Featured in Machinery Update July/August edition
The importance of machine to wider automation is appreciable not only in the kind of integration that happens with so many robot cells and production lines – but also in the type of integration taking place at a corporate level.
As part of the recent expansion of Mpac Group, for example, Machinery Update last year reported on its acquisition of SIGA Vision. Developed using insights gained from over 100 installed systems,
SIGA’s V2 vision system is said to combine the best elements of previous versions. It has also leveraged AI, says Mpac, to power applications such as checking pallet integrity, identifying contamination and monitoring compliance across fast-moving supply chains.
Addressing issues of cost and complexity, says the company, it has launched Automated Intelligence. This is said to combine CCTV-style cameras with SIGA’s user interface and flexible software, so inspection and measurement can be rolled out in days.
As a diagnostic tool, the group now has Mpac Replay. Should a machine alarm or stoppage occur, Replay automatically captures and stores video footage of the event. Users can see the event ‘in-action’, giving them context for swift diagnosis and resolution.
While multiple cameras are likely to be deployed for 2D or 3D applications, a single camera will often still meet end-user needs.
This is the case with Logilook from Logics & Controls, described as being an advanced standalone label inspection system designed for demanding, high-speed environments such as bottling lines. Unlike traditional systems that rely on multiple cameras and complex software to stitch images together, says the Italian company. Logilook uses a single high-resolution camera and a patented optical unit to capture a full 360o view of each container, regardless of orientation.
The system, which is supplied in the UK by Evolution BPS, can be placed on the bottle conveyor at the labelling machine outfeed without needing to be integrated into it.
This design reduces hardware complexity, lowers maintenance requirements, and enables faster installation and commissioning, says Evolution. Already widely adopted in sectors such as wine and spirits, where product integrity and brand prestige are critical, Logilook supports a wide range of containers.
Nor are single-camera applications always applied to high-speed inspection. The needs relating to a manual fulfilment station or secondary packaging conveyor can be very different.
Murrelektronic addresses these specific requirements with its One-Cam-Connect, describing it as a plug-and-play system designed to rapidly and safely establish inspection capabilities using single smart cameras. The company says it is ideal for applications such as code or text scanning at conveyor gates or manual packing stations, simplifying machine vision integration into any given production line.
The bundle includes a single reader block with connections for the camera, trigger, I/O and power with integrated circuit protection. The 90-watt power supply is said to be first of its kind for single-camera applications, and features IP67 protection and industrial certification for durability in demanding environments. The power supply includes integrated mounting tabs for secure attachment to machine racks.
The modular system can be expanded as needs change. By relocating components from the control cabinet to the field and connecting local, self-managed systems to a central server via a single cable, Murrelektronic claims, cost reductions of up to 30% across the entire process can be achieved – from planning and design to assembly and installation.
If the range of vision systems, from simple and standalone to integrated multi-camera arrays, is broader than ever, so too is the spread of applications. One use of vision where the precision and adaptability of systems are basic requirements is in waste sorting. Canadian company Waste Robotics is using a hyperspectral imaging platform from Specim Hyperspectral which, it says, has allowed it to take sorting accuracy to the next level.
The company was already using an AI-driven combination of vision and robotics in its sorting, but wanted to see if it could increase precision still further, says Quantum Design, which represents Specim in the UK and Ireland.
“Using the SpecimONE hyperspectral imaging platorn for data processing and training allows us to have a real-time spectral0based material identification to augment our understanding of what is being presented to our robot for sorting,” says Vice President of Products at Waste Robotics, Ztad Akl-Chedid.
The hyperspectral signature of the images created is, in some cases, the only way to identify the material of an object, when it is visually beyond identification by standard 2D or 3D vision, says Quantum Design.
“Another great thing about hyperspectral imaging is that it is very visual,” Akl-Chedid adds. “We can see the different colours on the image that represent different materials”
To discuss machine vision, hyperspectral imaging and your application, get in touch with our Sales Manager, Dr. Luke Nicholls by email below or call (01372) 378822.
See more at:
- www.evolutionbps.co.uk
- www.mpack-group.com
- www.murrelektronik.co.uk
