Scan and Print a Label

This solution uses a Microscan QX Hawk.  It has advanced data formatting which allows you to add printer control characters before and after the bar code being scanned to generate a label.  We used a Zebra ZM400 in this case.  The QX Hawk is connected directly to the serial port of the printer.
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Microscan to CCBL-05-01 Cross Over diagram

 

The Max cable length for flying lead cables for the QX series and Vision hawk is 3M.  Here's a cross over to another brand's cable that has lengths to 8 meters and has right angle connectors as well.

 

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Touch Screen in Enclosure

Here's a pic of a touchscreen PC in a Hoffman enclosure running our vision software.  This software will connect to up to 2 cameras at the same time, save the last 20 images, and provide a simple way for a user to load the job into each camera without letting the operator mess with the job settings.  This particular app is using 2 Microscan Vision Hawk cameras that have a 2000x1000 resolution for a very wide FOV.  Contact us for more information.

Film Inspection using Machine Vision

 

Here's a shot of a Microscan Vision Hawk with integrated lighting and a liquid lens inspecting the features of a product going by on a continuous film machine.  The camera receives a trigger signal for each part on the film and outputs information based upon what it sees.

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Microscan Vision Hawk Reads UV Marks

With Help from VisionSupport we were able to get the right filter to go with an Ultraviolet light to see these datamatrix codes.  This image was read using AutoVision and the 2x1 Vision Hawk.  Of course, UV codes are invisible in normal light to the naked eye.
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80/20 Sliding and Locking Camera Mount

So 80/20 makes a nice slide for their 10 series (1") size extrusions.  Just add the brake kit and you've got a locking slide.  The mounting holes are 1" apart which is perfect for the Microscan Vision Hawk and the QX Hawk.  This can be beneficial if you need to move the camera for different inspection or bar code reading positions. 

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Serial Port Charting Application Software

Here's an app we found online that can take 3 pieces of data from a camera serial port and create a simple line graph of each of the values.  In our example we are taking X, Y, and angle information from a feature using a Microscan Vision Hawk camera system. The user can see the data for each part and easily spot trends and adjust the equipment to compensate. The raw app can be found here

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Microscan GigE Camera High Speed Code Matching

Here's a short video demonstrating the Microscan GigE camera system and Pharmalite reading 1,200 bar codes per minute and comparing them to a known master bar code.  You can barely see the retroreflective photoeye tripping. Contact us for more information on this solution

ISO/IEC 15415 Bar Code Verification Solution

 

Here's a screen shot of our Verification solution for grading 2D Datamatrix bar codes.  This solution uses a Microscan Vision Hawk with proper lensing and the Nerlite Pharmalite.  Simply turn on live mode, locate your image on the screen, turn off live mode, and trigger the camera.  A PDF report is created of the verification.  Contact us for more information

ISO/IEC 15416 Bar Code Verification Solution

Here's a screen shot of our Verification solution for grading linear bar codes.  This solution uses a Microscan Vision Hawk with proper lensing and the Nerlite Pharmalite.  Simply turn on live mode, locate your image on the screen, turn off live mode, and trigger the camera.  A PDF report is created of the verification.  Contact us for more information

Lumber Inspection Application

This app uses 2 Color GigE cameras and 4 300mm Hi Bright strobe lights to take images of a piece of lumber as it goes by at about 300fpm.  We capture all of the images and stitch them together to make a complete piece of lumber.  Discrete I/O via an Ethernet device talks to the lumber handling system and the cameras to keep track of what piece of lumber is where.  This system helps the operator know where the wood needs cut in a more timely manner and increase throughput.
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Part Identification using Machine Vision

 

Using a Microscan GigE camera and their .NET SDK we were able to develop an application that takes a picture of a part and using the Visionscape setup file, identify it based upon it's characteristics.  It generates a datamatrix bar code of the part# so a mobile device can scan the code to generate a label.  Contact us for more information.

Inspect for defects in round stampings

Using a DOAL light and a Vision Hawk camera we are able to locate the washer's center and then mask out everything but the washer and then inspect for defects.  The DOAL illuminates mark in the metal and we can measure its size in pixels and color. Limits can be set to determine a pass/fail.  The black arrow shows the defect the system found. Vision Support got us in the right direction on this.
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Retrieve Images from QX Hawk

ESP software disables external triggers when you're on the setup screen for its image based bar code readers.  But they do have a way to retrieve the images. Here's a brief procedure that worked for us on the QX Hawk.
Trigger the reader
listen for the data or a noread message
send
send
be connected with a tftp tool and retrieve the image and display on the screen

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Vision Hawk inspecting document handling application

Here's a short video of a vision hawk and a strobe light inspecting a label being applied to an instruction manual.  This is running at 195 pieces /minute.  A reject sends a pulse to reject the bad assembly.

The label cannot be hanging over the edge of the instruction manual or it will cause them to stick together.  Contact us for information on this solution.

Vision Mini reads OCR in Red and Black ink

Here's a solution Scott Holbert came up with to automate keyboard entry of numerical data.  Typo's were causing many problems in production.  This application uses a Microscan Vision Mini and a custom enclosure with Green LED's (since the Red LED's from the Mini wash out Red print).  A custom font library was created to read the numbers.  The Vision Mini outputs the data via RS232 to a keyboard wedge convertor cable and it populates the fields on the terminal.  Contact us for more information.

MS4 and Mini Low Power error condition

We recently had a customer who had been using 4- MS4's with USB interfaces for a couple of years with no problems. He comes in one morning and none of them show up as a virtual com port on his system.  They appeared powered up but the Green and Blue lights were both on.

Turns out the power supply to his 4 port USB hub went bad so only power from the PC's USB port was helping the scanners.

A USB port will power 1 MS4 but not 4 going out to a hub - unless the hub is powered.

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Vision Hawk identifies parts

Here's a screen shot of the Autovision software from Microscan and Hyperterminal showing how we can identify a part based upon what feature passes the inspection.  A pass inspection will show a green box around the feature and will send out a "1" for the inspection status.  A database of the 1's and 0's will tell us what part it is and generate the proper response to the operator.  We used a 2,000x1,000 pixel Vision Hawk for this application.  Contact us for more information.

Vision Hawk inspects documents

Here's a project where we're inspecting an insert for the correct document and proper orientation using a Microscan Vision Hawk.  A PC interface allows the operator to load the correct job file for each document into the camera and start the machine. The sensor detects the document's presence and triggers the camera which fires the strobe light for illumination. A stack light indicates inspection status and the camera will stop the machine if there is a reject.  Contact us for information on this application

Microscan Vision Hawk Mounting Solution

 

For a little over $100 in materials, we came up with the flexible solution for mounting the Microscan Vision Hawk, a retroreflective banner eye and a Microscan Nerlite ring light.  It allows for up/down/left/right/tilt for the camera, the light, and the sensor.  Contact us for more information.

User interface for 2 Autovision cameras

Check out a screen shot of one of our latest vision inspection applications utilizing 2 Vision Hawk cameras from Microscan. These cameras have a 2,000 x 1,000 resolution so you get a super wide field of view and better speed than a 2x2 camera.  We strobe on the trigger input and capture/display the image while performing inspections as required. The camera can be stopped and a new inspection job can be loaded and the camera started again.  Contact us for more information.