all industries. These technologies can provide a wealth of information describing a process. However, extracting useful insights from that information or leveraging that information to implement effective process monitoring and control systems often requires the application of lesser known multivariate data analysis and data mining techniques. VIEW STORY