IVS Ships New PCB Conformal Coat Inspection Machines

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Two new PCB conformal coat machines (IVS-PCBi-C) have shipped today to our prestigious blue-chip electronics manufacturer. The machines are the latest in a series of machines designed for precision inspection on PCB products for the customer. IVS automated optical inspection machines are designed for integration directly in-line providing mission critical quality checks of PCB UV conformal coat position, size, spread and intensity. The machine also provides full statistical process control and reporting direct to the factory information system for continued analysis of the PCB production quality.

Industrial Vision Systems Launches New Website And A Host Of New Products

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Industrial Vision Systems (IVS) a supplier of machine vision systems to industry, has launched its new website (www.industrialvision.co.uk) along with a series of automated inspection products and machines. The company, which provides vision systems to blue chip clients in manufacturing sectors such as automotive, medical devices, electronics and packaging, comes with improved functionality, design, and navigation.

The series of new products, to be launched throughout the second half of 2016, enhances IVS’s reputation as a pioneer in the production of automated inspection machines utilising the very latest vision technology. The company already boasts affordable, precision inspection vision systems in addition to robot inspection cells to aid such processes. The launch of IVS’s new vision products and machines is set to provide further state-of-the-art quality control checks of medical devices and precise automotive component build quality inspection.

In addition to the on-going launch of its new products, IVS has also ensured each item comes with a comprehensive datasheet providing visitors with product images, dimensions and product benefits. The company is also previewing each of the new products across its YouTube and Instagram channels. One such product is the new IVS-VINi VIN/Scribe Inspection System; a highly flexible complete inspection vision sensor system utilising state-of-the-art artificial intelligence for quality control checks on identification numbers, print, patterns and markings.

The new website is designed specifically to enhance the journey of IVS clients. The new features on the site mean that customers can now benefit from richer online content that is easier to navigate and share with others, assisting the specification process. This is a result of talking with and listening to clients, partners and distributors who all provided valuable feedback. The product datasheets come loaded in content and imagery providing the user with the specifics they need about the new IVS vision products and machines.

Industrial Vision Systems Provides Vision Systems For Collaborative Robots To Aid Productivity

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Industrial Vision Systems Ltd (IVS) is now providing vision systems for collaborative robots enhancing its productivity. This new generation of affordable lightweight robots is unlocking new markets and applications as they work side by side with human workers, increasing labour and total factor productivity and eliminating the need for costly precision fixtures allowing different parts to be processed and inspected without changing tools.

Robot Vision Set-Up

By using UR3, UR5, and UR10 model robots from Denmark’s Universal Robots, one of the earliest manufacturers of co-bots, IVS, whose vision systems can be integrated with all major robot manufacturers and control systems, utilises the robots for the inspection of complex components as well as providing positioning feedback to the robot. The UR3 is a smaller table-top robot that can be used to provide camera inspection on multiple sides of complex parts and components, allowing precision automated inspection.

IVS is also using the robots to help assist human workers with inspection processes, which relieves them of more commonplace work meaning they are typically redeployed to higher value tasks that robots cannot do. In the future inspection benches will include space for an operator and a robot to work in partnership as part of the quality control process of production.

Robot Vision System

New automated inspection machines launched for medical device products

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Industrial Vision Systems Ltd (IVS) has launched a number of new machines and systems which are now available for automated inspection of medical device products. The automated medical device inspection systems, which utilise machine vision, are supplied to various high-profile blue-chip medical device manufacturers for the programmed checking of components, sub-assemblies and packs.

Utilising a customisable dial plate which can be modified to suit varying sizes and shapes of parts, the Industrial Vision System machines use the latest generation IVS HD digital camera technology with telecentric optics to provide high speed inspection of medical device products at up to 300 parts per minute. The machines can accommodate up to six inspection camera stations each utilising different light and optics for varying quality checks. An integrated hopper and bowl supplies continuous feeding of parts allowing the vision system to provide 24/7 continuous inspection. Typical applications include inspecting for micron level mould defects in flash and shorts, checking key dimensional data on parts, syringe body inspection for inclusions, needle tip verification and measurement, plus medical device sub-assembly checks. The vision system includes integration with factory information systems and line controllers.

IVS Medical Device Inspection System

All machines, installed and commissioned by Industrial Vision Systems, are fully validated to GAMP/ISPE protocols for medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

North American vision system market off to solid start in 2015

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Good news from North America this week; total sales of machine vision systems and components saw 22% year-over-year growth in the first quarter of 2015, the highest first quarter total since the Automated Imaging Association (AIA) began recording statistics in the market. We are already seeing the ripples of this growth felt on UK shores over the last weeks and months.

In 2014, the North American vision market also experienced the best year since the AIA began recording statistics back in 2009. With 15.3% overall industry growth projected for 2015, representing a total of $2.2 billion, these most recent figures demonstrate that the industry is well on the way to living up to expectations and that software, such as vision technology, is likely to have the significant impact on the market in 2015. In fact, the machine vision systems arena saw a year-over-year increase of 24%.

Applications specific machine vision systems (ASMV) increased 24%. Additionally, machine vision components, including cameras, lighting, and software, saw an 11% growth in Q1 of 2015. Lighting grew by 28%, while cameras grew 11% and software 8%.

