Cognex Corporation introduces next-generation vision system for surface mount industry

Citation

(2001), "Cognex Corporation introduces next-generation vision system for surface mount industry", Assembly Automation, Vol. 21 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2001.03321caf.014

Cognex Corporation introduces next-generation vision system for surface mount industry

Cognex Corporation introduces next-generation vision system for surface mount industry

Keywords: Electronics, Assembly, Cognex

Cognex, a leading supplier of machine vision systems to the semiconductor and electronics industries, recently introduced SMD4, Cognex's next-generation machine vision system for guiding the placement of surface mount devices on to printed circuit boards and other assemblies (see Plate 14).

Built on Cognex's extensive experience in developing vision solutions for SMT mounter manufacturers, SMD4 brings new levels of accuracy and robustness to placement guidance applications. It features a full set of high-accuracy, robust MMX-optimized device location and inspection software tools capable of reliably locating and inspecting even the smallest component types used in today's electronics assembly processes.

"As devices and assemblies continue to shrink in size due to the demand for smaller electronics products such as cell phones and PDAs, the challenge for accurate placement guidance and assembly is continually increasing for mounter OEMs", said Justin Testa, senior vice president of marketing for Cognex. "SMD4 meets the demands of today's challenging component placement applications, helping to maximize the through-put and placement yield of equipment ranging from high-speed chip shooters to flexible fine pitch placers."

Plate 14 Cognex's SMD4 placement guidance package

The SMD4 software library includes Cognex's revolutionary PatMax™ technology, which can locate even the most uniquely shaped devices with up to ten times greater accuracy than previous methods, despite wide changes in device appearance, image contrast, or lighting conditions. It also features Cognex's new GDE™ technology which significantly speeds up the process of training the system to locate new devices. Users simply capture an image of the component with a vision camera, and GDE automatically creates a CAD-like representation of the part that can then be easily saved into a device library for future use.

Like previous Cognex SMD placement guidance packages, SMD4 provides great flexibility in developing placement guidance applications. Users can choose from Cognex's proven turnkey inspection tools – or develop their own tools – to build customized solutions based on factors such as the type of placement heads being used or specific through-put and accuracy requirements.

A typical SMD4 system consists of advanced vision software, a Cognex high-speed frame grabber, and online documentation. SMD4 can be purchased for under £3,500, depending on order quantity and configuration, and is currently available from Cognex.

Contact: Geoff Collins, Cognex UK, Units 7-9, First Quarter, Blenheim Road, Epsom KT19 9QN, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1372 726150; Fax: +44 (0)1372 726276; E-mail: gcollins@cognex.com