Total machine vision sales in North America climbed 23 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2012, according to new statistics from industry trade group, the AIA. However, there are mixed views from the industry regarding the trade of machine vision systems heading into the next year.
Total machine vision sales include machine vision systems and components. The machine vision systems category, which includes application specific machine vision systems (ASMV) and smart cameras, continued driving overall growth with a 25 per cent increase over the third quarter of 2012.
The machine vision components category also rose in the third quarter of 2013, growing 10 per cent compared to the third quarter of last year. Cameras, lighting, and imaging boards all increased from the third quarter of 2012, while optics and software decreased mildly.
Opinions from the industry relating to machine vision sales in the coming months were varied, explained Alex Shikany, director of market analysis at AIA: ‘Sentiment from industry experts is mixed regarding machine vision sales heading into next year. For machine vision components, 71 per cent of industry experts believe we will see an increase in sales over the next six months. However, nearly three quarters of the experts expect total system sales to be flat.’
However, continued growth gives confidence of a promising fourth quarter, according to Jeff Burnstein, president of AIA: ‘We are happy to see the machine vision market in North America continue its growth this year. We have now seen three consecutive quarters of growth, and with manufacturing indicators in North America remaining strong into the fourth quarter, we are optimistic about what the year-end results will show.’
