To help our customers understand the overall process of machine vision solution design and manufacturing, we have compiled a brief overview of the entire process, from initial product testing and evaluation to equipment design and manufacturing:
1. Preliminary assessment of the project
A. Have an initial conversation with the project's engineering engineer to understand the project requirements and objectives;
B. Provide test samples (several OK items and various NG items) and the site environment. If it's not a complete machine testing equipment, you also need to provide installation space for the vision equipment and peripheral I/O communication. If necessary, the project engineer will also conduct on-site assessment and testing.
C. Based on the provided samples, the project engineer will conduct a preliminary technical evaluation at the company to see if the desired effect is achieved;
D. The project engineer will provide professional advice based on the test results. They will offer suitable vision hardware (selection options for industrial cameras, lenses, light sources, computers, machine vision system software, etc.), and then provide preliminary solutions and project cost estimates after the test results are available.
2. Project approval
After an initial assessment, both parties confirmed the feasibility of the project plan, and the project engineer will then establish a new project workflow to proceed.
3. Clarification of testing standards
We need to collect OK samples and NG samples (i.e., the types of NG samples that are considered detectable in the initial tests), and a certain quantity is required. The project engineer will test the provided samples, and the detailed testing standards will be confirmed with the project team.
4. Other confirmations
Once the testing standards are clarified, the project engineer will further confirm with you whether the testing equipment meets the mechanical and electrical requirements of the installation site. If there are any special requirements, please raise them in a timely manner so that the engineer can conduct an evaluation and design.
5. Preparation of overall proposal, detailed quotation, and contract.
Based on the above confirmations, the project engineer will create a detailed overall plan, which includes overall machine drawings, vision configuration, testing standards, software functions, etc.
Equipment design and manufacturing
After the contract was signed and all financial matters were confirmed, the design and manufacturing of the equipment began.
1. Customer service provides relevant auxiliary materials.
We need to provide samples of both good and defective products at different levels, the physical dimensions of the product samples, and the carrier for the design. If a special carrier is required, please provide its dimensions for our design purposes.
2. Confirmation of the overall equipment layout and electrical control operation flow.
A few business days after receiving the relevant auxiliary materials you provide, we will provide the equipment layout diagram and electrical control operation procedure to the person in charge of your company for confirmation. If you have any questions, you can communicate with the company's technical engineer, who will solve your problem as soon as possible.
3. Machine parts drawing design
After the overall layout drawing is confirmed, the next step is to design the mechanical parts.
4. Selection of standard mechanical and electrical components
After confirming the overall layout and electrical control operation process, the next step is to select the mechanical and electrical standard components.
5. Material procurement and parts processing
Material procurement is conducted through all channels in accordance with formal procedures to strictly ensure product quality and complete material procurement and parts processing.
6. Vision and electronic control software design
In terms of visual software design: the software has accurate positioning, stable and reliable algorithms, a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing interface, simple operation, and convenient parameter adjustment. While achieving the detection capability, the detection time is minimized and the adjustment is reduced to a minimum.
7. Assembly and trial operation of the complete machine
Each part undergoes inspection and is then transported to the assembly site for assembly. The entire assembly process strictly follows the drawings for mechanical and electrical installation, leaving no detail overlooked. After assembly, the machine is run without load to break in the moving parts.
8. OK/NG sample testing
After the entire machine has been running idle for a period of time, OK/NG samples are tested to check the electrical control operation of the test equipment, whether the mechanism will cause secondary damage to the product, and whether the software detection is accurate and stable. If all the above tests meet the contract requirements, pre-shipment acceptance can be carried out.
The next steps include equipment shipment, on-site mechanical installation, image acquisition effect debugging, software debugging, electrical debugging, training of maintenance personnel, and production and provision of equipment maintenance and operation manuals.
