Cognex Technical Firsts

Cognex has more than 200 patents in machine vision, and the largest team of machine vision experts anywhere in the world. Below are a few of the significant technical advances pioneered by Cognex:

• First industrial optical character recognition system (DataMan) – 1982
• First normalized correlation pattern finder (Search) – 1986
• First single-board OEM vision engine (Cognex 2000) – 1986
• First patent for dedicated vision chip (VC-1) – 1991
• First full-capability machine vision system for VME bus computers (Cognex 4000) – 1991
• First advanced vision system for PC/AT bus personal computers (Cognex 5000) – 1993
• First “third-generation” easy-to-use machine vision system (Checkpoint) – 1994
• First PC plug-in Data Matrix 2D code reading solution (acuReader/2D) – 1996
• First high-accuracy, high-speed, high-yield, object location technology (PatMax ®) – 1997
• First compact, high-speed industrial machine vision camera (CVC-1000) – 1998
• First full-capability machine vision sensor (In-Sight 2000) – 2000
• First industrial machine vision sensor with Ethernet / IP (In-Sight 1000 and In-Sight 3000) – 2001

Machine vision applications

The majority of manufacturers served by Cognex today are in the semiconductor, electronics, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Typical applications include:

• Verifying presence of electronic components
• Ensuring that pharmaceutical packages have been correctly labeled
• Verifying presence of critical fasteners and bolts in automobiles
• Ensuring that safety seals on bottles are present and intact
• Reading ID codes on aircraft engine parts and tracking their manufacturing history
• Guiding assembly robots in automotive factories and electronics manufacturing equipment

Unusual machine vision applications

Cognex vision sensors are used in smaller numbers in virtually every nook and cranny of modern industry. Here are some of the more unusual applications of Cognex technology:

• Checking the sex of chickens—before they are born!
• Grading the quality of potatoes
• Measuring the growth of bacteria in a Petri dish
• Inspecting beer kegs for leaks
• Inspecting coffins
• Sorting books by looking at their covers (Cognex CAN tell a book by its cover!)
• Checking for sediment in bottles of champagne

DVT 535C offers complete set of easy to use color tools

Natick, MA, February 14, 2007—Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision sensors, today announced the DVT® 535C, the most capable and easy to use color vision sensor in it’s class. With a full suite of vision tools, the DVT 535C sets a new cost/performance standard for entry-level color vision sensors.

“Unlike most low-cost color vision sensors, the DVT 535C is not limited to a single machine vision function such as color sorting, but can handle a much broader range of applications with a compete set of color tools for sorting, color match and defect detection,” said Kris Nelson, Cognex Senior Vice President, Vision Sensors.

The DVT 535C is the lowest cost model in the DVT color vision sensor family that includes a choice of high-speed and high-resolution products to meet a range of performance requirements. Like all DVT vision sensors, the 535C operates with easy-to-use Intellect™ software that facilitates setup, integration, and maintenance, and is backward compatible with FrameWork.

Cognex is also pleased to announce the latest Intellect software release 1.4 with many enhancements including a new Flexible Flaw Detection (FFD) tool that provides reliable inspection results despite random process variations. FFD reduces inspection errors when the appearance of the part is not consistent due to registration errors, lens and perspective distortions, and normal part-to-part variations.

The DVT 535C vision sensor and Intellect 1.4 are available now.

Fun facts about Cognex

• Cognex stands for Cognition Experts
• Cognex Founder Dr. Robert J. Shillman carried out research in human visual perception at the Cognitive Information Processing Group at M.I.T., where he received his doctorate degree in 1974
• Since 1981, Cognex has shipped more than 300,000 vision systems, more than any other vision company
• When Cognex’s first vision system, called “DataMan,” read its first character in 1981, the company’s three founders started a tradition of drinking a champagne toast to mark important company milestones. Today, the lobby of the company’s headquarters in Natick, MA includes a three story “Wall of Fame” covered with champagne bottles, each symbolizing a significant company achievement
• Cognex sold its first vision system to IBM, where it was used it to read serial numbers that were etched by laser on the surfaces of semiconductor wafers.
• Virtually every semiconductor chip manufactured in the world today is made with the aid of machine vision, and most of them are made with the help of Cognex’s vision systems
• CEO Robert J. Shillman, who has made his fortune from the success of Cognex, has not taken a salary since 2001, and since 2004 has asked the company to donate his annual bonus to charity
• Cognex founders Shillman, Silver and Matz received the 2005 SEMI award from Semiconductor Manufacturers International (SEMI), for their significant technical contributions to semiconductor manufacturing, and in 2004 were featured in Fortune magazine as “Heroes of Manufacturing”

COGNEX ANNOUNCES PANEL-MOUNT VIEWER FOR CHECKER VISION SENSORS

Natick, MA, September 25, 2007—Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of image-based sensors, today announced SensorViewTM 350, a compact, industrial, panel-mount display for its Checker® 200 Series inspection sensors. SensorView 350 allows operators to view production images of the parts that Checker is inspecting without a PC. SensorView 350 features a simple interface for displaying images of passed or failed parts, along with status indicators and results statistics to more easily monitor the production process.

