Bend Radius on CameraLink cables seems to be published by the cable manufacturers as being 2.5-3.5 in. We have tight space to work in and my packaging engineer is wondering if cables are available with a tighter bend radius? If not, can a custom be made which will still be capable of meeting the spec.? If all else fails, should I be steering the design team toward a fiber optic solution?

Hi Rich, If you can send me some answers to the following questions it would help in providing you with the best solution. Will it be installed and left alone? Or are you going to be using it in a dynamic application? Do you need a standard MDR connector on both ends or mini SDR on the assembly? What length assembly? As you stated a typical camera link cable may have a bend radius of about 3 and 3/4". We can also help you with an optic fiber solution should you ultimately need that. Feel free to contact us.

I am looking for a video camera that will have: * 15 or higher frame rate * 2 Mega pixel resolution or higher * Kodak sensor * GigE connection * ability to function well at air temperatures or around 60 C * up to 3,500$ * low-light / night and size not very important. Thanks!!

Einat, We've got a number of AVT Prosilica cameras that would work very well. Look at these links: http://pyramidimaging.com/prodtype.asp?strParents=7581,7717,7391,7392&CAT_ID=7776&numRecordPosition=1 http://pyramidimaging.com/prodtype.asp?strParents=7581,7717,7391,7392&CAT_ID=7395&numRecordPosition=1 Cheers! PYRAMID IMAGING

Please suggest a suitable camera-line scan/area scan for colour sorting of tea, pulses, coffee, rice. We also need IMAC - CAMERA LINK

Hello, I suggest that you look into the new Dalsa color line scan cameras. These are best for high speed analysis of products on a conveyor system. If area array is sufficient then there are a wide range of cameras available. Then it will be a matter of the resolution needed for the field of view that you wish to cover with each image. You can contact me and supply more details of your application for a more thorough suggestion. Cheers! Pyramid Imaging

We want to capture an image from our wallpaper making machines. The line moves at a max speed of 130 Metres /min. and we want to capture a colour image every minute and output this image to a computer over ethernet. What spec would the camera need to be in terms of Frames per second and shutter speed. The computer screen resolution would be 1024 x 768 in 32 bit colour. Thanks

Are you desiring only one frame of colour image every minute? If so then you only need a fast shutter speed in order to "freeze" the image. If a camera had a shutter speed of 0.416 ms then your wallpaper would have moved about 1mm during that exposure time. If that is too much travel and causes blur then you need to shorten the shutter time. If instead you wish to continually capture the wallpaper as it is moving then I would recommend a high speed line scan camera. Resolution need in the camera in both cases depends on how small of detail you wish to view and what working distance will exist between the camera and the wall paper.

Looking for photo imaging for manufacturing parts in the forging industry.

Hello Karen, We may be able to help you but need more information. Please contact us at the email or phone number below. Thank you.

We are looking for the camera for following application: It is an industrial test and measurement application with camera in motion. Field of view-> 20 - 80 mm Measurement accuracy -> 0.01 mm Image capture speed -> 10-16 fps

Hi Shardu, The best way to do this is with a line scan camera. As long as your camera speed is known then you can clock out the line rate to match your speed. Ideal is to have some speed sensor sending timing pulses to the camera. Dalsa makes line scan cameras up to 12k pixels wide running at 90kHz line rate. Since you are desiring up to 16 fps with 20mm of vertical image that would translate into a line rate of 32kHz. Optics and lighting will be another issue. We have been reselling and integrating Dalsa cameras for over 10 years. If you would like more assistance please contact me.

I am looking for a very small size, highly integrated IR camera system/module for 100k unit per year application. The application is low performance machine vision on reflected IR light. lens and focusing mechanism must be included. Resolution needs to be 1080p class and 30 fps or less is OK. It needs to have a simple serial digital interface and simple DC power supply requirements... Can you recommend one? Thanks Very Much

Hi Kevin, We may be able to help. Do you know what wavelength band of IR you are hoping to see with a camera?

We are using a Yag laser welding a 1mm dia seam to retain a plug pressed into a hole. We have a camera mounted looking thru the laser focus lens. The camera is used for aiming the laser before cycling. Can we integrate an automated vision system which checks the weld for holes after welding and then signals the controller to mark either good or bad welds? Thanks, Dan

Hi Dan, We should be able to help you on this problem; however, we would need more information regarding exactly what is being checked. In other words do you need to check the exact diameter of the hole, how circular is the hole, if the center of the hole is exactly where it should be? And of course we would need to know acceptable tolerances. we would also need to know details about your camera and whether the video is just displaying an image or is it coming back to a computer, etc. Many more questions will need to be answered. Feel free to contact me with details and I can help guide you further.

