On the benefits of a test bench

Here’s a suggestion for all you Manufacturing Engineers out there who’ve been given responsibility for putting in vision systems: persuade the boss to let you have a test/development system on your desk, or preferably at a dedicated workbench.

Let me explain why this is a good idea.

You know that optimizing light and optics is a difficult task, requiring you to adjust, check the image, and adjust again, over and over. You also know that there’s often more than one way to carry out an inspection, and it takes time to find the most robust method. So why would you try to do that out on the plant floor, especially if the equipment is running at the time?

Sure, the test bench doesn’t let you develop the whole application. Unless you have pots of money you wont have motion control or triggers, but it does allow you to settle on an approach before venturing out onto the busy factory floor.

So how do you persuade the boss to let you spend money on lights and camera, and what should you be buying anyway?

Check back tomorrow for some tips on equipping a rudimentary vision bench.