Overall, this is welcome and positive news for the UK manufacturing sector, it appears manufacturing companies are hiring more staff, with employment in the sector increasing for the 26th consecutive month.

At IVS, we continue to see interest and demand for machine vision products in industries such a medical device, pharmaceutical, and automation, which is great for the long term health of these markets.

With the North America machine vision market off to a solid start in 2015, it is clear to see that an increasing number of organisations and companies across various sectors are noting the value that machine vision and imaging systems can have on the bottom-line of their business.

Britain’s Car Makers Continue To Grow

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It’s official; Britain’s car makers are some of the country’s productive employees, each generating £100,000 a year in added value. This once again adds to the positivity which is currently engulfing the UK manufacturing sector.

Productivity in the UK car industry has risen by 35pc since 2010 and is now twice the national average of £46,000, and better than the wider manufacturing sector’s figure of £62,000. This, combined with advanced production techniques, mean that three cars roll off the UK’s production lines every minute, according to new data from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

As we stated in our very own letter featured in the Daily Telegraph’s letters pages, this news, whilst welcome and extremely positive, doesn’t come as much surprise to us at all.

There is now clear evidence that UK manufacturers are adopting standard manufacturing principles which have been used in German manufacturing for many years, and this has resulted in a transition which has seen the performance of the manufacturing sector in the UK change rapidly, and all for the better. UK factories continue to make products that are more competitive now than at any time in the modern era. This is exactly why UK manufacturing must be at the centre of a better-balanced economy.

There are several reasons why this is the case. Across the automotive industry there is increasing demand for automation and control, in our case our multi-camera inspection systems are critical to the modern factory, particularly for the automotive market. This in turn increases productivity for manufacturers. And of course there is a better quality and more skilled workforce; a shift from the production of low to high productivity goods; an improvement in the information technology base; and more investment in research and development.

Engine Production Plant

IVS launches new harsh environment vision system camera enclosure

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IVS has enhanced its product offering with the launch of a new enclosure to protect vision system cameras placed within harsh working, industrial environments. The IVS-SVP camera housing, which supports all standard IVS camera options, is readily available for current IVS customers.

IVS Camera HousingIn terms of accessibility, the front of the enclosure cover can be easily removed to provide the user with full access to the vision system camera and optics, allowing changes to the focus and aperture settings.

The camera housing also fosters flexibility; it is designed to readily accommodate large diameter lenses and it boasts telescopic adjustment to allow the lens to be altered close to the viewport to minimise reflections.

Ready to mount on standard fixings, the enclosure also includes an anti-reflection optical viewport and, at the rear of the product, the IP65 cable gland is configurable to provide a watertight seal around one or more cables. The housing is designed to be used in medical device, pharmaceutical, automotive and food production environments.

Earl Yardley, Industrial Vision Systems Director comments: “Designing and producing high quality machine vision products have been the cornerstone of our success. The new camera enclosure will help protect the thousands of cameras at risk from dust, dirt, water and oil mist and enhance the performance of the vision systems at our customer sites across all industry sectors.”

Further details and a datasheet can be found here.

Lead Article in Vision Systems Design Magazine

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February 2015. IVS have appeared on the front cover of the latest edition (Feb 2015) of Vision Systems Design magazine with the lead article regarding automotive sub-assembly inspection. The five page article describes a complex vision installation designed and integrated by IVS for a major Tier 1 automobile component supplier.

Vision Systems Design

Vision Systems Design is the leading web and magazine portal for the machine vision industry providing engineers with up-to-date and unbiased information regarding vision inspection, machine vision and image processing.

The full article can be seen here:

http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/print/volume-20/issue-2/features/vision-system-inspects-automotive-sub-assemblies.html

IVS Provides Vision Systems to Global Aerospace Manufacturer

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IVS have provided a global aerospace bearings manufacturer with an integrated quality control machine vision solution for circlip inspection. The automated inspection vision systems provide micron level measurement of the circlip position and size. The system is one of a series of vision machines installed by IVS for various tasks for bearing inspection.

IVS Bearing Inspection
Bearings Inspection

IVS Installs 15 Camera Quality Control Vision Machine at Prestigious Automotive Customer

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IVS install 15 camera vision machine to prestigious automotive customer for the inspection of a key part of the main drive chain. The front corner braking assembly quality control system is integrated as a final inspection of the complete unit prior to release to the main production line. The fully integrated machine vision system provides 100% inspection of the full sub-assembly.

15 camera vision machine
Front corner sub asssembly vision system
Vision camera inspection

Major safety accreditation for Industrial Vision Systems ltd

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Industrial Vision Systems Ltd are pleased to announce their accreditation by Safecontractor®. Safecontractor is a leading third party scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst contractors and suppliers. The company’s application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business and will enhance the ability of IVS to attract new contracts and clients.

safecontractor logo for industrial vision systemsSafecontractor is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to automotive, pharmaceutical and food manufacture, all of which are big users of contracted services. John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Industrial Vision Systems has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the machine vision sector. Safecontractor plays a vital role in supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their contractors as they progress through the accreditation process.”

Under the Safecontractor scheme, Industrial Vision Systems underwent a vetting process which examined health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Only companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website. Client-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. Hundreds of major, nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as mechanical, electrical, building and machine building work.