I am looking for a camera to replace my current one on my goniometer. I am measuring dynamic contact angles so I don't need anything particularly fast or high tech, but I need something with great resolution (micro or sub-micro scale). Which camera would you recommend for my application? Thanks, Eric

Hi Eric, You would need to supply some more info for our recommendation. Easy rule of thumb method for determining resolution would be to determine the field of view you want to image from the camera and then the smallest object that must be detected. Assume two pixels per smallest edge to be detected. If this is a black line then one pixel would be black and the other pixel would be white to discern the boundary. So, if your horizontal field of view were 1 meter across and you wanted to detect detail of 1mm then there are 1000mm in 1 meter and a camera with 1000 horizontal pixels would represent each mm in that 1m field of view. But we want to delineate the line so we want 2 pixels for each edge. Thus, to be safe, you would pick a camera with 2K horizontal pixels. This is a simple minded exercise and many other things come into play; an important one is the lens. I could go on but space here limits my answer. Contact us at Pyramid Imaging and we can make some recommendations

I am looking for a windowless monochrome sensor camera with at least 5 x 5 mm active sensor size. It will be used for laser beam profile monitoring. Standard sensors with windows produce interference fringes with such sources that affects centroid and beam width determination. I am aware that some manufacturers work with third party people to remove the sensor window.

We sell quite a few windowless cameras. Please feel free to contact us so that we can better understand the other features that you may require. You should be aware that most camera manufacturers will not warranty the sensor with a "taped on glass" option. The camera is shipped with a glass cover slip that is taped on and you can then remove it; however, since you are exposing the sensor to ESD and potential contaminants then the manufacturer cannot be held responsible for your ability to protect the sensor adequately. There are some options for different types of cover slips; for instance, using quartz is beneficial to those needing UV sensitivity in the wavelength regions that are normally blocked by glass. Putting your camera in an environment with no cover slip protecting the sensor is not advised since a small particle of dust can ruin it or degrade it significantly. You should consider very carefully taking this action without excellent controls to particulates in the air

Dear Sir, For a project with a customer, we need to measure in near real-time speeds of impacts between one object and a projectile. This requires a high-speed camera. The requirements of the camera are: - min. output frame resolution: XGA (1024x768) - speed (in fps): as close as possible to 1000 fps. - Thunderbolt, GigE Vision or Camera Link OK - autofocus - wide angle (optional) What manufacturers provide this type of cameras? Thank you for your help, BR, Jerome PIAT

Hi Jerome, Check out the Mikrotron cameras. They are in Germany. Rex Lee, Ph.D. Pyramid Imaging, LLC

We have a spiral blast freezer in our plant. It runs at -25 to -30 deg F. What can be used to detect product that falls off in the event of a jam on the line?

Hello, as the others have said there may be many ways to solve your problem but more information is needed. The ambient temperature of -25 to -30 deg. F can probably be dealt with but the info needed is what is moving, how big of an object do you wish to view, how small is the defect, what is the nature of the defect, and many more questions. We have a very methodical way of proposing various potential solutions and provide a great deal of free advice and system design support. Please send me your full contact info and we can begin an analysis for you.

How can I use a area scan camera for defect detection on metal sheet surface being rolled from speed 2 m/sec to 15 m/sec depending upon product? My field of view is 1900 mm. How will i synchronize speed of sheet with camera for accurate distance mapping of defect?

Hi Hrithik, I'd recommend using a line scan camera(s) to do this work along with a linear light. The line scan camera should be triggered by a speed encoder attached to the roller or conveyor. This will keep the camera synchronized and allow you to determine where the defects are located. However, you may decide to use some type of marking system as well when the defects are found. The resolution of the camera and the type of light depends upon the type and size of defect you wish to detect. If the defect is a scratch or a raised defect like a crease or particle then a dark field type of light is preferred in which the light is glancing the surface of the sheet of steel. There is a lot of on line descriptions to this technique. Teledyne Dalsa has good technical articles on how to use line scan cameras for your application. If the defects are small, then you may have to use more than one camera side by side to cover the width of the steel. I hope this is of help to you

We have a Hitachi P-20B CCD camera that we are using for inspection purposes. We are using S-video output. In one of our systems this is being converted to VGA output and then displayed on a small (~5") display. In this case are getting a clean crisp display without pixelation as the parts we are inspecting move through the viewing field. In another application we are trying to take the S-video output from the camera directly into a 15" LCD via the S-video input but we are getting some pixelation issues. Do we simply need a smaller display or do we need to do something else?

