A sense of direction
A good directory can be better than a map in helping you find your way-in our case, through the multitude of industrial cameras now on the market. Our annual Worldwide Industrial Camera Directory begins after page 24 and lists cameras from more than 125 manufacturers in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to being part this issue, the directory is widely distributed at trade shows throughout the year and is available on our Web site at www.vision-systems.com.
Supplementing the list of camera manufacturers, you will find a series of articles that add some perspective on recent developments in camera technology and applications. For example, Michael Scholles of the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems describes the development of a new FireWire standard (1394AP) aimed at industrial control systems, and Stephane Francois of Leutron Vision writes on evaluating frame grabbers for specific machine-vision applications.
Beyond the Camera Directory, our features this month include an article by contributing editor Charlie Masi on how a system integrator developed a vision-based test system for inspecting a microshutter array to be used in NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Brian Smithgall of Image Labs International describes an automated station his company developed to inspect bottle cap liners for high-value chemical and consumer bottles. And editor Andy Wilson investigates the latest trends in image-capture boards, which now combine FPGAs, embedded processors, and real-time operating systems to speed vision tasks. Our interview with system-integrator Ross Rawlings of Radix Controls points to the importance of cooperation among integrators, camera makers, and end users.
A user’s guide to VSD
Vision Systems Design is more than magazine pages. Our recently redesigned Web site provides a highly accessible source of current and archived information contained in our print magazine-and much more, including relevant business news ranging from market studies and industry mergers to a cross-country race of autonomous vehicles. On the Web site you will also find our searchable Buyers Guide to more than 3600 products from 1000 vision manufacturers and system integrators and a Feedback Forum for technical questions and personal opinions. In addition, you can access our camera interface webcast presentation and the upcoming webcast, “Lighting Lies and Lessons,” on machine-vision lighting, as well as a series of tutorial white papers sponsored by leading companies in the industry.
If you prefer technical information and industry news delivered to you, subscribe to the twice-monthly Vision Systems Design e-newsletter that includes a focus on specific important technologies such as infrared imaging or application areas such as automotive manufacturing. Finally, the magazine itself can be delivered to you in a digital format, which you can substitute for the print subscription. Although we do not have a map of the machine-vision world, Vision Systems Design can still be your guide.
W. Conard Holton
Editor in Chief
[email protected]