COGNEX INTRODUCES THIRD GENERATION CHECKER VISION SENSOR
No PC required for setup and configurable as either a Presence or Measurement Sensor

Cognex^® Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision systems and vision sensors, has added the Checker^® 3G series to its award-winning Checker vision sensor product line. With simple setup, integrated part detection, lighting, I/O and job change all in a rugged IP67 housing, Checker 3G is the easy, reliable and affordable way to verify all products or parts on the line.

With Checker 3G, the user chooses whether to configure the sensor as a presence sensor or measurement sensor.  Presence sensors verify that features are present.  Measurement sensors verify that features are the correct height, width and/or diameter.  In either mode, there is no limit to the number of part features that a single Checker can “check”. Checker is also able to detect and track over 6,000 parts per minute 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 new Cognex offering does not require a PC for setup. Instead, the SensorView^® Teach Pendant, with its unique One-Click Setup™ technology, allows the user to set up jobs right on the line and has them running in a matter of minutes. A single teach pendant can be used to set up any number of Checker 3G sensors and can remain connected for real-time application monitoring.

The SensorView Teach Pendant is a compact, rugged, panel-mount display for both the Checker 200 and 3G series of vision sensors. More than just a display, SensorView provides production statistics and a user-definable view of the parts that Checker is inspecting. This enables operators to easily monitor their production process, change jobs, or retrain patterns without a PC.

The key to the simplicity of the Checker is its One-Click Setup.  By simply clicking on the feature in the image that you want to inspect Checker automatically creates a sensor, learns the features attributes and sets the appropriate pass/fail criteria.

“Customers value the simplicity and power in Checker all-in-one vision sensors because they offer a cost-effective option for inspections that are too difficult for traditional sensors. One difference is that Checker understands what parts actually look like, no matter how complicated,” said Pascal Dorster, Vision Sensors Business Unit Manager. “The Checker 3G extends the versatility of the Checker product line so customers can save time and money with an easy to use, affordable and reliable system.”

The Checker 3G series joins the existing Checker 200 series which features additional I/O, encoder-based part tracking, an industry standard ladder logic editor for custom logic and the ability to inspect smaller features over a larger area.  The Checker 3G is currently available.

For more information, or to download free trial software, visit http://www.cognex.com/3G/.

COGNEX DEVELOPS AN ON-LINE TOOL TO CALCULATE COST SAVINGS FROM USING VISION TECHNOLOGY
Helping manufacturers evaluate how much savings can be achieved by investing in vision

Cognex^® Corporation (NASDAQ - CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision systems and industrial ID readers, today announced the availability of a new on-line tool to help manufacturers understand the benefits that can be achieved through the use of machine vision and industrial identification. “In these difficult economic times, optimising product quality and reducing manufacturing costs is more important than ever. Our new Cost Savings Advisor makes it really easy for manufacturers to calculate the cost reductions they can achieve through using Cognex vision and ID systems” says Peter Neve, Vice President of Global Marketing for Cognex. He added, “It also acts as a great check list to ensure that all potential savings from using vision are identified.” The Cognex Cost Savings Advisor was designed to help customers evaluate a cost savings plan for vision inspection, automation or identification applications.

The free tool can be found at www.cognex.com/costsavings. Users are asked a few simple questions about each vision application. The tool then calculates the potential cost savings that could be achieved by implementing Cognex solutions on the customer’s production lines. Additionally, the results highlight other potential benefits that customers may not have previously considered.  A wide range of cost savings opportunities can be estimated within three main sections: product inspection applications, automation guidance applications and identification/traceability applications.  Once the results are calculated, a record of the evaluation can be printed to share with colleagues. Cost management is a global concern; Cognex, as a global corporation, recognizes this and is pleased to offer this tool in nine languages: Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.

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.

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.

Checker

Checker 200 Series
The simple, powerful vision sensors from Cognex

The Checker 200 series are all-in-one vision sensors with built-in lighting and a variable working distance, capable of inspecting over 6,000 parts per minute — all in a package small enough to fit into tight spaces. They pack a host of new advantages into a small size.

• Inspects features that other sensors cannot. Checker actually understands what your part looks like.
• Inspects unlimited multiple part features simultaneously with a single Checker.
• Overcomes varying part positions. Parts on a line typically vary in position, and Checker tracks all of them without requiring precise part handling.
• Detects a part by finding an actual part feature. This provides extremely reliable part detection unattainable with photoelectric sensors.

Most Checker models are available with the Cognex SensorView^TM 350, a compact, industrial, panel-mount display.

Models

Vision sensors are used to automate simple visual inspections where common photo-electrics cannot. Industrial application of vision sensors include: detection of missing parts, gauging incorrect size, orientation of parts and alignment and basic flaw detection.

Important specifications to consider when searching for vision sensors include number of images stored and maximum inspection rate.  The number of images stored represents captured images that can be stored into on-board memory or non-volatile storage.  The maximum inspection rate is the maximum number of parts or process steps that can be inspected or evaluated per unit time.  This is usually given in units of inspections per second.  Other important parameters include horizontal resolution, maximum frame rate, shutter speed, sensitivity, and signal to noise ratio.

About Checker:

The overriding principle of Checker is simplicity.  Because of Checker’s speed, processing at 500 frames per second, Checker is able to detect a part without a photoelectric sensor, and can precisely determine when the part was detected.  This allows Checker to have deterministic output timing, which makes Checker very simple to integrate on a production line.

Checker doesn’t have ‘‘vision tools’‘, Checker has sensors designed to detect the presence of parts and part features.  Checker’s Part Finding and Inspection sensors were designed to look and feel like photoelectric sensors so the user would be immediately comfortable using them.