Signed, sealed, delivered
Trade shows can be dangerous places. They can overwhelm a visitor with sensory input as vendors compete for attention with flashy booths, pulsing music, and attractions such as food and drink. Shows in the machine-vision industry have been notable for their lack of these marketing lures, but times are changing. VISION 2007, held in Stuttgart this past November, certainly opened new realms for the industry, with its expanded floor space that now encompasses two vast halls of the New Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre. The show drew 280 exhibitors, up 30% from last year, and more than 6000 visitors, a 13% increase. The show had lots of flash and, fortunately, most of the substance that a major show should have, delivering many innovative new products. To show how new technologies and products could be used in machine-vision applications, many companies displayed systems using these products. Our coverage of the technical developments, new products, and applications at the show will appear in our January issue.
Meanwhile, the topic of packaging dominates our coverage in this issue. Pack Expo—held in Las Vegas, NV, in October—drew 1200 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors. Although the difference in scale was stark between the two trade shows, the importance of machine vision to the packaging industry is apparent.
VALIDATING VISION
Our cover story by editor Andy Wilson describing an automatic labeling and verification system from SuperUser Solutions is the first in a series of articles on machine vision in packaging. Subsequent articles on pharmaceutical packaging show how RFID and vision can be teamed to track drugs and inspect the documents that accompany many drug packages. A feature article by contributing editor Winn Hardin describes a multicamera and barcode-reader inspection line from Systech International that helps manufacturers meet US FDA requirements. For another perspective, visit our Web site to view a recent webcast by David Dechow of Aptúra Machine Vision Solutions describing how machine-vision systems are being used for container and packaging inspection.
One of the tools that has been driving the acceptance of machine vision in packaging systems is the vision sensor—a relatively low-cost device that uses embedded software. Our Product Focus by editor Andy Wilson reviews the growing number of these products and how they are being integrated into a new generation of production equipment.
How to integrate machine vision into a more sophisticated application such as a robot workcell is the topic of an article by Valerie Bolhouse, formerly at Ford Motor Company. She relates the details of how an auto-racking system was developed for an automotive-parts stamping plant. And, finally, system-integrator John Nagle, in our Business Views interview, provides insight into how an end user or OEM should evaluate the prospect of working with system integrators to develop complex 2- or 3-D vision systems.
Trade shows may be the place where these products and systems are put on display, but the factory floor, minus the fanfare, remains one place where machine vision proves its value.
W. Conard Holton
Editor in Chief
[email protected]