SUPPLEMENT FEATURE MACHINE VISION SYSTEMS
Five methods for successfully installing vision systems
Earl Yardley, director at Industrial Vision Systems, talks us through his top tips to ensure a successful machine vision system installation for industrial production processes
required. If in doubt, over specify the camera resolution, most machine vision systems can cut down the image size from the sensor anyway.
IVS manages the design, installation and commissioning of quality control vision systems for manufacturing companies
M
achine vision systems are playing an increasingly important role in
many industrial applications, whether it is verifying the build of sub-assemblies on production lines or examining surfaces for defects. However, according to Earl Yardley, Director at Industrial Vision Systems Ltd (IVS) a supplier of machine vision solutions to industry, there are a specific set of methods to follow for the successful installation of a machine vision system into industrial processes. “Such vision systems are typically used
for safe guarding against later product recalls from customers by inspecting at point of manufacture or end of line, combined with archiving high resolution photographs of every product leaving the factory for traceability,” comments Earl Yardley. “Whilst verifying parts on an assembly line is a common machine vision application, as lighting systems improve, machine vision systems are now being used in ever more sophisticated applications.” Improvements in computing power,
optics, connectivity, and software are allowing industrial vision systems to be deployed in a wider range of applications. Yardley takes this moment to explain the top five tips to ensure a successful machine vision system installation.
1. Lighting: Machine vision lighting is critical. Get a good image to start and you’re a step closer to installing a successful vision system. The selection of the machine vision lighting will be
S14 OCTOBER 2015 | MACHINE VISION SYSTEMS
dictated by the position of the component, mechanical constraints and finally the surface finish and texture of the part under inspection. You can choose different coloured lights to help differentiate the colour of the product under inspection and to help segmentation. In addition filters can be used (e.g. polarising, IR cut filters) in conjunction with the light to cut out ambient light and help achieve a quality image to start processing from.
2. Camera resolution, field of view and optics: You need enough resolution to see the defect or measure to an appropriate tolerance. Modern vision systems use sub-pixel interpolation but nothing is better than having whole pixels available for the measurement
3. Software and tools: Use the correct image processing for the inspection needed. Most vision solutions need some level of image pre-processing combined with segmentation prior to the classification of defects. In addition you need the ability to display good graphical data, save statistical information and image data for archiving results.
4. Integration: Probably the most important aspect. Without correct integration and set-up of the vision system at the beginning it will never work. If you have no experience of vision system installations use a third party engineering company who specialise in vision systems to do it for you, the payback will be worth it.
IVS systems are reputed to be some of the most innovative and advanced machine vision solutions on the market today
5. Planning and test: Project manage the machine vision installation so that samples can be tested, and tested again. The vision system will need hundreds, if not thousands of samples to run through so that the variation in product types can be seen and catered for. Installation will need to work around current production needs. Successful planning is key.
ABOUT IVS Launched in 2000, IVS manages the design, installation and commissioning of quality control vision systems for manufacturing companies. The company’s vision systems are used for inspection, guidance, identification, measurement, tracking and counting. Its systems are reputed to be some of the most advanced solutions on the market today.
Industrial Vision Systems (IVS) T: 01865 823322
www.industrialvision.co.uk
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