Cognex system chosen by European steel manufacturer

APRIL 9--Corus Colors, a business unit of Corus Group plc, has integrated the Cognex Corp. (Natick, MA; www.cognex.com) SmartView surface-inspection system into a Colorcoat Line at its manufacturing facility in Flintshire, Whales, England. Corus Colors manufactures organic-coated, prefinished steel used for building cladding and consumer products.

Organic-coated materials present a challenge to machine vision in that their surface texture is highly variable. An added complexity is that Corus manufactures the steel in many different colors. Despite such a complex and varied surface, the SmartView system has proven to be able to detect a wide variety of defects.

"SmartView has allowed us to introduce automated surface inspection into an application where it was previously considered not to be cost-effective," said Alan Morris, technical manager for Corus Colors, Shotton Works. "We also appreciate the fact that the Cognex SmartView system is flexible and can be modified and upgraded to meet new requirements in the future."

SmartView is a web-inspection system that automatically detects, identifies, and displays defects in metals and other materials as they are being produced. Cognex has sold more than 150 SmartView systems since its introduction in February 2000.

Corus manufactures, processes, and distributes steel and aluminum products. It also provides design, technology, and consultancy services. Corus is headquartered in London, with 21 business units worldwide.