Matrox Imaging has launched Matrox Design Assistant 2.3, the latest release of its integrated development environment (IDE) for the Matrox Iris GT smart camera. Design Assistant 2.3 offers many new features and enhancements including a bead inspection tool and simplified fixturing, as well as support for Microsoft Windows 7. This release is follows on from Design Assistant 2.2, which enabled the use of the built-in keyboard, video (monitor) and mouse (KVM) capabilities.
The software's bead tool inspects material applied as a continuous sinuous bead, such as adhesives and sealants, and identifies discrepancies in application length, placement and width, as well as discontinuities. The allowable bead width, offset, gap and overall acceptance measure can be adjusted to meet specific inspection criteria.
For applications where mechanical fixturing of parts is impractical, the software's simplified fixturing automatically positions the region of interest (ROI) for a measurement or reading tool using the results from a locating tool.
This latest version of Design Assistant offers improved project switching capabilities, support for Modbus master mode for controlling automation devices, and simplified flowchart branching using the switch-case element. The Design Assistant 2.3 IDE can now be installed and used on 32- or 64-bit Windows 7.
