News from UKIVA
By Ian Alderton, UKIVA chairman
Now that the Vision show is behind us, UKIVA is fully focusing on its own Machine Vision Conference and Exhibition, which will take place on 27 April 2017 at ArenaMK, Milton Keynes, UK. The Vision show itself is, of course, hugely important for UKIVA members, and it was pleasing to note that around 600 copies of the association’s Vision in Action newsletter were picked up.
Meanwhile, UKIVA’s Machine Vision Conference programme is rapidly taking shape. PPMA Group head of marketing, Valerio Del Vecchio, said: ‘We have already lined up speakers from many leading manufacturers and suppliers of vision technology, as well as systems integrators. These include Acrovison, Allied Vision, Alrad Imaging, Basler, Bytronic Automation, CIS, Clearview Imaging, Euresys, IDS Imaging Development Systems, Imperx, Lambda Photometrics, Matrix Vision, Matrox, Multipix Imaging, NET, Photonfocus, Pleora, Point Grey, Scorpion Vision, Sick UK, Stemmer Imaging and SVS Vistek.
‘We will be announcing additional speakers over the coming weeks. With 50 technical vision seminars and 30 live demonstration stands, there will be plenty of choice for delegates. The main themes of the day will cover 3D vision, camera technology, software, embedded vision, optics, illumination and lasers, systems and solutions.’
This free new one-day event is designed to attract the widest possible audience and is not restricted to visitors from the UK.
Del Vecchio continued: ‘As the reach of the machine vision industry continues to grow, we have developed this new event to offer something for everyone. For those wanting to get involved with vision for the first time, we will be staging talks that will cover the basics of machine vision. Nevertheless, we are also making sure that there is plenty to interest the more experienced users or system integrators with presentations covering the latest developments and technologies, in many cases for the first time in the UK. Perhaps most importantly the event includes opportunities for delegates to network with each other and with leading exponents of machine vision technology.’
Visitors will see and hear about real world examples of how machine vision delivers value and creates competitive advantage, learn about what’s coming next and gain valuable insight into latest trends. The accompanying exhibition will create the opportunity to see much of the hardware and software covered in the conference.
To register for this free event, visit: www.ukiva.org/mvc-registration.html. For more details contact Chris Valdes (+44 (0)20 8733 8111, chris.valdes@ppma.co.uk). The full programme will be published at www.ukiva.org/mvc when finalised.
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News from VDMA Machine Vision
By Anne Wendel, director VDMA Machine Vision
Ten reasons to use machine vision
There are many good reasons to use machine vision. VDMA Machine Vision made a start and wrote down 10 of them.
1. High savings potential: Machine vision systems lower costs. They often pay off after only a few months.
2. 100 per cent quality checks for product quality: When manufacturing non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, vision avoids expensive product recalls and product liability claims.
3. Safe and reliable products: Machine vision guarantees safety, during the production process as well as in the end product.
4. Sustainability: Vision can ensure smooth material flow and reduces the use of energy and resources.
5. Stable and optimised processes: Machine vision paves the way for realising the smart factory of the future by recognising trends and irregularities in production processes early on.
6. Flexibility: Modern vision systems are flexible and even batch sizes of one become a reality.
7. User-friendliness: Specific programming skills were required for vision systems in the past, but ease-of-use and seamless integration into the production process have been commonplace for a while now.
8. A technology serving people: Optimising traffic flows, the perfect swing in golf, training of medical doctors, checking moles, waste separation and recycling – we all benefit from machine vision!
9. Higher productivity and competitiveness: Modern production is automated. Machine vision enables manufacturing companies to remain competitive, to prevent an exodus of key technologies, to generate qualified jobs, and to capture new markets.
10. Ergonomic workplaces: Machine vision systems support workers who carry out monotonous and dull tasks. Human-machine interaction is making the workplace safer and more advanced.
Machine vision: a growth market
The machine vision industry in Germany and Europe has been reporting high growth numbers and record sales figures for years. Sales in the industry have more than doubled between 2005 and 2015. The reason for the boom: equipped with machine vision systems, machines and robots are learning to ‘see’. Within the global race towards greater automation, this key technology is not just found in traditional industrial sectors, but is conquering new areas too. Improved quality, greater reliability, increased safety and cost-effectiveness are benefits that are just as crucial in non-manufacturing contexts as in the realm of industrial production.
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News from EMVA
By Thomas Lübkemeier
The Vision trade fair in Stuttgart in November showed perfectly the extent to which the topic of embedded vision affects the machine vision industry. Not only this, but many industries into which vision companies sell products are also investigating the opportunities offered by such intelligent systems. Be it in automotive, in autonomous transport vehicles, drones, the medical sector, automation, or even in sports, marketing and entertainment, embedded vision can perform tasks fast and efficiently.
In order to demonstrate this technology, to present the applications and markets for embedded vision and to create a platform for exchange of information, next year – for the first time – an entire conference will be dedicated to the topic. Embedded Vision Europe will be held in English and take place on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the International Congress Centre Stuttgart (ICS). The conference is organised by the European Machine Vision Association, together with Landesmesse Stuttgart. The North American Embedded Vision Alliance is part of the programme committee, with the conference aimed at developers and users of embedded vision systems from all sectors. It will be accompanied by an exhibition where the participating companies will present their embedded vision competence in products and applications.
The majority of machine vision providers in Europe can be satisfied with business during 2016. This is the feedback EMVA received throughout the many meetings and conversations we had at various EMVA events during the year. More than ever before, EMVA was actively involved during trade fairs and conferences. New additions this year include the forum Control Vision Talks and the European Machine Vision Forum aiming to link industry and the academic sector. These events will be continued, along with proven formats such as the EMVA business conference 2017 in Prague, and the Parma Vision Night, and will be supplemented by the Embedded Vision Europe next year. Through all these activities the EMVA event portfolio also reflects the heterogeneous structure of the machine vision sector.
