Time to call an integrator?
Matt Slaughter, business development manager for Cyth Systems, explains why more companies are partnering with integrators.
Larry Maloney, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2009 1:00:00 AM
|
You have two choices when tackling a new machine-vision project: Do it yourself or get some outside help.
To hear Matt Slaughter talk, more firms are choosing the latter option. “Rather than going the time-consuming route of training their engineers on what can be complex vision technologies, companies are partnering with integrators to get a leg up on the competition,” said Slaughter, business development manager for Cyth Systems, a San Diego automation and machine-vision integrator. A computer and electrical engineer, Slaughter was formerly the machine-vision product manager at National Instruments.
|
This turnkey vision system for inspecting medical components features a FireWire camera, a telecentric lens, LED barlights, and inspection and control software. |
Cyth’s vision clients run the gamut from one-person shops to giant companies in such industries as electronics, medical, and food processing. One example of the company’s work: a custom-built portable imaging system used by biomedical labs for disease detection. Featuring two FireWire cameras, fluorescent and laser light sources, and a single-axis stage, the PC-based system digitizes visible and fluorescent images, allowing users to pinpoint the position of protein markers in a fluid sample.
With declining costs for vision components, Slaughter pointed out that more companies now want to extend the benefits of vision from final inspection of a component or package to operations that occur earlier in production. “Many companies use automated optical inspection [AOI] to verify presence of components on a PCB [printed-circuit board],” explained Slaughter, “but if AOI detects a missing resistor or a capacitor that’s flipped, you end up scrapping the board or reworking it. You could prevent this with a vision system that monitors equipment used to mount those resistors and capacitors.”
Integrators can help companies move from the comfort zone of a well-known vision application, such as optical character recognition, to new concepts, added Slaughter. They can also save companies money by offering a wide array of components—cameras, light sources, filters, software—that vendors want to see speced into vision projects.
| Read past Tech Trends columns at www.tmworld.com/techtrends. |
Still, to get the most out of an integrator, noted Slaughter, companies should appoint a lead engineer who can champion the vision project and answer questions on budget and timeline, as well as on application conditions that can affect the vision solution, such as unusual lighting conditions or vibration. Integrators will also want to evaluate samples of good and bad parts.
Starting at the request-for-proposal stage, companies need to define for the integrator what will constitute success in the vision system, whether it be inspection throughput, reduction in false fails, or other parameters. This definition of success is often refined, cautioned Slaughter, as the vision design project unfolds.
And a company’s relationship with an integrator doesn’t end with completion of the design. “Integrators should provide complete documentation on the components of the system, as well as maintenance information,” said Slaughter. Most integrators also offer application support, as well as training for a customer’s engineers. Cyth even provides a “test care” option in which Cyth engineers can remotely monitor and adjust a company’s vision system.
No related content found.
- 0 rated items found.
Datasheets.com Electronic Parts & Inventory Search
185 million searchable parts
- Part Number
- Description
- Inventory
- Products
- Manufacturers
View All Webcasts