Hi, I really wouldn't recommend using an analog output from a camera any longer since digital cameras have become very affordable. We've sold quite a few to surgical instrument manufacturers and can help you if you wish to contact me. It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the inspection. If it is merely to allow a machine operator to see and image then analog is adequate but if it is meant for any type of analysis then I would go digital.

We are microcontroller based Industrial Equipment Designers and manufacturers for various industries and are interested in manufacturing Color CCD camera based food grain sorters. Please assist us in selecting the right camera .

We sell numerous color cameras but in order to suggest the right one for you we would need much more info. Please contact us at your earliest convenience. Cheers! PYRAMID IMAGING

I am an online bookseller and currently we sort about 1 million books a month using a non automatic process with reps. scanning a bar code. We'd like to find a company that can build a sorting system using cameras and high speed conveyors. Do you know of a member(s) that might might be able to help?

We should be able to help. Please feel free to contact me.

A recent machine vision application installed in one of our facilities have insufficiently accounted for ambient light in the manufacturing plant. I am looking for some generic template language or best practices for lighting that I can add to our equipment specifications to avoid this problem in the future.

I do not know of anything generic that can be used other than to maybe say that the area where machine vision inspection is to occur should be enclosed to block out ambient light and only light needed for the inspection should be employed. I hope this is of some help to you.

I wonder if there is any type of infrared camera that can measure the thermal temperature of the PCB through the white or black plastic cover.

Hello, The IR wavelengths emitted by the PCB will most likely be partly absorbed and re-emitted by the plastic box surrounding it. The IR cameras meant for thermal detection and temperature measurement (radiometric) will "see" the heat that is front the lens. Thus, it cannot see through an object unless the object is transparent to the IR wavelengths being viewed. So, it would be best to remove the box and let the camera view the PCB directly. Then the camera could tell which component on the PCB is heating faster than the others. Xenics makes a wide range of IR cameras and I recommend that you go review. You can contact me if you'd like further info or arrange a demo camera for testing.

I'm looking to inspect flat sheet metal patterns. Ideally i want to take a picture with the sheet metal pattern on a light table, a software to detect the edges then compare this with a dxf or 2D electronic drawing of the part, complete with GD&T. Are there off the shelf solutions for this, or software which imports pictures and gives the user the ability to generate a report for the part?

MVTec's software package, Halcon, can do this in 2D and 3D. You can get more information by going to our site www.pyramidimaging.com and selecting MVTec under the Manufacturer's area. We can get you started with a 30 day free evaluation copy of the software. It is meant for programmers but the HDevelop tool is available for rapid prototyping and can give non programmers an idea of what operators can be used. We can also provide software programming as a service for you. The task that you are outlining above should not be too complicated. Please contact us at your earliest convenience. Feel free to forward some images if you have them. Cheers!

Hi, I was wondering what a bare-bones vision system would consist of? Ideally it would just be a camera, a lens, a cable, 12VDC power (unregulated ok?), a serial port or USB port, and a laptop. Maybe software to control the camera? I don't know when a frame grabber is required and when it is not. What are the different communication platforms? Do most cameras work with any platform? Is RS-232 a platform or does another platform run over serial? Could you recommend software that works with most camera models? Video stream vs. an image stream of continuous pictures? Thanks in advance for your time. I would be interested in attending/viewing a Webinar if you know of such a one. Dan

Hi Dan, Just getting involved with this industry? You will find that there are many layers to this onion and the more you peel the more you'll find. A rapidly evolving industry with numerous manufacturers developing on an almost continual basis. Some trying to lower the entry costs and some pushing the envelope of what can be done in performance. Lots of cameras that are Firewire, USB, GigE, Cameralink, and now HS link and CoaXpress. Each with "standards" for cabling, communications, etc. So, you've come to the right organization to learn about all of this. But, for "bare bones" I presume you mean lowest cost. All depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If it is to learn about vision systems then one ultra low cost approach is to use OpenCV software (free but could violate patents) along with a web camera. I'd be happy to discuss with you further. Dr.Lee@pyramidimaging.com

I am looking for equipment and expertise to track the position of a .2 mm dia fluorescent particle in clear fluid contained in a dark 150 mm cubic volume. Will want hardware with software and integrator to interface with display to show track of particle.

