get with h Intercon 1 A Division of Nortech Systems
you want a camera that can communicate directly with the PLC in its own language which effectively removes a step from the integration. Doing this well can be quite a lot of work but it makes the integration much easier; you end up using standard protocols.’ Typically, Matrox aim to work with an
Camera Link and Mini Camera Link
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integrator or line-builder as opposed to an end user. Lopez explained that these line-builders integrate the company’s vision solutions into a production line. Because of this, a vision system must be able to work with a variety of different automation equipment, such as robots from different companies. Lopez said: ‘What we do is generalise the
interface so that our systems can be used with any of the major robot manufactures’ systems. Robots all have a controller; it’s our responsibility to make sure the robot understands what the system is saying from the vision side.’ But standardisation doesn’t mean the vision
systems are less specialised. ‘You need to pick the right robot for the job; but once you have done this the interface itself is quite straightforward,’ said Lopez. ‘It’s just making sure you have the right soſtware that can talk to any robot. We have made the discussion between the camera and the robot quite transparent.’ Matrox’s soſtware provides a drop-down list to allow the user to select a manufacturer. Tis calls up all of the required interfacing languages. Tis now frees the integrator to choose the
power improving; it is important and data can be handled quickly and more intelligently, but this is stabilising now and a lot of applications don’t need the fastest.’ He said that now it is important to meet the demands of the customer, advise them on which product to choose, and educate them on the limitations of each system. ‘We have already got vision systems that
are getting easier to use, and there has been a massive advance in user interfaces due to tablets, smart phones etcetera. What we will see in the next 10 years is even more intelligent configuration of the system. Tis will make it easier for people who are not experts to install and run a system, and this is where our efforts have to go. It’s trying to put knowledge into the system so it can understand its task and accommodate accordingly.’ Williamson pointed to the environment
There needs to be at least a basic knowledge of the limitations of cameras compared to the human eye
as one example of the things that can catch people out when automating a process. ‘You have skylights and windows in the factories, and when the environment changes the results can be inconsistent. Tere needs to be at least a basic knowledge of the limitations of cameras compared to the human eye, and aligning a system with the right filters or covers to make it work.’ Stemmer Imaging offers
courses to help potential customers of machine vision
best camera for a specific application. Lopez continued to say that once this is done ‘we then step in and solve the vision part of the applications. Very few applications are plug- and-play; there is always some customisation or tailoring. Tis is dependent on what type of automation the customer is aſter, the working environment, and the required performance. Tis is why the line builder is such an important part. Tey are the ones that know what interactions each part of the machine has with other parts of the machine.’ Stemmer Imaging’s Williamson pointed
out that, in the factory automation space, the fundamental drive is people wanting to save money and improve their processes, so camera selection is crucial. He said: ‘Within the cameras, higher-resolution sensors offer benefits to some applications but not to others. It is similar with the processing soſtware’s
understand the benefits and flaws of using a camera system. ‘When a system is installed without this expertise, it works but then it fails. Tey will then say the vision system is the problem but the components are only as good as their installation process.’ Cognex also offers training courses on
automating production for its customers. Tomas Nepstadt, senior field product marketing manager at Cognex, said: ‘Individuals have different ways of learning systems. Cognex offers webinars, e-schools, regular training, and onsite training to meet the individual requirements of our customers. Te challenge customers have today is to cope with all the new advances in industrial vision and map these to new machine concepts. ‘At the end of the day customers require
solutions; imaging is an aspect of this. What is more important though is an overall solution path. For this Cognex provides products that gives customers the best cost-for-performance solution.’ O
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