Why Your Machine Vision System is Letting You Down And How Vision & Control Lenses Can Fix It
The production line was running at full speed. Everything should have been seamless, but something wasn’t right. Defects were slipping through, measurements were inconsistent, and the inspection system kept flagging false rejects. The machine vision system was supposed to be the solution, so why was it causing more problems than it solved?
This is a challenge many production managers face. The issue often isn’t the camera, the software or the lighting. It’s the lens.
The Hidden Problem in Machine Vision Systems
Most off-the-shelf lenses are designed for general-purpose imaging, not the precise, high-speed demands of industrial inspection. They struggle with:
- Inconsistent focus, missing fine details
- Poor handling of reflective or transparent materials
- Limited depth of field, causing parts of the image to blur
- Difficulty working with lasers or non-visible wavelengths
When your lens isn’t right, no amount of software tweaking will fix the problem. You need an optical system built for the job. That’s where Vision & Control comes in.
Vision & Control Lenses: The Right Optics for the Right Job
Pinpoint Accuracy for Height Measurement
In semiconductor production, component height differences of mere microns can determine whether a part is functional or faulty. Standard lenses simply can’t deliver the depth precision required. Vision & Control’s high-NA lenses with shallow depth of field allow machine vision systems to measure height variations with extreme accuracy, reducing errors and rework.
Perfect Laser Alignment for Engraving and Cutting
Laser applications rely on pinpoint precision, but if the beam isn’t perfectly aligned, markings can be misplaced, cuts can drift and consistency is lost. Vision & Control’s integrated optical systems with galvo scanners and F-Theta lenses ensure the laser stays exactly on track, increasing accuracy and reducing waste.
Multi-Mode Imaging for Complex Inspections
Some materials reveal defects under visible light, while others require infrared or polarisation imaging. Switching between different cameras or lenses slows down production. Vision & Control’s multi-aperture lenses combine visible light, polarisation and SWIR imaging in a single unit, making defect detection faster and more reliable.
Faster, More Efficient Quality Control
In high-speed production lines, inspecting multiple points at once is essential. Vision & Control’s split-field lenses divide the image into specific points of interest, allowing different areas of an object to be analysed in a single shot. This speeds up processing while maintaining accuracy.
Seeing What Standard Lenses Can’t
Many industrial applications involve non-visible wavelengths. Vision & Control’s SWIR and NIR spectral imaging lenses enable material identification, coating inspection and defect detection that standard optics miss. Their telecentric lenses maintain precision without constant refocusing, making them ideal for semiconductor and pharmaceutical applications.
Small Changes, Big Results
When a machine vision system isn’t performing, it’s easy to blame the camera or the software. But in many cases, the issue is the lens. With Vision & Control’s specialist optics, manufacturers can:
- Reduce false rejects and costly rework
- Improve defect detection and measurement accuracy
- Speed up inspections without sacrificing precision
- Optimise laser applications for cutting, marking and welding
If your machine vision system isn’t delivering, it might be time to rethink your optics. Vision & Control’s precision-engineered lenses could be the key to transforming your process.
