Despite what you might believe, X-Men aren’t the only ones who can perform morphology. It’s actually a mathematical operation for modifying and classifying objects seen in images. Image morphology, when used by a machine vision integrator, separates touching objects in images, removes noise, and classifies shapes. There are several morphology algorithms that can be used […]
Don’t Let Your Integrator Hold You Hostage: Do It Better
Can you modify all your automation programs? Do you have the engineering drawings for everything on your manufacturing floor? Unfortunately for most manufacturer’s, the answer to one or both of these questions is “no.” A lot of integrators don’t relinquish their controller and HMI programs or drawings to the end client. This protects the design […]
Chris Walker Wins Vision System Photo Contest
EPIC’s Chris Walker, won Midwest Optical Systems first ever photo contest. Walker submitted photos of an application where he used several types of polarizing filters to inspect a black bead of material for width, position, and consistency within a cylindrical object. Technical spec’s: Application: Inspection of a black bead of material for size, position […]
Encoder Input Can Help a Vision System “Do it Better”
What happens to the accuracy of a vision system when an unexpected change in line speed occurs? In a typical vision system a “part presence” sensor detects the leading edge of the part and sends a signal that tells the “image acquisition” sensor to take the picture. A brief time delay exists between when the […]
Spatial Filters: Helping Cameras “See” It Differently
An easy way to enhance or soften images for a specific use in machine vision systems is by applying various spatial filters. Spatial filters use local information about groups of pixels in an image to re-calculate the value of individual pixels and enhance or soften edges of an image. In machine vision systems, spatial filters […]
What to Consider when Selecting a Camera Lens
One of our vision specialists, Chris Walker, shares his insights on the need for vision integrators to select the correct lens. The following was selected from his detailed and informative blog. Q: What are the essential factors to consider before selecting a lens? A: In order for an application to be a success, it is […]
7 Steps to a Successful Surface Inspection
Surface inspection involves the use of angled lighting and smart cameras to accurately detect surface flaws or features, in real time, on objects as they are produced. Machine vision surface inspection can be a challenge due to the nature and variety of the product or object. At EPIC, our vision team recommends the following steps […]
Why a Turnkey Vision System?
A turnkey system allows you to leave the vision system to the expert, which often results in a more reliable system and better results. It is becoming a trend to hire an experienced integrator to design a turnkey vision system. Quality magazine recently interviewed one of EPIC’s Vision Project Managers, Chris Walker, for an article about Turnkey Machine […]
Lighting The Way: Eliminating Glare With Light Polarization
Nothing is more important to the success of a machine vision project than the lighting. Proper lighting has a great impact on image quality, inspection detail/contrast, and depth of focus. Glare is one of the common problems addressed with lighting. Occasionally glare is good – for example it can be used to identify the absence […]
The Perfect Marriage: A Vision System Proves the Perfect Partner for Drum Filling Line
A clever machine vision solution allows one manufacturer to fully automate a hands free bulk packaging system for a hot-fill chemical. A client approached EPIC with the challenge of improving the efficiency and safety of a 55 gallon drum filling line. The main goal: Automating a system that efficiently tests, fills, and reloads sets of […]