Industrial
Cost-effective machine vision at the intelligent edge: SICK sensingCam SEC100 for Industry 4.0
By Rolf Horn, applications engineer at DigiKey M
achine vision is a key enabler of industrial automation. It allows robotic systems to monitor processes, inspect quality,
and document events with speed and accuracy. The SICK sensingCam SEC100 series offers a cost-effective solution for visual inspection and monitoring tasks, with two compact, IP65-rated models supporting a wide range of Industry 4.0 applications. The base model (1143217) provides high- resolution streaming and snapshot capture. The SEC110 variant (1144993) adds event- recording to store footage before and after a trigger, facilitating real-time fault analysis and diagnostics for unplanned stops. This article explores how the SEC100 series simplifies and accelerates the adoption of machine vision at the intelligent edge by balancing performance, flexibility, and affordability. It compares the two camera models, reviews integration and setup features, highlights practical use cases in industrial automation, and details how factories and warehouses can integrate vision systems efficiently and cost-effectively.
The role of machine vision in Industry 4.0 edge computing
Integrating digital systems such as sensors and cameras with physical infrastructure is fundamental to Industry 4.0. machine vision, which captures and interprets visual data in real time, plays a key role in many smart facilities, including factories and warehouses. It supports automated guidance systems, quality control, fault detection, and process monitoring.
The shift toward distributed edge systems places imaging, analysis, and inference closer to automated operations. Processing data at or near the source minimizes data movement, lowers latency, and reduces reliance on centralized or cloud-computing
24 February 2026
Figure 1: The SICK sensingCam SEC100 industrial camera features a compact, IP65-rated housing with a 5 MP CMOS sen- sor for high-resolution visual monitoring.
(Image source: SICK)
operators identify and resolve intermittent errors or unplanned production stops. Event triggers activated via REST API or digital input facilitate flexible integration with PLCs, sensors, and other automation infrastructure.
H.265, and Motion JPEG to optimize bandwidth and storage efficiency. It delivers effective
visual coverage for live
resources. As shown in Figure 1, compact devices like the SICK sensingCam SEC100 embed visual intelligence directly into machines, production lines, and mobile platforms at the edge. They can also operate as standalone monitoring solutions. This efficient, cost-effective approach facilitates faster response times, more resilient automation, and broader deployment of machine vision across Industry 4.0 applications.
Streaming vs. event recording The SICK sensingCam SEC100 series is available in two models. Each offers automation teams the flexibility to address specific inspection and monitoring requirements. Both cameras feature a high- resolution 5 MP CMOS sensor that provides detailed, reliable imaging in industrial facilities.
The SICK sensingCam SEC100 1143217 supports still-image capture and real-time streaming via RTSP or MJPEG, with video compression options including H.264,
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monitoring, process documentation, and blind spot observation in automated production systems. Users can store JPEG snapshots locally or upload them via FTP, ensuring reliable documentation without the complexity of full-scale vision analytics. The SEC110 (1144993) extends this functionality by adding event recording capabilities. It automatically stores video clips 40 seconds before or after a trigger event, saving the footage in MP4 format to provide a time- stamped, easily shareable record for post-event analysis. This feature captures essential operational context around faults, jams, or process deviations and helps
Figure 2: The SICK sensingCam SEC100 industrial camera incorporates M12 circular connectors for power and Ethernet. (Image source: SICK)
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Both SICK sensingCam SEC100 models support multiple resolutions and frame rates to address a wide range of Industry 4.0 application requirements. They capture full-resolution video at 2,880 × 1,616 pixels at 25 fps, Full HD (1,920 × 1,080) at 30 fps, and 720p (1,280 × 720) at 30 fps. Users can adjust the frame rate between 5 and 30 fps to optimize bandwidth, storage, or image quality as needed. A wide 82° × 52° field of view and working distance from 300 mm to 10,000 mm provide the flexibility to support both close-range and wide-area monitoring. Supporting live streaming (both models) and event-based capture (SEC110 only), the SEC100 series matches camera functionality to specific Industry 4.0 requirements. Examples include maintaining visual traceability, enabling real-time observation, or performing root-cause diagnostics using buffered recordings.
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