“Checker 200 Series inspection sensors provide a tremendous amount of useful process data compared to traditional sensors,“ said Justin Testa, Cognex Senior Vice President and Group Business Manager. “SensorView provides easy access to that information so factory floor operators can better understand how the manufacturing process is working.”

SensorView 350 achieves an IP65 rating and will be available in October.

COGNEX INTRODUCES NEW CHECKER VISION SENSOR
Checker 232 inspects small features over a wide area

Natick, MA, February 19, 2008—Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision systems and vision sensors has added the Checker^® 232 model to its award-winning Checker vision sensor product line. Designed to inspect small features over a wide area, Checker 232 provides reliable inspection results on the fastest production lines, detecting and inspecting up to 1,500 parts per minute.

Checker 232 is ideal for applications where small features are being inspected on large parts, such as the inspection of clips and springs on large automotive assemblies.  Checker 232 is also ideal when a much longer working distance is needed and the vision sensor must be mounted far from the area to be inspected.

“Customers value the simplicity and power of Checker vision sensors because they offer a very cost-effective option for inspections where traditional sensors are not reliable and a full-blown vision system is too expensive,” said Pascal Dorster, Senior Director, Vision Sensors Business Unit. “The Checker 232 extends the versatility of the Checker product line so customers can solve a broader range of inspection applications more effectively.”

Unlike traditional sensors, there’s no limit to the number of part features that a single Checker can inspect.  Checker uses patent-pending multi-image analysis to determine if a part is present without an external trigger, greatly simplifying installation. This unique capability also enables Checker to track parts in varying positions along the production line, overcoming imprecise part positioning and delivering consistent, precisely timed pass/fall results. No other sensor, vision sensor, or vision system can do this.

The Checker 200 series are simple to set up, small enough to fit almost anywhere, and offer IP67 protection. Checker 232 joins three existing 200 series models: The Checker 200 for part detection, the Checker 201 for part detection and inspection, the Checker 202, with ladder logic when more complex pass / fail decisions are needed. The Checker 232 combines the features of the 202 with the ability to inspect smaller features over a larger area. Checker 201, 202 and 232 are available with the Cognex SensorView^TM 350, a compact, industrial, panel-mount display. The Checker 232 is currently available.

COGNEX EXPANDS INSPECTION CAPABILITIES OF CHECKER VISION SENSORS
Model 252 adds pass/fail inspection of height, width, and diameter

Cognex® Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision systems and vision sensors, has expanded its Checker vision sensor product line with the Checker® 252 model. The 252 includes all inspection capabilities of the award-winning Checker vision sensor family, plus additional software sensors that verify height, width, and diameter and deliver reliable pass/fail results on high-speed production lines.

Key to the simplicity of the Checker 252 is its One-Click Setup™. By simply clicking on the center of the part feature to be inspected, an image of a familiar caliper appears and locks on the edges of the part feature, sets the minimum and maximum thresholds, and learns edge polarity…all automatically.

“With its unique screen caliper, the Checker 252 makes pass/fail measurement verification simple and reliable” said Pascal Dorster, Vision Sensors Business Unit Manager. “Manufacturers in many industries, such as automotive and packaging, can now verify dimensions of parts with very low-contrast edges and solve a wide range of measurement verification tasks not possible with photoelectric sensors.”

As with other Checker models, the 252 is available with the Cognex SensorView^TM 350, a compact, industrial, panel-mount display. The Checker 252 will be available in November, 2008. For more information, please visit http://www.cognex.com/checker252.

NO PLC REQUIRED FOR NEW COGNEX CHECKER SENSOR

Checker 101E simplifies part tracking and rejection on variable-speed production lines

Natick, MA, March 22, 2006—Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision sensors, today announced Checker™ 101E, a new model in the revolutionary Checker family of sensors. Checker sensors are the first and only sensors in the world that use patterns to detect and inspect parts, providing unmatched reliability. Checker 101E offers all the simplicity and power of the original Checker 101, plus it directly accepts encoder signals, eliminating the need for a PLC when tracking and rejecting parts on variable-speed production lines.

