Regardless of whether they are called drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), their popularity is increasing among consumers, military leaders and institutions around the world. In fact, analysts at market researcher Teal Group predict that global spending on UAVs will reach $14 billion by 2024.

Designing a modern diesel engine presents many challenges for engineers. One of the biggest is making sure that each engine component is properly sealed during operation.

The manufacturer needed to present thin steel blades down an assembly line in a specific orientation. However, the parts were essentially symmetrical, with the exception of a small notch that had to be presented on the right side. With no real differences in the part other than this notch, feeding them to an assembly mechanism with 100 percent accuracy was a challenge.

In every manufacturing industry, tradition is becoming less important. Companies no longer assume that what worked in the past will be enough to keep and gain customers. Instead, they look to the latest technology to improve manufacturing processes, optimize product quality and expand their customer base.

Producing a reliable vision system is no accident. It begins with creating a strong specification that carries through to component selection, system development and, finally, deployment.