With over 40 years of Experience in Robotic, Vision and Automation. Tom Bartoshesky’s career has been dedicated to understanding the customers’ requirements and working together to evaluate leading-edge technology to provide the optimal solution. Certified Advanced Vision Professional –. Problem solving is what intrigues him.

Going Where No Vision Has gone Before: How Vichine’s ZoomCheck® Patented Operator Positioned Machine Vision System can provide reliable machine vision inspection in areas not feasible for a fixed or even a robot mounted camera system.

The dramatic improvements achieved with Machine Vision Inspection are well documented. Process improvements resulting in reduced warranty costs and fewer product returns are just a few of the benefits. Typically, a fixed or robot-mounted camera with dedicated lighting is required to reliably perform machine vision inspections.

In assemblies where a consistent location or line of sight cannot be established, manual inspection can be implemented. But, manual inspection can’t match the reliability of Machine Vision even if the operator is required to apply confirmation marking.

Expanding Machine Vision Capabilities

If your parts are obscured or not fixtured, it is not possible to perform automatic machine vision inspection utilizing a fixed mounted camera. Vichine created ZoomCheck®, an operated positioned machine vision system for these situations.

ZoomCheck is designed to error-proof manual assembly stations. An assembly step is completed, and the operator positions ZoomCheck to perform the preconfigured inspection. If the inspection passes, the operator moves on to the next assembly step. If the inspection fails, the operator can correct the issue and reinspect “in station.”

ZoomCheck is more than machine vision tools; it is a complete inspection system. It provides multiple aids for the operator to reliably execute each inspection at the correct step in the assembly process. For each inspection, ZoomCheck displays a Guide Image and Region of Interest. Pass/fail results are displayed for the operator and reported to your MES before moving to the next step.

Included in the ZoomCheck ecosystem is a Validation application. Validation for a vision system is like a Golden Part to test a gauging system. ZoomCheck Validation confirms that the tools and tolerances are configured and operating correctly. The ImageViewer is another part of the ZoomCheck Eco System. The ImageViewer enables searches of the inspection results and displays the related images for postproduction analysis.

Smarter Inspection through Data

The Base PC provides MES and PLC interfaces. The Data from the Vision Inspections has become a valuable feature of the Machine Vision System. All images (raw and result images) are archived with complete metadata, including Assembly PUN or VIN, inspection results and date and time stamp. These archives enable process improvement, post-production analysis and as-built documentation. All are searchable via a browser.

The Base PC manages multiple ZoomCheck Tablets, and the Base PC provides communications to the MES and PLC. All Inspections are stored locally on the ZoomCheck Tablets. There is no need for Cloud access to call and run the inspections.

We recommend a combination of AI Deep Learning and Algorithmic Vision Tools. Their respective strengths are divergent. Where accuracy is mandatory, verifying AI results with traditional tools is critical. Simplifying the inspection task for the AI tools by utilizing traditional vision tools can achieve faster and more accurate results.

The most diligent Operators can still make mistakes. People are not machines. Highly repetitive inspections that demand precision are better suited for automated machine vision inspection.

If you have an application that needs an Operator Positioned Machine Vision system, we are happy to provide a free demonstration and vision evaluation of your application.

Other Vichine Products:

DeepTire – Near AI-Driven Tire ID System for Logistic and Manufacturing

MC-AVIS - Multi-Camera Attribute Vision Inspection System