Systems Integration

VAIA Technologies understands that in today’s challenging customer environments, truly effective system integration means going well beyond traditional definitions in order to deliver value in all facets of the customer interaction.

Customer Requirements

Our engagement starts well before we receive an order from the customer. By getting a good understanding of Customer Requirements, we can utilize our vast experience to provide input on:

  • Problem Statement – We talk to the customer to get a full understanding of the key issues that need to be solved and how they’re currently being addressed. Are the primary goals cost reduction? Brand protection? Improved Quality? – Understanding these issues will help the VAIA team select the best technological approach
  • Vision Inspection Network Architecture and Design – Even though this might be the first corporate purchase of a vision inspection system, spending some time up-front, thinking about how a wider deployment might look across multiple production lines or even sites, can be very valuable. Informing the design process now, can help customers avoid ‘network-limiting’ short term choices, and reserve maximum potential for future system flexibility and scalability.
  • System Requirements – Designing any inspection system requires consideration of many sometimes conflicting requirements. Accuracy, Reliability, repeatability, ease of use, security, data management, support and of course price are all key considerations when specifying a machine vision inspection system. VAIA can draw on years of experience and hundreds of deployed systems to walk the customers through the various options and trade-offs of each.
  • Return on Investment and Payback – Our vision investment calculators can help customers navigate internal capital appropriation processes and help ensure that the full benefit of investing in an automated vision system can be fairly modeled and assessed.
  • Project Management – Many customers have outsourced or cut back on internal technical or engineering resources as part of efforts to focus on core competencies. VAIA’s experienced team is well equipped to take on the enhanced responsibilities of installation related site level local contractor management or 3rd party OEM equipment integration.

Development and Design

While the purchase of one of our standard field-proven systems may only require limited design work, more and more customers are asking us to develop and apply vision inspection solutions for very new and previously untried or untested applications – And we’re happy to help.

Every engagement starts with a robust site survey which includes a VAIA specialist ‘reverse engineering’ a 3D CAD model of the installation site. While a significant investment on the part of VAIA, we believe this unique and detailed approach to initiating the project, provides enormous payback downstream. The site model will include all equipment and fixtures in the proximity of the ‘new’ vision system and the model becomes the center piece of all future design related reviews and interlock. Customer stakeholders such as Safety, Facilities, Engineering, Operations and Maintenance can now participate in highly visual and detailed reviews of the development process which fosters internal ownership and interlock and minimizes the chances of 11th hour mistakes and omissions.

It’s very common during the development of custom or leading edge solutions using 3D Vision or other technologies, that the best or optimal approach for some aspects of the project isn’t immediately obvious at the outset of the project. At project outset, VAIA will meet with the customer team to assess the relative risk of the various project components (software, vision, motion/handling, mechanical solution, etc.) and jointly evaluate each component and the need to proceed down one of several enhanced or alternate development paths. VAIA’s team is skilled at walking the customer through these various options to ensure that clear communication and common expectations. VAIA’s key development processes involve use of our multi technology vision, automation and test laboratory combined with 3D printing capability that allow us to rapidly design, build and test prototype system components in simulated customer conditions. This ‘fast failure’ process allows us to work with the customer to evaluate multiple ideas simultaneously or in rapid succession, rejecting those that don’t work in days vs the several months that it might take using traditional methods.

Vision Systems Integration

With hundreds of field proven installations, VAIA’s skilled team will ensure that the right technology is selected and integrated for each facet of the customer project:

  • Machine Vision – 2D/3D, Line-scan / Area-scan), lighting, lensing, smart camera / simple camera, X-Ray, IR, etc.
  • Mechanical Solution – Mechanical structure, motion/handling system, robotics, PLC, product rejection/alarm, control panel, wash-down capable (optional)
  • Software Solution – User Interface, recipe management, reporting & dashboards, data management

Contact Us and see how VAIA Technologies can help design and deliver an integrated machine vision inspection solution to meet your needs.