Industrial automation solutions, such as fixed industrial scanners and machine vision cameras are a great way to automate processes, traceability, and visual inspections, but historically they’ve also come with some common problems and headaches.
To get the right results and capture the barcodes, OCR text, and images that companies need, you often have to connect multiple scanning and machine vision devices, and they’re often complicated and difficult to set up and manage with clunky and outdated software.
That’s why Zebra Technologies, a global leader in automated data capture and imaging solutions, recently entered the game with an entirely new and innovative approach that puts an end to the most common issues with fixed scanning and machine vision technologies.
Zebra’s new hardware provides fixed industrial scanning and machine vision in one platform, with dual-purpose devices that can be used for fixed scanning or machine vision.
You can also capture up to 16 images, each with its own settings, all from a single trigger event. And Zebra lets you manage it all with one modern, easy-to-use software platform that makes it incredibly easy to set up, deploy, and run even the most complex jobs.
It’s all part of Zebra’s revolutionary new approach, which has finally delivered real solutions to the common problems of fixed scanning and machine vision.
Here are five of those typical challenges and the five ways that Zebra has managed to eliminate them:
One of the biggest problems with most fixed scanners and machine vision cameras is that their software is complicated, hard to learn, and often has cumbersome interfaces that seem like they were designed in the 1990s.
However, with Zebra fixed industrial scanners and machine vision cameras, you use just one modern and easy-to-use software program to set up, deploy, and run your devices. Zebra’s Aurora software is designed for all users—from beginners to experts—using an extremely simple and intuitive interface with sliders and radio buttons to control every setting.
You can get a device and a job up and running with a few clicks, and there are built-in tutorials and how-to videos to guide you along, so you can actually learn the software as you set up your first jobs.
To meet different fixed scanning and machine vision needs, companies typically have to buy multiple devices, often from different manufacturers with different software, connectivity, and setup, which makes things complicated and difficult to manage.
But Zebra provides fixed scanning and machine vision in a single hardware platform. There are different models of devices for specific scanning and imaging needs, but you don’t need to buy fixed industrial scanners and machine vision cameras separately to handle all your needs.
Zebra’s fixed industrial scanners can be converted to machine vision sensors by simply upgrading your software license. The capabilities are already built in and can be unlocked when you need access. And with Zebra, you set up, deploy, and run all your devices and jobs with one software program.
Another common challenge with fixed scanning or machine vision is that you can set up your job correctly and get it working great, but if you later see problems or issues with your images, it can be difficult to figure out why they’re happening.
With Zebra’s Golden Image Compare, Zebra’s Aurora software will automatically capture a “golden image” showing the correct scan or image when you first set up your job.
In the future, if anything goes wrong and you’re not seeing the results you expect, you can compare your future images against this golden image to determine specifically what has gone wrong and how to adjust your device accordingly.
Yet another common headache with fixed scanners and machine vision cameras is that they can have a hard time scanning multiple barcodes or capturing multiple images, especially under different distances, angles, and other factors.
This often requires the purchase of multiple cameras or complex job changes where you have to change the job and change the focus of the lens and other settings in your PLC.
With Zebra’s ImagePerfect+, you can capture up to 16 images, each with its own settings, all from a single trigger. There’s one trigger event and one output, with powerful settings to handle every image individually, and it all happens without buying additional cameras or having to make job changes in your PLC.
For many scanning and machine vision jobs, you want to output your real-time results to a display monitor. But most solutions require you to buy a separate, expensive industrial PC just to port your images to a display.
With Zebra’s FS40 and FS70 fixed industrial scanners or VS40 and VS70 machine vision smart sensors, you don’t need a separate PC. You can just buy a monitor and connect your devices directly to your display with a USB-C to HDMI cable.
Where to Learn More About Zebra Fixed Scanning and Machine Vision
We’ve covered just five of the many ways that Zebra’s fixed industrial scanners and machine vision sensors have revolutionized and simplified industrial automation.
If you need to boost high-quality output and automate traceability, processes, and visual inspections in your operations, we highly recommend these breakthrough devices.
To learn more, click here.