Are you still rooted in a 2D world?
March 19th 2007 3D vision technology can bring cost savings and quality improvements, explains Dave Hannaby of SICK, yet many companies are still rooted in a 2D world - not realising the potential that another dimension can give them.
The appreciation of depth or height is something not lost in the world of engineering, manufacturing, process industries and logistics. What is not appreciated is that 3D vision technology exists to turn this appreciation into cost savings and improved quality.
In general, all vision solutions can save money by improving product quality and production yield, reducing and even eliminating the cost of manual inspection and removing the need for complex sensor arrangements.
"All vision systems are designed to measure, locate, inspect and identify, but 3D vision systems offer a new dimension not considered by many companies." Hannaby explains. "In many cases it enables a company to carry out an inspection or location task not previously thought feasible. In others it actually makes the process easier because you do not need complex lighting solutions."
Whereas 2D vision relies on contrast to differentiate features or spot anomalies, 3D vision systems use height measurements to find out far more about an object. "A case in point, where 3D really shows its capabilities, is if you were to look straight down into a multi-pin computer connector," explains Hannaby. "A 2D image could tell you if all the pins were present and in the correct position, but a 3D image would also tell you if the pins were all the same length, an important measurement not available in the 2D world."
Other areas where 3D vison systems are setting new benchmarks include metrology and robot pick-and-place where a 3D system not only sends the positional co-ordinates of an object of a robot but also its height, allowing a robot to go to the correct depth to pick up a component or product.
Dave adds that a new dimension in vision doesn't have to mean a new dimension in complexity. There are many continuous-production applications that just need an initial set up and then the camera is left to do its thing.
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