“The simple-to-use Checker 101 sensor radically changed the way sensor users detect parts or part features, eliminating the complex wiring, mounting, ladder logic programming, and precise part handling required when using multiple photoelectric sensors,” said Brian Phillips, Cognex Vice President, Expert Sensors. “By directly accepting encoder signals, the Checker 101E eliminates the cost and complexity of a PLC for part tracking and rejection on variable-speed lines. Unlike the shift register of a PLC, which requires programming, Checker’s shift register is automatic, enabling it to accurately track up to 4,000 parts between the inspection and rejection point.”

Acquiring and processing over 500 images per second, Checker is able to detect and inspect parts on the fastest production lines. If inspection is not required, Checker can be used to detect and track parts or webs for improved process control. Checker’s step-by-step setup makes it simple for anyone on the factory floor to deploy.

The Checker 101E is available now.

COGNEX INTRODUCES NEXT GENERATION INSPECTION SENSORS

Checker 200 simplifies part inspection

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision sensors, today announced the next-generation of its award-winning Checker inspection sensors. The new Checker 200 series models are just as simple to set up as the Checker 101, but are much more capable and small enough to fit almost anywhere.

“Checker 101 set the standard for inspection sensors and eliminated the hassles associated with wiring and precisely mounting multiple photoelectric sensors,” said Justin Testa, Cognex Senior Vice President and Group Business Manager. “The Checker 200 series is small, smart, simple and powerful enough to solve even more challenging sensing applications, and delivers extremely reliable inspection results. They are ideal for food, beverage, and consumer product package inspection and automotive and electronics part inspection.”

The Checker 200 series inspection sensors offer built-in lighting, variable working distance, and high-speed inspection capability at rates faster than 6000 parts per minute. Even on the fastest production lines, Checker can inspect multiple part features and deliver reliable, precisely timed, pass/fail results.

Unlike conventional photoelectric sensors, Checker:

• Detects parts by finding an actual feature such as a product graphic
• Checks features that other sensors cannot such as a code printed on a label
• Inspects multiple part features simultaneously such as candies in a blister pack
• Overcomes varying part positions on the line without requiring precise part handling

All Checker 200 series inspection sensors have a rugged IP67 housing and quick disconnect cables, as well as encoder-based part tracking, I/O and high-speed USB connectivity. The Checker 200 series includes the Checker 201 which is ideal for part finding and inspection, and the Checker 202 which includes all the features of the 201, plus ladder logic for custom configurations.

Checker 200 series inspection sensors will be available May 15th.

COGNEX INTRODUCES WORLD’S FASTEST VISION SENSORS

In-Sight 5600 accelerates vision-sensor performance with unmatched speed and resolution

Natick, MA, April 10, 2007—Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision sensors and systems, today announced In-Sight® 5600, the world’s fastest vision sensor. In-Sight 5600 vision sensors offer the same rugged design and outstanding performance as the In-Sight 5400 series, but with twice the processing speed and memory to perform inspections at line rates no other vision sensors can match.

“Since their introduction, In-Sight 5000 series vision sensors have helped many manufacturers achieve significant improvements in productivity, quality and cost reduction,” said Kris Nelson, Cognex Senior Vice President, Factory Automation. “Now, with the In-Sight 5600, customers can achieve similar gains on their fastest production lines.”

The In-Sight 5600 product line includes standard (640×480) resolution and two-megapixel (1600×1200) models that deliver reliable performance in high-speed applications. All In-Sight vision sensors have an IP67 (NEMA 4) rating to withstand dust and wash down without an accessory enclosure, and include a powerful library of advanced vision software for inspection, identification, measurement, and alignment tasks.

Cognex is also pleased to announce the latest In-Sight Explorer software release 3.4 with enhanced optical character reading and verification tools, onboard image storage for reviewing inspection results without a PC, plus PROFINET support for easy communication to Siemens PLCs and other factory automation devices. PatMax®, the industry’s performance standard for feature and object location, is available as an option.

In-Sight 5600 vision sensors and In-Sight Explorer 3.4 are available now.

About Cognex

Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision sensors and systems, or devices that can “see.” Cognex vision sensors are used in factories around the world to automate the manufacture of a wide range of items and to assure their quality. Cognex is the world’s leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 300,000 machine vision systems, representing over $1.9 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company’s founding in 1981. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.