By Christopher Poling, Data Translation.
MACHINE VISION can be used in a wide variety of manufacturing operations for repetitive inspection tasks in which accuracy and reliability are important (e.g., verifying date codes on food packaging, inspecting automotive parts for proper assembly, and performing robotic guidance for pick and place operations). This White Paper (by Christopher Poling, senior machine vision applications engineer at Data Translation) suggests you consider selecting components for a machine-vision system based on future production requirements and changes. This can directly impact which features will be needed in the machine-vision software/hardware, as well as how easily the system can be altered to meet changing requirements and different tasks. Planning ahead will not only save time but will help reduce the overall cost of the system if it can be used for other inspection tasks in the future.