Smart cameras were invented as a way to make machine
vision easy. Mount a camera on the line, configure a few tools, and away you
went. Or at least that was the idea.
As anyone who has ever done a machine vision project
knows, it’s not quite that simple. The objects you’re inspecting vary, and
probably go through multiple design changes, and the environment is never
static. As a result, you can never just install and forget.
Writing in Vision & Sensors, (“Turnkey
Machine Vision: Ready to Go” September 6th, 2012,)
Michelle Bangert argues this is a good reason for having an integrator install
a turnkey system, rather than going down the DIY road. Supported by integrators
and industry experts such as Bob Rongo (Decision Technology,)
and Perry West (Automated
Vision Systems Inc.), Michelle notes that while DIY can seem
far cheaper, it can easily end up costing far more in the long run.
I don’t disagree with this, but I’d like to raise an
issue Michelle has overlooked. Most integration companies are small outfits.
That means there’s a risk of key people leaving, or even the company going out
of business. A bigger concern though is their inability to support
implementations on multiple continents.
Here’s the issue I face quite frequently. A vision system
is installed at a factory in Europe, by a capable integrator. A year or so
later a sister factory in Mexico wants the same system.
“Sorry,” says the integrator, “We can’t support systems
outside of France/Italy/Germany.”
(And as a side note, if they say they can, quiz them on
this point very closely.)
So what do we do? Since we don’t own the designs and
source code, there’s no way we can copy the existing system. So either we
attempt a reverse engineering exercise, or we find a local integrator and have
them start from scratch. And yes, they usually do start from scratch, because
they seldom have experience with the same software package and vision tools.
What’s the solution?
In my view this is why, if you’re a manufacturer with
identical processes in different locations, you do your machine vision
in-house. You still have the same risk
of key individuals leaving but you have far more opportunity to replicate and
standardize. So let’s hear it for the DIY vision guys.
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1 comment:
I hear what you're saying, but I wouldn't always agree with your statement that end users "...have far more opportunity to replicate and standardize." Consider integrators with a lot of experience in a certain application. They have probably already standardized and then replicated again and again. And it will be easier for everyone to support a good standardized solution. Of course, that doesn't apply if the product, or it's inspection requirements, are really unique.
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