Vision inspection systems are a versatile solution for many applications. Whether you are in robotics, pharmaceuticals or automotive manufacturing, these machines can help you locate parts to automate and streamline your production processes.
They eliminate the need for touch probes and are faster than CMMs. Read on to find out more about the benefits of vision measurement systems.
Accuracy
The most common type of vision measurement system consists of a high-resolution digital image sensor (such as CMOS or CCD), lens, and analytical software. This technology is used in a variety of inspection applications to help manufacturers achieve a range of benefits.
For example, vision systems are ideal for counting parts as they can perform this task more accurately than human operators – especially when dealing with small, fine-grain surfaces such as printed components or electronic devices. This helps to avoid costly mistakes that could result in product recalls and damage to a company’s reputation.
Moreover, vision systems are often used to identify printing anomalies such as missing or incorrect letters and color shades that can otherwise be difficult to detect by human eyes. This can save the manufacturer time and money by eliminating the need for manual inspections. Lastly, vision systems are also useful for 3D measurement when fitted with a Renishaw touch probe system.
Reliability
The accuracy and repeatability of a vision measurement system is measured by performing a Type I gage study. This involves a minimum of 30 inspections using a calibrated artifact to determine the accuracy (bias) of the vision system.
Compared to a coordinate measuring machine, a vision system offers higher accuracy and repeatability for inspecting smaller features because of its camera resolution and optics. In addition, a vision measurement system can make decisions at production rates that are instantly communicated to the machine control system.
For example, a vision inspection system can be used to detect misaligned components that would otherwise cause a machine to jam and potentially shut down an entire line. This prevents expensive downtime and helps ensure consistent results. A vision inspection system can also perform wear-pattern analysis on machine tooling, enabling the user to predict when it will need to be replaced. This reduces scrap rates and improves efficiency. This is why a vision inspection system is ideal for any manufacturing or industrial process.
Flexibility
One of the most important reasons why vision measurement systems are increasingly used in place of CMMs is their flexibility. In order for any inspection system to be useful, it needs to have the ability to translate pixel coordinates back into real world measurements of inches or millimeters or microns. Without this, the edges or lines measured would only be given as arbitrary pixel measurements, which would be of no use to quality engineers who need actual results they can act on.
Machine vision is the only noncontact inspection technology that can accomplish this, and it uses sophisticated image sensors based on CMOS or Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) technologies to convert light into a digital picture. This picture can then be analyzed by powerful analytical software to obtain measurement data. This flexibility allows manufacturers to use the technology in a variety of ways. For example, vision-based wear pattern analysis can be used to determine when a piece of tooling is starting to wear out and need replacing, which reduces production downtime.
Safety
Vision systems act as the eyes of industrial robots, detecting defects or features such as hairline scratches, stains and misaligned components. The system can then send these data points directly to the robot controller to dynamically adjust picking operations. This reduces product damage, which saves facilities the cost of repairs and replacement parts.
Vision measurement systems can inspect small, complex and intricate parts with high resolution and sensitivity. They are ideal for inspections that are difficult or impossible to perform with the human eye. This noncontact technology is used in a variety of manufacturing industries, including machined metals, PCBs, plastic moldings and pressed metal components.
Vision measurement systems can catch errors that human inspectors often miss, such as a pharmaceutical company’s recent recall of mislabeled containers that contained ingredients to which some consumers had allergies. The error was caught by a vision system before the containers entered the distribution chain, saving the company a large amount of money in fines and corrective production costs.
