What is Machine Vision?

Machine vision is the use of digital images to automate various industrial applications, including inspection, process control, and robot guidance. The term is most often used in manufacturing, but machine vision technology is also used in high-speed printing, security/surveillance, and self-driving cars.

In general, machine vision allows manufacturing to take place more quickly, more economically and more reliably than would otherwise be possible. For example, in electronics manufacture, machine vision may be used to inspect solder joints, in photovoltaics, to inspect semiconductors. In the manufacture of automobiles, it is used to guide industrial robots, then inspect their work in assembly, welding and painting. In pharmaceuticals, machine vision monitors production steps, quality controls, and the proper labeling of products via text and barcodes.

A trade group, Association for Advancing Automation (A3), combines the strong history of RIA, AIA, MCMA, and A3 Mexico and represents 1,100+ member companies and billions of dollars in economic activity. A3 is the leading global automation trade association of the robotics, machine vision, motion control, and industrial AI industries.

Macnica has been a member of AIA now part of A3 and its counterpart in Japan, JIIA, and the machine vision industry for many years. We help manufacturers with the intellectual property, hardware and software they need to simplify the development of machine vision products, providing basic engineering so they can focus on the unique aspects of their solutions.

There are a number of standards used within the machine vision industry, all of which Macnica supports.

We would love to help you develop or update your next machine vision product.