Vision systems are used to make critical measurements of parts and assemblies as part of a quality control system. Such measurements might be taken to determine the fitness of a component to progress to the next step in the manufacturing process, or they might be done at the end of the line prior to shipping the final product. Either way, it is essential that the measurements are both accurate and repeatable. Any variable, either internal or external, that affects the performance of the imaging system could affect the resulting measurements. This could lead to unnecessary line stoppages, excessive waste or even defective product reaching the customer.
Since measurements are made on the image of the object rather than the object itself, it’s important to optimize every element of the imaging process to achieve the best image possible. One of those elements is lighting. Illumination is hugely important to generate an image good enough for processing and measurement.