Vision + Automation Products

Digital spectrometer captures images

Pika II compact digital imaging spectrometer is for capture, display, and analysis of hyperspectral images. The plug-and-play instrument connects to a laptop or desktop computer using FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) interface and does not require a frame grabber. The system can be used for color sorting and color quality monitoring, laboratory and scientific experiments, light source, and display calibration. It can be mounted directly to microscope systems with a standard C-mount attachment. The spectral range is 450 to 900 nm, with custom ranges available.
Resonon
Bozeman, MT, USA
www.resonon.com

Smart light comes in sensor housing

Prox Light has one 5-W high-current LED in a 30-mm barrel sensor housing, which is an industry standard M30x1style used for proximity and photoelectric sensors. It includes an integrated constant-current driver with a built-in strobe input with option for PNP or NPN trigger control. Light can be controlled by an internal pot or a 0-10-Vdc analog signal.
Smart Vision Lights
Muskegon, MI, USA
www.smartvisionlights.com

ScrewRail saves space

ScrewRail combines drive and support/guidance components in a single, compact, coaxial design to save space and reduce cost. By eliminating the need for external rail-to-screw alignment, the ScrewRail simplifies the design, manufacturing, and assembly of motion systems. The device comprises a precision rolled lead screw, supported by sealed bearings and contained within a concentric steel guide rail that drives an integrated nut/bushing. TFE coating and self-lubricating nut/bushing materials ensure long life without maintenance. It is available in outside diameters of 0.5, 0.75, and 1 in.
Kerk Motion Products
Hollis, NH, USA
www.kerkmotion.com

Photoelectric sensors suppress background

V18 Series photoelectric sensors are now available in fiberoptic and background-suppression models. The V18 family offers visible red and Class-2 laser light sources with adjustable focus and sensitivity settings. Additionally, they feature automatic mutual interference protection and are highly immune to ambient light sources. These rugged sensors feature an 18-mm-diameter cylindrical metal housing with straight or right-angle sensing configurations.
Pepperl+Fuchs
Twinsburg, OH, USA
www.am.pepperl-fuchs.com

Camera family expands

High-resolution model of the Flea2 series of compact IEEE-1394b cameras incorporates the Sony ICX274 1/1.8-in. progressive-scan CCD image sensor with square pixel array. It can deliver full-resolution 1624 × 1224 images at 14 frames/s and contains all core features of the Flea2 family, including jack-screw connectors for secure locking, pixel binning, and regions-of-interest modes via Format_7 and in-field firmware upgrades. Additional features include on-camera color processing and white balance, automatic synchronization of multiple cameras, external trigger and strobe output, and low power consumption.
Point Grey Research
Vancouver, BC, Canada
www.ptgrey.com

Ringlights enhance lighting

Low-angle ringlights connect directly to PresencePLUS vision sensors or an external power supply to provide optimal illumination of an inspected part by enhancing the contrast of surface features. The 150-mm lights use three tiers of bright LEDs for high-intensity, low-angle illumination. Models are available with infrared or visible red LEDs and offer a choice of continuous or strobed operation through a dedicated strobe input line. They include a 2-m attached cable with threaded 3-pin Pico-style pigtail quick disconnect for direct connection to a P4 sensor or flying leads to connect to a 24-Vdc power source.
Banner Engineering
Minneapolis, MN, USA
www.bannerengineering.com

Ultracompact camera is rugged

X-EMA, a compact, ruggedized, stand-alone, high-speed digital camera, is designed for airborne, ballistics, and harsh-environment industrial applications. It has a long-lasting internal rechargeable battery. Images or bursts can be automatically downloaded to a nonvolatile compact flash memory card (up to 8 Gbytes) or via Gigabit Ethernet data interface. The camera is shockproof up to 100 G/15 ms/3 axes. X-EMA features 1.3-Mpixel resolution at 500 frames/s, 800 × 600-pixel resolution at 1000 frames/s, and up to 32,000 frames/s at reduced resolutions. Models come in either 30-bit color or 10-bit monochrome.
AOS Technologies
Baden, Switzerland
www.aostechnologies.com

