The easy-to-use position indicator was designed to simplify format change to more easily meet the ever-decreasing lot sizes resulting from individualized packaging and special formats. It allows users to quickly configure machinery to adapt to varying materials, weights and package counts, while adding precision to the process.

A new rc_visard smart 3D camera family from Matrix Vision, a brand of Balluff, offers low system costs, quick implementation, and a high degree of flexibility.

Vision systems play a vital role in automated assembly systems. They can check for the presence or absence of parts or materials. They can measure key dimensions of assemblies. They can tell robots the precise location of parts. They can even read 1D and 2D codes. Here's a look at some of the latest developments.

Compared to manual inspection, vision systems deploying area-scan cameras offer improved accuracy and far higher consistency. Plus, they work nonstop without suffering fatigue or requiring a paycheck.

All-wheel drive (AWD) technology has taken the automotive world by storm in recent years, because of its ability to effectively transfer power to the ground. Today, many sport utility vehicles use AWD for better acceleration, performance, safety and traction in all kinds of driving conditions.

Based in Torrington, CT, systems integrator Plastimation has been designing and building robotic automation systems for more than a decade. The company's portfolio ranges from simple projects, such as a machine-tending application in which a cobot unloads stacks of plastic lids from a molding machine, to complex ones, such as an automated line in which four robots assemble and test a medical device.

Last month, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover landed on the red planet after 5.5 months of traveling through space. The rover's primary mission is to search for signs of ancient microscopic life and collect the first ever Martian soil samples for analysis.

Have you ever wondered if machine vision could be used to solve your manufacturing applications? Are you interested in integrating machine vision into your process, but you don't know where to start?

Many questions surround artificial intelligence (AI). A common one among non-users is: Can something artificial truly produce real-world benefits? Increasingly, manufacturers in the automotive industry are ready and able to provide an affirmative answer.