The power of smart cameras lies in their ability to combine a wide range of functions—locating objects, extracting data from barcodes, “reading” alphanumeric characters—into a single, compact device. In complex quality inspections where works-in-progress (WIPs) need to be inspected on a variety of levels, smart cameras are essential for many manufacturers. They are fast, accurate and thorough—and best of all, they’re just getting better all the time.
The advantages that come from having broad functionality in a single piece of hardware are especially apparent in traceability. This complex and resource-intensive practice of keeping track on the status and whereabouts of all WIPs heavily depends on the use of barcodes and equipment that can read and store barcode data. Taken a step further, a real-time traceability system can factor in quality inspection data at each step in the production process.