Company: Cognex

Website: www.cognex.com

Technology Snapshot: Cognex Corporation announced the broadest suite of ESD-Safe Barcode Readers available on the market, as well as its In-Sight 7000 series, a suite of ultra-rugged, highly modular standalone vision systems. DataMan 360, 150/260 and 50 series fixed-mount readers, as well as DataMan 8050HD/HDX corded handheld readers now offer models with ESD-safe housing to prevent damage to components that are electrostatic discharge sensitive.

ESD—the sudden flow of static electricity between two objects—can damage electronic devices, spark explosions or fires in flammable environments and cause data failures. Cognex ESD-Safe Barcode Readers combine ESD-safe plastics for all enclosure parts with an antistatic coating for all optical parts to prevent costly damage to components.

“Electrostatic discharge is a costly threat to a broad range of industries, including electronics, semiconductors and medical devices,” says Carl Gerst, senior vice president, ID Products. “ESD costs the electronics industry billions of dollars each year by affecting production yields, product quality and customer satisfaction. Cognex designed this line of ESD-safe readers to help customers meet strict ESD safety requirements, and also minimize damage to valuable electronics components.”

DataMan fixed-mount barcode readers also offer industry-leading read rates with patented 1-D and 2-D code reading algorithms to read the most challenging and degraded codes. DataMan 8050HD/HDX corded handheld readers are designed to reliably decode challenging 2-D direct part mark (DPM) codes as well as 1-D barcodes. The rugged ESD protective housing ensures ESD safety in even the harshest industrial environments.

DataMan ESD-Safe Barcode Readers are available now. For more information, go to www.cognex.com/esd-safe.


The second generation In-Sight 7000 series represents a breakthrough in performance, flexibility and ease of integration. This powerful new vision system performs fast and precise inspections that keeps pace with increasing line speeds, while its compact form factor easily fits into space-constrained production lines. The In-Sight 7000’s unique, modular design offers over 400 different field configurations making it the most flexible vision system available.

“This is the industry’s first fully-customizable vision system,” says Joerg Kuechen, senior vice president, vision products at Cognex. “The modular lighting and optics, including field-changeable autofocus, minimize the need for external lighting and allow users to configure the system to their unique requirements which also helps minimize downtime when production line requirements change.”

The rugged In-Sight 7000 is IP67-rated and includes Flexible Image Technology. This complete vision system features a patent-pending LED ring light that produces even, diffused illumination across the entire image, eliminating the need for costly external lighting. A variety of light colors, optical filters and polarizers can easily be swapped in to meet specific application requirements. Plus, the wide range of field-changeable C-mount and S-mount lenses and industrial, mechanical autofocus lens options enhance versatility.

Like all Cognex In-Sight vision systems, the In-Sight 7000 uses In-Sight Explorer to set up and monitor machine vision inspections. This software includes the EasyBuilder® interface for easy step-by-step application setup and the In-Sight spreadsheet view for greater control. The system also includes a full set of powerful In-Sight vision tools, including PatMax RedLine pattern matching technology, OCRMax™ optical character recognition and SurfaceFX feature extraction technology.

In-Sight 7000 series vision systems are available now.