Metal parts present particular challenges for machine vision.
Reflections, varying surface finishes, embossed markings, engravings and small geometric features can make inspection demanding.
At the same time, the requirements are clear:
Codes must be readable. Dimensions must be accurate. Surfaces must be free from relevant defects. And the inspection must run reliably at production speed.
Typical applications include:
- Code and human-readable text inspection
- Orientation and position checks
- Dimensional inspection
- Surface inspection
- Presence and completeness checks
The key is finding the right combination of illumination, optics, camera positioning and image-processing methods.
For metal surfaces in particular, one principle applies: You can only reliably detect what you illuminate correctly.