Hi Clark, We should be able to help you on this project. However, there are numerous questions that we need answered to determine all the constraints that may impede a successful conclusion. Can you please send me your contact info and I'll be happy to begin a data exchange with you? Send to Dr.Lee@pyramidimaging.com

For Dalsa Genie camera, I'd like to write my own C/C++ code for image acquisition. Is there an SDK that is available for educational institution. Thanks

We will be happy to help you with this. We are Dalsa Distributors and work with numerous universities. Please send an email requesting the SDK to sales@pyramidimaging.com and include your full contact info, We will then respond with the appropriate information.

We are in urgent need for a machine vision system to detect a foreign material particles of size ~10 microns and bigger on flat dark surface ~ 250mm x 150mm. We need to be able to detect these particles and remove them before next operation can commence. High volume production line of consumer electronics products Can someone recommend such system/supplier. Some level of customization might be required. Quite urgent request and implementation.

We may be able to help you with your project. Please feel free to contact me so that we can get more details.

I am looking for a Vision System to locate a small c'bore hole 0.4mm diameter by 0.5mm deep. Needs to be VERY accurate in locating that hole.

We should be able to help you but will need more information. For instance, the total field of view, time available for the analysis, are objects moving, etc. Please feel free to contact us and send more detailed information about your application.

I'd like to integrate a vision system with a laser hole drilling system; the vision system will need to identify the form and size holes of the order of 500 micron dia +/-50 micron. Any suggestions?!

Hi James, I used to do lots of laser drilling of holes in silicon. We used a microscope system that we designed and it allowed the laser to travel backwards to the silicon part as well as allow light to travel up to the camera. A camera was used to identify locations prior to drilling. If you are not using something similar to this then I presume you will want some custom optics that allow collecting light from the hole area as well as guiding the laser. There are quite a few software packages available that can do pattern recognition of the hole as well as metrological functions about the hole. We use MVTec's Halcon or DALSA's Sapera for many of our tasks. We can do some software work for you if you'd like. Just send me some more info and we would be happy to assist. Hope this is of help to you.

We are a commercial printing company looking to inspect printed materials off-line. The system would need to compare the printed peice to a approved master and look for defects in the ink areas, voids, spots etc. not color. It would then need to trip a mechanism to deflect the bad product and allow acceptable product to continue. We would create the feeding, shuttle and delivery mechanism however need the camera inspection portion. Our press manufacturers offer these systems during the print process however it is our intention to do it off line.

We can help you with this application. Please contact me directly so that we can exchange more information.

Hi, I am trying to get a quick answer about which type of light (RGB LED, IR or else) is suitable to the pattern recognition of the following components in my assembly machine: 1. The edges of a transparent glass. 2. Gold plated metal surface. 3. Etched silicon surface (there is some rainbow colors if use blue color light). Highly appreciate any prompt help! Wei

Hi, I think that your question is a bit too general. There are numerous ways to highlight surfaces for pattern recognition. It is also best if you control the entire environment so that you can stop stray light. It would also be best to match the lights used with the camera's sensor and that sensor's wavelength sensitivities. The general goal is to make what you wish to see the part of the image that is obvious while diminishing all other parts of the image. So, if for 1 it is best to make everything look black except for the edge. If you fully control the environment then you could do this with any structured light and orienting the camera carefully so that light from the edge goes to the camera and nothing else appears. For 2 is there a pattern in the gold metal surface that you wish to see? Is it etched into the surface or raised above it. Either way a dark field light would be best. Same for 3. above if all you wish to see is the pattern that is etched into the silicon.

I'm working for solar cell company. We are looking for a tool for macro vision inspection. I wonder if, although the color of processed wafer is different between light green to dark purple, you can check wafer crack (around 3~10mm) or not. Because our process is not really fix yet and I suspect that the wafer color will border to use vision system. But I want to use vision crack inspection tool. Therefore please recommend which tool is good. Thanks.

We have been able to do this with wafers of various materials. If you can send us a sample then we can demonstrate our capabilities to you. Please contact me for more information.

We are looking for a vision solution to detect possible defects appeared on the injection molded plastic glass used for vehicle instrument cluster panel. We are currently using human visual inspection method but they have difficulty detecting those subtle defects with their eyes so I think there is a way to help them to detect those defects better.

We have developed a system that could work well for you. This was originally designed to work for flat panel manufacturers. It assisted assembly workers in seeing particles and defects on the cover glass as well as the LCD/LED panel prior to bonding the two together. The product is called GlassSpection and you can see a brief description on our web site www.pyramidimaging.com Please contact me for further details.

I manage an engineering group at Eastman Kodak company responsible for our line of high speed scanner equipment. We are looking at the potential for certain aspects of our technology to be a good fit for opportunities within the machine vision industry. High speed capture and image processing are key elements of our scanner industry as well as low cost manufacturing. We are looking to arrange a discussion with industry experts to determine what may make sense in this area. We feel we may be able to bring the industry potentially new capabilities and would welcome further discussion.

