A clear visionrecent trends & requirements towards flexible manufacturing combined with quality control has pushed the use of vision system technology into process lines and component handling systems such as bowl feeders. Mick keane, technical director at rna, explains each application belowinspection systems vision systems are widely used to examine component parts in detail and evaluate the image to make acceptfail decisions. It performs data collection to assist quality control by identifying &lsquotrends&rsquo...... Sorting systems the use of a vision system gives the possibility to sort different component parts or a range of components into groups or individual tracks. It removes the need for mechanical orientation devices and can provide a simple and reliable feed system...... Vision guided robotics robotic handling systems can automate your production line where small batch runs and sensitive difficult components have normally been impossible or to costly to automate...... Full article