A powerful concept now tangible
Industry 4.0 is a broad term, at its core it simply means utilising the latest technologies in sensors, wireless connectivity, machine learning tools and huge volumes of data for a highly adaptable manufacturing set up. Cutting down on waste inefficiency, dynamically scaling outputs and re-tooling flexibility are just some of the promises that have become increasingly more tangible with the set up of real smart factories that successfully use this amalgamation of technologies becoming prevalent. Understandably this is making everyone anxious to not miss out on a global scale, so where exactly does machine vision fit into this next industrial revolution?
Machine vision is vital to Industry 4.0
The vision chain currently provides hugely important aspects of quality control and efficiency across a wide range of advanced manufacturing processes, with its role becoming even more critical for smart factories and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) based applications. High speed, low powered cameras across a wide range of resolutions are able to capture image data needed for automated aspects to act on. Without a quality foundational layer of data that accurately reflects the real world, machine learning tools such as Deep Learning don’t work.
To correctly utilise the sheer volume of data coming in and act on it the software also needs to be up to speed. Well established names such as HALCON from MVTec and the Open eVision Libraries from Euresys are on the front line of developing the right software tools for intelligent image processing, with features such as anomaly detection, that allows for dynamic adjustment of process controls in real time.
When it comes to sorting the truth behind the buzz surrounding Industry 4.0, the core concept of networked, intelligent sensors providing unprecedented data and automation is very real. Whether you need low power sensors at a board level or high speed cameras required to capture every detail of a manufacturing process machine vision will be at the forefront of providing the data needed for the next industrial revolution.
Multipix have been industry leaders for decades, so if you want to learn more about utilising machine vision in your application simply get in touch with us or come and see us at one of the events we will be attending this year.