Hi Robert, I would be very interested in hearing more of your developments. Please email me with some summaries or feel free to call. I've been involved with machine vision for over 2 decades. Thanks, Rex Lee, Ph.D. Dr.Lee@pyramidimaging.com

I'm Alejo Raquel Jr. the Project Specialist for Unilever Philippines - Cavite Foods makers of Ladys Choice and Bestfoods Mayonnaise and Dressings. I would like to inquire if you have vision system or other inspection system that can detect crack or glass fragment inside the bottle before filling. Our glass bottle has a colored plastic label shrink around the bottle. Looking forward to receive your feedback. Thanks.

Hi, I have a customer who has solved this exact problem with glass bottles but this is done without a label. It may be possible with the label but that will certainly complicate the inspection. I cannot discuss the specifics on how this was accomplished but they may be able to provide you with a solution. Please forward to me your contact information and I will pass it to them. Send to Dr.Lee@pyramidimaging.com

Is there a vision system (and approriate software) that can be used for QC/QA purposes that can quantify:1) the smoothness/roughness of a surface, 2) the distribution of particle sizes (0.5-3 mm) on a surface, 3) the color distribution of particles on the surface, and 4) the area of matrix not covered by particles?

Hi Mike, We've already built a similar system for another customer. Please email me directly or call and I can give you a lot more information on what the capabilities are with that system. Rex Lee, Ph.D. Dr.Lee@pyramidimaging.com

What system would you recommend for inspecting complex laser sintered metal parts made in additive manufacturing equipment. Surface finish will be typical of parts made in this process and we are looking for accuracy in the micron level with 10% gage r and r. Parts will have thin walls, and 2 cubic inch size. Cycle times in the several minute range are acceptable with least sensitivity to ambient light. Currently OGP light based systems are available to us in house but are looking for improvements/advantages.

Hi Herb, I think this would be extremely challenging to inspect once the part has been made. Probably the best course is to image during the process. This posses some difficulties due to possible light intensity at the location where the laser sintering the metal. Surface defects are best seen using dark field type of lighting; that is, light that impinges the surfaces almost tangentially. We have an application lab where we can do some experimental work for you to determine best configuration for a machine vision solution. I would need to discuss with you in more detail the build-up additive process and the environmental constraints on any imaging components. Please contact me should you wish to discuss this further.,

Hello, I am looking for way to photo id different anode blocks. In identifying the blocks, I also need a way to Quality control the anode blocks (detect them for cracking, discoloration, and spalling). I am not very well versed in this field so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

There are a lot of potential ways to solve your problem. Each defective item may have to have its own structured lighting in order to highlight the defect. Speed of detection is also important and I would need to know if this inspection is to be 100% of what is manufactured and how fast should be the inspection task. Then there are questions about environmental constraints such as how much room is there to mount an inspection system? If you could contact me and possibly send some pictures of the defects you are hoping to see then we can start narrowing down your options.

Which machine vision systems can be used to affordably accomplish these two objectives: a) Simply detect the presence of a car within a defined space b) Determine the exact location and 3D dimension (length, width, and height) of the car within that space. Bear in mind that is objective b) the solution must detect small projections from the car such as trailer hitches off the back, mirrors off the sides, and roof racks & antennae off the roof. The distance may be from as far as 12' away and it is certainly possible to use multiple cameras to view the car from multiple angles. The solution would need to communicate with a PLC system. We currently use lasers, but they are expensive, so I am wondering if cameras would be more affordable and equally reliable.

Hi Woody, You give a) simply to detect the presence of a car, but then request detecting small projections on the car. So, that's the "devil in the details". How small is the smallest projection within the entire field of view will dictate the resolution required. So, as a first step, an integrator would need to know the maximum field of view and the smallest object to detect. That helps define the resolution. Then how fast should all this detection be done? That helps define the frame rate. There are many more questions to be answered. For some free basic analysis please contact me and we can send a form of questions that you could answer and send back to us.

We’re looking for a solution to photograph bearings and shafts 7 and 3mm dia respectively after applying grease or adhesive during automated manufacturing. Photographs are close-ups (macros) and require focus stacking. Results are stored for later use in order to diagnose end of line tester and others.

Hi Michael, Not sure how fast you need to acquire these images but we have lots of tools to help accomplish deep focal length images from macro closeups of objects. Please contact me and so we can get more info and provide more answers.