Rotary stage assists inspection

ABRT series rotary air-bearing stages provide 360˚ continuous travel with resolution to 0.027 arc sec. Payload capacity is up to 69 kg. The stages are designed to meet requirements of wafer inspection, metrology applications, x-ray diffraction systems, optical inspection and fabrication, and MEMS/nanotechnology-device fabrication. The ABRT series utilizes versions of the company’s S-series slotless, brushless motor to maximize positioning performance.
Aerotech
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
www.aerotech.com

Camera series has GigE or Camera Link output

TM-2030 series is a set of four high performance cameras featuring a 16 × 9 aspect ratio and a full HDTV resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. The cameras have software-selectable operation that allows users to choose between dual-tap mode at 32 frames/s (with automatic channel balancing), or single-tap mode operating at 16 frames/s. TM-2030 series produces low-noise images with a typical signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 57 dB. The cameras output 12-bit linear images, or 10-bit/8-bit images that are modifiable by a user-defined look-up table.
JAI
Copenhagen, Denmark
www.jai.com

Camera images fast-moving objects

Falcon 4M60 area-scan camera includes features to extend its performance to the electronics-inspection, machine-vision, and imaging markets. The camera offers full 4-Mpixel resolution at 60 frames/s and a global (nonrolling) shutter for smear-free imaging of fast-moving objects. The Falcon 4M60 snapshot mode provides full trigger-to-image reliability, which allows immediate image acquisition based on internal or external trigger events. The camera is compatible with the company’s Xcelera-CL PX4 frame grabbers for the PCI Express bus.
DALSA
Waterloo, ON, Canada
www.dalsa.com

IR camera supports preset modes

ThermoVision SC8000 MWIR camera generates more than 1 million pixels in high resolution for a single thermal image. It has an InSb FPA for megapixel image resolution without dithering or stitching and features Gigabit Ethernet, Camera Link Full, and USB interfaces. The SC8000 produces full-window 1024 × 1024-pixel 14-bit data at 132 frames/s. The camera’s FPA also supports windowing. In addition, the SC8000 supports up to four active preset operating modes, each with adjustable integration time, frame rate, window location, and window size.
FLIR Systems
North Billerica, MA, USA
www.flirthermography.com

Quad-core technology speeds machine vision

HALCON 8.0, the comprehensive software library with IDE for machine vision, can automatically use quad-core parallelization for increased performance. This is useful for applications that must handle large amounts of image data, such as color or other multichannel images, 16 or more bit images, stereo images, Fourier transform, texture analysis, surface inspection, or blob analysis. HALCON is platform-independent and compatible with Windows, Linux, and Solaris.
MVTec Software
Munich, Germany
www.mvtec.com

Cameras track objects

V100 series cameras and Point Cloud software create a set of tools for studios, researchers, and consumers to capture real-time 3-D tracking data. The FLEX:V100 motion-capture camera offers VGA resolution at 100 frames/s, built-in strobed IR illumination, and onboard image processing. The SLIM:V100 is for custom designs and integration. It has all the object-tracking power of the FLEX:V100 cameras, combined with a smaller profile and the ability to use a variety of accessories, including, lenses, cases, and filters. Point Cloud software toolkit tracks markers in real-time 3-D across multiple cameras.
NaturalPoint
Corvallis, OR, USA
www.optitrack.com

SmartLine has color

SmartLine AOI system has extended color technology. Designed as a desktop system for small-volume manufacturing, it can be used as an offline test or repair station. At the core of the system is a camera-based imaging unit featuring a custom telecentric lens, as well as a flexible illumination concept. The camera enables high-contrast recordings, as well as high-resolution color images.
GOEPEL electronic
Jena, Germany
www.goepel.com