How do you get machine vision experience?

This is going to be a short post. You get machine vision experience by doing machine vision projects. There is no shortcut. You have to get hands-on with a vision system and figure out how to solve a variety of imaging and inspection challenges.

The key thing to remember is that the type of vision system you work with is less important than what you do. If you only ever read barcodes printed on white boxes, while you may have many applications “under your belt,” they will all be the same. You should try to do a variety of applications, from reading codes to OCR, and presence/absence to gauging to flaw detection. And try to get experience with many different types of target or surface.

If you can solve these problems with a DVT system, you’ll find it a short leap to Banner, and from there to Cognex. After all, I learned to drive in a Ford but that doesn’t stop me getting behind the wheel of a Chevy or a Toyota. Yes the controls may be a little different, and some have more horsepower than others, but once you’ve got the basics you’ll find those skills are quite transferable.

Good luck, and have fun!