Zebra Machine Vision Solutions Simplify Traceability, Automation, and Visual Inspection

If you’re in the manufacturing, logistics, or packaging business, there’s a good chance you’re looking for ways to automate more processes and ensure traceability along the way.  There’s always pressure to increase efficiency in any operation, but changing customer and regulatory demands also call for higher levels of quality and the ability to track and trace all the parts, sub-assemblies, finished goods, and packages that move through your operations.

The good news is that things are getting a lot easier for companies that need to achieve traceability, increase automation, and even enhance quality in their business. Case in point is a new innovation in scanning and machine vision technologies that’s allowing companies to set up automated traceability, sorting, part and product counting, visual inspections, process step confirmation, and robotic palletization.  The process of configuring and deploying the right technologies to enable these improvements has also gotten vastly easier, and it’s all thanks to a new fixed industrials scanning (FIS) and machine vision (MV) platform from Zebra.

Zebra’s Fixed Industrial Scanning and Machine Vision Solutions

As a global leader in data capture since 1969, Zebra has always pushed the limits of what’s possible in tracking, traceability, and automation. But its new FIS and MV devices represent a new stage in the evolution of data capture solutions, bringing together scanning, imaging, and camera technologies with ultra-simple software to allow companies to achieve proven track-and-trace and improved quality on day one.

It all starts with Zebra’s fixed industrial scanners, which allow you to install fixed scanners on production lines, conveyor lines, or virtually any part of your manufacturing and logistics processes. These small devices can fit almost anywhere, with dimensions as tiny as 1” H x 2” D x 1.7” W or 25.4 mm x 51.0 mm x 43.0 mm.

However, despite their small size, Zebra’s fixed-position scanners pack everything you need for traceability and process automation into rugged and powerful devices that can capture virtually any 1D or 2D barcode, digital part mark (DPM), or OCR text. They’re equipped with lensing, lighting, and fully customizable focal lengths, read ranges, and other capabilities to ensure flawless data capture, even with tough lighting conditions, in tight spaces, and while parts, products, or packages are moving on conveyors.

Using these devices and Zebra’s Aurora software, scanner configuration is as simple as clicking a few buttons and using built-in tools to automate the programming process.  The result? You can get up and running with traceability for tracking, sorting, and routing on day one.  Yes, we said day one.

For example, you can scan barcodes, DPMs, or OCR text to uniquely identify and trace parts, components, or finished goods for regulatory compliance.  Or maybe you need to validate that the correct parts are being used for each stage in your manufacturing process. You can even use Zebra FIS devices to route product boxes coming through a conveyor to specific diverter lines for robotic packaging and palletization.

Zebra Machine Vision and Fixed Industrial Scanning solutions provide tremendous flexibility for different applications, even with the most customized and demanding requirements.

You can easily set up and customize a fixed scanning system that accounts for a variety of application factors:

• Barcode sizes and types
• Barcode colors
• Available light
• Scanning distance and angle
• Number of barcodes (up to 16 at once)
• Read surface area
• Available space

Zebra’s PRZM Intelligent Imaging ensures amazingly reliable data capture by extending read ranges and focal distances while allowing larger fields of view. And Zebra’s ImagePerfect+ settings allow you to adjust focus, exposure gain, and lighting to get exactly the results you need.

Whether you’re scanning tiny barcodes on circuit board subassemblies, DPMs on curved or reflective surfaces, or even damaged or poorly printed barcodes that are moving fast on conveyor belts, Zebra’s scanning technology can handle even the most difficult applications and consistently deliver impeccable results.  Download the whitepaper here to learn more.

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