Best in Test Finalists 2010: Machine vision and inspection

-- Test & Measurement World, 12/22/2009 12:00:00 PM

Return to the entire list of Best in Test finalists for 2010.

--BOA Vision System, Dalsa
--OptiCon X-Line 3D, GOEPEL Electronic
--Iris GT Smart Camera, Matrox Imaging
--SE500 Solder-Paste Inspection System, CyberOptics
--SVCam-svs8050 Camera, SVS-Vistek
--Y.Cheetah X-Ray System, YXLON International

 

BOA Vision System
Dalsa
www.dalsa.com

The BOA vision system is a highly integrated smart camera with all of the elements of an industrial machine-vision system. Powerful and quick to deploy, the BOA is ideal for automated quality-inspection applications and factory automation.

An all-in-one machine-vision system, BOA is easy to use and flexible, and Dalsa says it is the first smart camera in its class to incorporate multiple processing engines, and also the first to offer truly embedded application software, easily set up through a standard Web browser.

BOA offers advanced vision capabilities that are easy to integrate at an affordable price, while consuming very little space and power.

The ultra small BOA has been specifically designed for industry. Its 44-mm cube form factor is designed for tight-fit applications, integrating easily into existing production lines, machinery, or moving equipment.

Base price: $1995.

 

OptiCon X-Line 3D X-Ray System
Goepel Electronic
www.goepel.com/aoi

OptiCon X-Line 3D is a 3-D in-line x-ray inspection system for maximum fault coverage with outstanding inspection speed. The system performs real-time multi-angle image recording and operates at a speed of 40 cm²/s when capturing full 3-D images of a PCB (printed-circuit board). Integrated reconstruction methods, based on digital tomosynthesis, aid evaluation of a board's single layers. Therefore, during test of double-sided PCBs, the upper and lower sides can be inspected separately within the same process run. For maximum fault coverage of BGA (ball-grid array) components, users can analyze solder joints on various levels and determine the wetting state. The system also detects solder joints on IC pins and two-pin components, as well as the presence of voids.

The system offers the option of integrated double-sided AOI (automated optical inspection), executed in parallel with the x-ray inspection. Its modular design enables the configuration of models for 2-D and 3-D systems with various test speeds.

Price: $540,000.

 

Iris GT Smart Camera
Matrox Imaging
www.matroximaging.com

Matrox Iris GT is a smart camera for machine-vision applications. Powered by an Intel 1.6-GHz Atom processor, it runs Windows CE 6.0 and features an integrated graphics controller with VGA output, a 256-Mbyte DDR2 memory, and a 1-Gbyte flash disk. For connecting to external devices, the camera includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, a USB 2.0 port, an RS-232 serial port, an optocoupled trigger input, and strobe output. It also supports Ethernet/IP and Modbus over TCP/IP communications to interact with PLCs and other automation equipment. Iris GT is available in three monochrome CCD sensor configurations: 640x480 at 110 fps, 1280x960 at 22 fps, and 1600x1200.

Iris GT comes with Matrox Design Assistant, an integrated development environment. Users interactively create a flow chart of the application instead of writing programs or scripts. An integrated HTML editor and layout tool gives users the flexibility to create custom Web-based operator views for application monitoring.

Base price: $3495.

 

SE500 Solder-Paste Inspection System
CyberOptics
www.cyberoptics.com

The SE500 advanced 100% 3-D solder-paste inspection system offers a simplified and more robust design than its predecessor (the SE 300 Ultra), while employing the same calibration-free sensor technology that results in a low cost of ownership, according to CyberOptics. The SE500 series includes the SE500 and SE500-X, which cater to different panel sizes, ranging from the smallest of PCBs (printed-circuit boards) to the largest of servers and LCD panels. SE500 features a conveyor that can transport panels from 50x50 mm up to 510x510 mm, and the SE500-X can accommodate panels from 100x100 mm to 810x610 mm.

As component sizes shrink and line speeds increase, CyberOptics says the SE500 is capable of inspecting even the most demanding assemblies at a scanning speed greater than 80 cm²/s with no compromise in measurement accuracy or GR&R (gauge repeatability and reproducibility).

Price: $120,000.

 

SVCam-svs8050 Camera
SVS-Vistek
www.svs-vistek.com

SVS-Vistek's 8-Mpixel SVCam-svs8050 compact camera comes with a high-speed 2-Gbit Ethernet connection and has a resolution of 3320x2496 pixels. The company says that highlights of this camera are its overclocking of the CCD and that the fact that it has two streaming gigabit channels in parallel.

To increase the maximum frame speed, SVS-Vistek has created a 2-Gbit output model, as compared to a conventional 1-Gbit bandwidth. This version allows 8 Mpixels of full images to be captured at up to 20 fps. This camera combines high resolution with high speed in machine-vision applications where accuracy and speed are mandatory. Using the svs8050, a user can profit from an increased throughput resulting in higher productivity. The camera has applications in areas such as surface inspection, semiconductor inspection, and wafer inspection.

Approximate price: $9000.

 

Y.Cheetah X-Ray System
Yxlon International
www.yxlon.com

Three new functions in the Y.Cheetah x-ray system help users solve everyday tasks. First, the "one-click" system enables users to deploy the system's functions at the touch of a button. Second, Y.Cheetah offers a flexible magnification. In Zoom⁺ mode, the tube and detector axis are driven into the same direction synchronously at constant focus-to-detector distance. The mode maintains optimum gray-scale resolution, regardless of what magnification is set, and avoids time-consuming adjustments. The highest image quality is maintained quickly, according to Yxlon

Third, the twin magnification axis allows users to control the x-ray intensity and power in image acquisition. In PowerDrive mode, the tube and detector axis are driven synchronously into the opposite direction at constant geometric magnification. Reducing the focus to detector distance has the same effect as either integrating images for poise reduction or increasing target current and x-ray intensity.

Price: 158,700 euros