These digital optical comparator systems are user-friendly and include a high-resolution Megapixel digital camera and a low-distortion, wide field-of-view telecentric lens to produce a very high-resolution, undistorted digital image with a large depth of field.
VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems also include VISIONx's powerful VisionGauge® OnLine software. VisionGauge® OnLine projects the video images from the camera, along with the part’s CAD overlay, in real-time, on a large quad-monitor display. This allows you to view the system’s crisp & clear images in full resolution and to make out very fine details.
The VisionGauge® OnLine software scales the CAD drawing accurately to match the system’s optical magnification. This is all done completely automatically, in real-time, and requires absolutely no operator intervention.
The operator can use an external 3-speed joystick to align the CAD drawing with the part (for both rotation and X,Y position). This is a very fast and intuitive way to align the part and its CAD drawing. An on-screen joystick is also available.
With these VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems you can see, right away, if a part matches its CAD DXF definition. There is no setup or calibration time when you want to inspect and measure a new part.
VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems also provide all of the benefits of having a digital image of the part, with its superimposed CAD drawing. You can save the image, carry out fast and accurate on-screen measurements, annotate the image, email it to a customer or a supplier, database the images and the measurements along with other data, etc...
Traditional optical comparators and profile projectors are subject to the following shortcomings:
* The cost of the transparencies
* The cost and maintenance of the equipment required to
print the transparencies
* The cost and maintenance of the equipment required to
calibrate the transparencies
* The time required to print the transparencies
* The time required to calibrate the transparencies (and
verify this calibration)
* Using transparencies (instead of the direct CAD data)
necessarily introduces an error when printing the part’s
drawing onto the transparency (no printer is perfect). Using
the CAD data directly completely eliminates this error.
* Transparencies can tear, get damaged, stained, worn,
etc... CAD data, on the other hand, is digital.
* Transparencies need to be physically stored &
retrieved. This takes both time & storage space and
transparencies can only be used by one person at a time. CAD
files are available whenever you need them, on the hard disk
or across the network. CAD files can also be shared, copied,
etc...
* Setting up transparencies is a slow and very operator-
intensive process. Reading-in a CAD file is almost
instantaneous.
* It’s impossible to "recall settings" for a
transparency (i.e. position & orientation). The operator
needs to re-align every time that he sets up a part. But
with a CAD file, "settings recall" is automatic!
Because they work directly with the CAD DXF data, instead of transparencies, VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems completely eliminate all of these problems!
And thanks to their advanced patent pending technology, VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator System are much faster, more accurate and easier to use than traditional optical comparators.
Additionally, through their barcode reader and joystick interface, these systems are extremely intuitive and require only minimal operator training. The system can be setup so that when the operator scans the part's barcode, the correct CAD drawing is automatically read-in. The operator then uses the joystick to align the drawing with the part and presses either the PASS or FAIL button. The system can also be setup to allow on-screen measurements, to collect measurement statistics and to save the image of the part with its superimposed CAD drawing, etc, etc, etc...
Note also that with a VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator, it is possible to have many windows open simultaneously on the screen (for example: a window with inspection criteria, another with work-order documents, etc...). This is something else that cannot be done with a traditional comparator.
VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems are an excellent fit for both the shop floor and the Quality Control lab.
These systems are complete, ready-to-run Windows-based solutions and are delivered network-ready.
They are available in both horizontal and vertical configurations, with and without motorized stages and with transmitted (i.e. back) and / or reflected (i.e. front) illumination. All illumination is LED-based for very stable and repeatable illumination conditions over a very long life (no more bulbs to replace!). Furthermore, the illumination is programmable and computer-controlled. Everything is done through a single simple and intuitive software interface!
VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems are available in both desktop and "rolling cart" configurations.
The basic configuration has the following optical specifications:
Field of view:
Horizontal: 3.5" (88 mm)
Vertical: 2.6" (66 mm)
Many other configurations are also available. VISIONx can configure a system to meet your application's specific requirements!
VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator systems are competitively priced and have a very simple yearly calibration procedure that you can carry out yourselves.
