A broader vision for industry pioneer
An exclusive interview with a technical leader
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 3/1/2005
| For more Q&A with Justin Testa on the outlook for the machine-vision industry, click here. |
T&MW: Where is Cognex finding new opportunities for machine vision?
Testa: Despite the ups and downs in semiconductors—our traditional core business—Cognex has been growing year after year in other applications. This is especially true of automotive, which has adopted machine vision for assembly verification, quality checking, and parts identification. Other promising areas include pharmaceutical packaging, high-precision medical devices, and consumer products. Revenues from the semiconductor and electronics fields are now about 40%, versus 75% in the boom year of 2000.
T&MW: What factors are driving these new markets?
Justin Testa Justin Testa joined Cognex 22 years ago when
the company introduced the first optical character recognition system,
which read numbers, letters, and symbols marked directly on product
surfaces. As an early champion of vision technology, Testa worked with
OEMs, system integrators, and end users to implement the technology in the
semiconductor industry and other fields. He currently heads the ID
Products Business Unit for Cognex. He earned an MBA from Boston College
and a BA from Boston
University.
Testa: Throughout many industries, we've seen aggressive campaigns to boost quality, such as the six-sigma initiatives that simply cannot be achieved without sophisticated automation. Government regulation is another prime driver. For example, it could be the Food and Drug Administration mandating certain methods for verifying a process. Industry groups, too, play a big role in pushing for new standards.
Senior VP,
Cognex Corp.,
Natick, MA
T&MW: Why has Cognex started a new business unit for ID products?
Testa: One of the first applications for Cognex in the early '80s was automatic identification of parts, such as laser-etched marks on wafers. Over the last several years, we have seen a sharp increase in automatic identification applications, driven in large part by the automotive and electronics industries, which adopted the Data Matrix symbol for tracking parts. The Data Matrix symbol is a two-dimensional bar code, in which you can encode over 1000 characters of information. In aerospace, there's another initiative—Spec2000—that includes guidelines for direct parts marking identification. By the end of 2005, all parts in new jet engines will carry a Data Matrix code, so airlines can trace the history of parts. Similarly, the Defense Department is launching a unique parts-identification system, based on Data Matrix, to get a better handle on supply-chain management.
T&MW: What technologies has Cognex developed for this market?
Testa: Our fixed-mount product reads parts that automatically move into its field of view on an assembly line. For lower-volume applications, or where a variety of parts must be read, we offer our DataMan handheld readers with built-in CMOS sensor, DSP board, and LED illumination. Finally, we have products to verify the quality of the mark that's been put on the part. These devices must read symbols applied by different processes, such as dot peening, laser marking, electrochemical etching, and ink-jet printing. And they must read marks on different surfaces—reflective metals, cast materials, parts with different colors, and brushed or glass parts.
T&MW: How about the niche for your new Expert Sensor business unit?
Testa: People Sensor, our first venture outside factory automation, is a stereoscopic system—two cameras, one processor—that monitors admission to secured areas. Another new product, called Checker, fills a niche between a photoelectric sensor and a full-blown vision system. This high-speed, vision-based product determines presence and absence and is used where you might ordinarily employ several photoelectric sensors. Looking ahead, we envision applications that will call for development of more single-purpose products like Checker.
For more Q&A with Justin Testa on the outlook for the machine-vision industry, click here.
