Desktop Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) System

30 November 2012 - Prueftechnik Schneider & Koch presents a new AOI tabletop system. In spite of its compact size, the LaserVision Compact 4 offers technical characteristics that could be found only in large inline systems until now. The innovative chassis that comes in a completely new look houses inside a wealth of technical innovations. Heart of the new Laser Vision Compact 4 is the rotating camera head to inspect boards and components of any mounting angle.

The Laser Vision Compact 4 is the only tabletop system on the market which has a rotatable measurement unit that enables a 360° panoramic view on all components.

Speed for high throughput

The camera head consists of 4 side looking cameras in addition to the top camera. Speed advantages are resulting from the simultaneous rotation of all side looking cameras by +/- 45° in 1° increments. Thus all desired angle can be achieved in a shorter time than if a single camera performs a full 360° rotation. The camera modules are equipped with innovative optics and deliver sharp images at high speed. The image quality is enhanced by the new lighting concept, which is composed of a total of 10 lighting units. So 1 top light, 8 side lighting modules and a so-called coaxial light that is introduced through the lens generate optimal conditions for accurate measurements. Together with the use of a telecentric lens, images turn out to be very sharp, distortion-free and without parallax errors.

The speed advantages in comparison to other systems are not only based on the rotatable measurement unit, but also on the use of a new axis technology. The axis are working with a walking speed of 600 mm/s and an acceleration of up to 1g. The accuracy of the drive measuring system ensures a very precise setting of the target positions and a high repeatability.

Enlarged working area and performance

The Laser Vision Compact 4 has, like its predecessor, an automatic drawer with a flexible adapter for PCBs. Additionally, the new Laser Vision Compact 4 has an automatically retractable front panel that allows an easy handling. Despite its compact size with unchanged dimensions, the working area of the new system was increased by 27% to 400 x 500 mm. Thus, inspection of much larger PCBs can be performed. The LaserVision Compact 4 comes with a separate controller for real-time processing that is precisely aligned to the requirements of the new system to ensure a high performance. The program compatibility to the previous tabletop and inline systems is maintained.