Automated quality control with machine vision
Quality control rarely consists of a single inspection feature.
For one part you may need to check that all components are fitted, that a dimension is within tolerance, that the surface is undamaged and that the correct serial number was then read.
Machine vision can bring several of these tasks together within one automated inspection process.
Discuss your applicationFrom a single check to complete quality control
Depending on the application, a vision system can check simultaneously:
- presence and completeness
- part type
- position and rotation
- dimensions
- contours
- surface defects
- color
- marking
- OCR
- barcode and DataMatrix
- assembly states
The camera then becomes more than a sensor: it becomes a building block of quality assurance.
100% inspection directly in the process
A key advantage of automated machine vision is the ability to inspect every product made, in the running process, as long as cycle time and inspection task allow it.
The system can then, for example:
- report pass/fail to the PLC
- reject a bad part
- store measured values
- document images
- assign inspection results to a serial number
Dimensional measurements can supply not only a pass/fail result but also numerical quality data for further process analysis.
Not every quality inspection needs the same system
A simple completeness check can be economically sensible with a smart camera.
Where several cameras, high resolution, complex surface inspection or customer-specific software are involved, a PC-based machine vision system is usually the better fit.
Our approach
We do not start with “which camera would you like to buy?” but with “what has to be reliably verified in the end?”
From that follow:
- the required resolution
- field of view
- optics
- lighting
- image analysis
- communication
- mechanical setup
For larger integration projects we can also bring in specialist partners from automation, software, robotics or mechanical engineering.
This information helps us specify the system
Example values - with several inspection features, a short list of all criteria helps.
- Inspection features
- completeness + dimension + serial number
- Field of view
- 200 × 150 mm
- Smallest feature
- 0.3 mm
- Cycle time
- 1.2 s per part
- Result sent to
- PLC via PROFINET
Suitable product groups
Automating an existing inspection or planning a new station?
Tell us which features have to be reliably verified in the end - the sensible system design follows from that.
Discuss your quality inspectionFrequently asked questions
Can one system evaluate several inspection features at once?
Yes. Depending on the system, one image can be evaluated with several inspection tools - completeness, dimension and code reading in a single pass, for instance.
Smart camera or PC-based system?
For well-defined inspection tasks, a smart camera is often more economical. Several cameras, very high resolution, complex surface inspection or your own software all point to a PC-based system.
Can inspection results be documented?
Yes. Depending on the system, measured values, pass/fail decisions and images can be stored and assigned to a serial number.
Related applications
- Surface & defect inspectionDetect scratches, cracks, burrs, contamination and material or surface deviations automatically.
- Presence & completeness inspectionCheck whether parts, screws, seals, labels or machining features are present and completely assembled.
- Dimensional, position & orientation inspectionMeasure parts inline, determine position and rotation, and detect deviations directly in the production process.