Products

The IC Imaging Control software-development kit lets you control Sony's Firewire (IEEE 1394) cameras using ActiveX controls or a C++ class library. The kit also controls USB cameras as well as PCI and PC Card frame grabbers. The development software comes with various user and run-time licenses, and it conforms to the Windows driver model (WDM). Base price: $590. Imaging Source, Bremen, Germany, +49-(0)-421-33591-0. www.imagingcontrol.com.

By using a combination of a laser sensor, a touch probe, and a vision system, the SmartScope Quest 250 lets you accurately measure the dimensions of almost any object. The unit provides a clear high-contrast image that you can view over a 10X magnification range. A built-in laser provides information about surface profiles, and a touch probe lets you measure surface features not visible to the vision system. The Quest 250 uses the company's MeasureMind software to gather and process measurement data. Optical Gaging Products, Rochester, NY. 585-544-0400 ext. 283; www.ogpnet.com.

The Motorola G4 PowerPC processor on the Matrox Odyssey Xpro image-processing board operates at more than 130 BOPS, so it easily processes several parallel streams of video information. The single-slot board includes a pixel accelerator and main memory in addition to the PowerPC CPU. Frame-grabber modules plug into a PCI mezzanine card (PCM) slot on the board and modules can accept video data from area-scan and line-scan cameras. High-speed applications in machine-vision and motion studies should be the first to take advantage of the unit's high-speed processing power. Base price: $5495. Matrox Imaging, Dorval, QC, Canada. 514-685-2630; www.matrox.com.

The Dage XT6600 provides magnifications as high as 5800X for x-ray images of electronic components and PCBs. The x-ray system can scan an area as large as 16x18 in. (458x407 mm). The company uses a proprietary x-ray tube technology, focusing lens, and image-capture system to achieve the high magnification. You can also use the inspection system to provide views from various angles, so you can inspect hidden solder balls and solder joints. Dage Precision Industries, Fremont, CA. 510-683-3930; www.dageinc.com.

Cognex has added two features—Auto Select and Model Advisor—to its PatMax pattern-matching software. These additions let the software learn to recognize specific wafer alignment patterns that aid in the proper positioning of wafers during semiconductor production. A vision-system operator can use Model Advisor mode to select training patterns or Auto Select mode to have the software analyze wafer patterns and determine which part of the pattern to use. The added software features optimize pattern-matching speed and accuracy. The PatMax software runs on the manufacturer's line of MVS-8100 vision systems. Cognex, Natick, MA. 508-650-3000; www.cognex.com.

If you need occasional x-ray images of PCBs, semiconductor devices, packages, and other components, V.J. Technologies now offers x-ray inspection services. By providing many combinations of x-ray sources and detectors, the company offers a range of x-ray-inspection capabilities. Results include inspection data and a complete report that discusses defects and possible causes. V.J. Technologies, Bohemia, NY. 631-589-8800; www.vjt.com.

The Zoom 70XL inspection system operates in the near-infrared portion of the spectrum and, thus, finds use in emission microscopy, fiber-optic alignment, laser-diode inspection, and other applications. The system covers the 630–2000 nm wavelength range, and it also operates across the visible light spectrum. You can use the system's 7:1 zoom range to close in on interesting features, which you can magnify from 0.75X to 5.25X. The manufacturer offers a variety of accessories such as objectives and TV-camera tubes. Thales, Fairport, NY. 585-223-2370; www.thales-optem.com.

The Fast Moiré Interferometry (FMI) technique lets the FalconPro system examine ceramic IC packages such as BGAs and CGAs for defects. The system uses a single light source and a high-resolution camera to capture 300 data points from each solder connection. Then, by comparing the inspection results with preprogrammed parameters, the FalconPro can sort devices into trays of good or bad parts. Inspections take place after solder-ball reflow. Solvision, Longueuil, QC, Canada. 450-679-9542; www.solvision.net.

An enhanced version of the In-Sight 1700, the palm-size In-Sight 1701 vision sensor provides a larger area of illumination to allow it to image heavily degraded marks on wafers, even if the wafers are misaligned due to mechanical pre-alignment errors. The In-Sight 1701 comes with a built-in image formation system and a preinstalled wafer ID software library. Cognex, Natick, MA. 508-650-3000; www.cognex.com .

Outfitted with advanced defect recognition (ADR) software, the VJ-1000 system performs high-resolution inspection of small, high-density PCB assemblies and semiconductor packages. The ADR software automatically adjusts the gray-scale levels of each area of the x-ray image, eliminating manual adjustments to enable higher quality inspection and to decrease inspection time. A programmable five-axis manipulator facilitates component and defect location. V.J. Technologies, Bohemia, NY. 631-589-8800; www.vjelectronix.com .

This multifocus x-ray tube allows you to switch between three inspection modes— microfocus, nanofocus, and high-power— with a single mouse click. The tube is available for the vendor's FOX-160.25 inspection system offering total magnification of up to 7200X and feature recognition of 250 nm. FeinFocus, Stamford, CT. 203-969-2161; www.feinfocus.com .

If an inspection task bogs down your PC, consider the Visionscape 4000, the latest in a line of vision boards that include their own CPU, processing hardware, and operating system. The new board needs only a single PCI slot, and it can take over processing tasks such as package inspection, bumped-die inspection, bar-code reading, and data-matrix reading. The board's scalable architecture lets users divide tasks between multiple boards in a single machine-vision system. Interface modules make the connections between the board and digital and analog cameras. RVSI Acuity CiMatrix, Canton, MA. 781-302-2439; www.rvsi.com.

Powered by a high-frequency 25-kHz driver, the Model 10XI fluorescent lighting system provides 360° of bright, uniform, shadow-free, and flicker-free illumination. Each circular unit is supplied with an adapter to fit virtually any microscope or camera type. StockerYale, Salem, NH. 800-843-8011; www.stockeryale.com.

The APX series of high-speed digital cameras provide mega-pixel resolutions at speeds as high as 2000 frames/s. You can increase the imaging rate to 100k frames/s by reducing a camera's resolution. As the resolution of sensors used in cameras increases, image files grow larger and larger. An APX camera that runs at 2000 frames/s and produces 30-bit color images, for example, creates 63-Gbyte data file in 1s. To overcome the data-storage bottleneck, the supplier offers a dedicated optical network, in addition to Firewire and Ethernet, for its cameras. You can subdivide a camera system's memory into small segments that let you make multiple short recordings before you have to download data to a computer or storage system. Photron USA, San Diego, CA. 800-585-2129; www.photorn.com.

The Advanced Video Solutions guide from Cohu includes information about the company's broad line of cameras, optics, and light sources you can apply to machine-vision tasks. The guide lists key technical specifications for the products and brief overviews of the Camera Link camera-to-computer interface standard. Cohu, San Diego, CA. 858-277-6700; www.cohu-cameras.com.

If you plan to build a machine-vision system, you'll need to engineer the hardware that positions products for inspection. The Thompson Literature Library (Ver. 1), available on a free CD-ROM, supplies information about the company's motors, slides, linear guides, actuators, and controllers. The CD-ROM also includes CAD drawings of products and a selection-guide program that will help you choose the right mechanisms to move products into place. Thompson Industries, Port Washington, NY. 800-554-8466 ext. 1099; www.thompsonind.com.