VISION 2014 spotlight: Automotive component inspection and traceability

Machine vision has become an integral part of the automotive industry when it comes to the automation of processes such as inspection, traceability, and quality control. As a result, this particular application of vision will be a main focus for November’s VISION 2014 trade fair in Stuttgart.

The use of machine vision in the automotive industry has been ongoing for some time, but the trend is growing as a result of the automotive industry falling under acute cost pressure while also striving to meet quality requirements, suggests Jean-Philippe Roman, manager, corporate marketing at Allied Vision Technologies in a press release. Automated vision-based quality inspection systems, he said, are often the solution used to meet these needs.

Applications within the automotive industry that utilize visual inspection systems include:

• Quality control
• Testing of new production methods
• Paint job defect detection (a new method)
• Commercial vehicle brake inspection
• Assembly robots
• Parts measurement

Heinz Haff, key account manager for automotive at Stemmer Imaging, predicts that the use of machine vision and robotics within the automotive industry will only become more prevalent.

"The engineers in the automotive sector are impressed with the performance of the current machine vision systems and see the potential for the next generation of manufacturing systems, in which this technology will also play an increasingly important role," Haff said. "Future technologies will be characterized by even more intelligence and independence. Sensors such as camera systems are needed here as eyes, which are able to detect, transfer, process, and analyze images in high resolution and at a rapid pace."

Here are some recent Vision Systems Design headlines relating to vision and the automotive industry:

• Putting instrument panels through their paces
• Automated vision system creates 3D model of Ford cars to detect dirt in paint jobs
• High-speed camera helps analyze engine fluid flow
• Image processing system inspects commercial vehicle brake system
• Robots leverage 3D machine vision to handle auto parts

Automotive inspection, however, will be just one of many target application areas highlighted at VISION 2014. Other topics of interest are set to include, but are not limited to: mechanical engineering, precision engineering, optics, electrotechnology, electronics/semiconductor production, printing, glass processing, wood industry, pharmaceutical, chemicals, food and beverage applications, medical devices, traffic and surveillance, agriculture, and security applications.

View the VISION 2014 press release.

Also check out:
VISION roundtable provides insight on global machine vision market
2013 highlights in vision: Automotive manufacturing imaging
AIA Vision Show preview: Machine vision solutions for a growing market

Share your vision-related news by contacting James Carroll, Senior Web Editor, Vision Systems Design

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