July 25, 2006

The future is spelled "x-ray"
by Steve Scheiber, Contributing Technical Editor
In 2003, Teradyne divested its automated optical inspection (AOI) technology that was used for inspecting printed-circuit boards (PCBs), despite making significant advancements in the field. At the same time, the company continued to pursue x-ray inspection techniques. In this exclusive interview, Paul Groome, director of Teradyne's Automated X-Ray Group, discussed the apparent dichotomy. Read more

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IP engine and camera help NASA flight crew
Pleora Technologies has announced that its iPORT PT1000-CL Internet Protocol engine along with a camera from Adimec helped NASA assess the structural integrity of the Discovery space shuttle during its recent mission to the International Space Station. Read more

Omron sensor adds color
The new color version of the Smart Sensor, the ZFV-C, offers sensing capabilities close to human vision, including the ability to distinguish shapes and colors. Color sensing enables the ZFV-C to "see" images invisible to monochromatic sensors. Read more

Using vision to align wafer stacks
A Dalsa white paper details how one instrument maker uses two microscopes and a machine-vision system to align wafers within one micron. Read more

Camera housing dissipates heat
Basler has introduced a new "contact plane" housing variant for its eXcite cameras that is designed to maximize heat dissipation through direct metal contact. Instead of an integrated heat sink, the new housing variant provides a flat plane for mounting the camera. Read more

Firms reduce image-processing design time
Celoxica and GiDEL are joining forces to reduce the design time for high-end image-processing and machine-vision applications. Using programmable logic as a low-power coprocessor to accelerate system performance, the two firms have integrated Celoxica's ESL design environment and video IP libraries with GiDEL's high-performance FPGA+ modular digital signal processing (DSP) platforms. Read more

Cognex unveils software for In-Sight wafer readers
Cognex at Semicon West highlighted its In-Sight Explorer network automation software, which includes tools to manage a system of networked In-Sight wafer readers. The software provides controls for remote setup of wafer readers, for managing access-level permissions, and for handling network, I/O, system backup and restore, and other system-management tasks. Read more

Call for nominations: Best in Test Awards
Test & Measurement World is now accepting nominations for the 2007 Best in Test and Test of Time awards. Best in Test awards honor products and services introduced during the current year. The Test of Time award honors a product or service that has provided state-of-the-art performance for at least five years. Vendors may nominate products for either award now through November 3. Read more

July issue is available online
In his July "Test Voices" column, Brad Thompson discusses "our crumbling infrastructure" and points out some telltale signs of infrastructure decay that are common to many companies. The July "Tech Trends" columns take a look at how digital products have changed the face of audio testing and at how new developments in PC technology will affect test program development and reuse. And of course, our July issue also includes our annual Buyer's Guide, which lists more than 320 product and service categories covering the test, measurement, and inspection industries. Read more

Industry calendar of events
Upcoming events include the Vision & Robotics for Automotive Manufacturing workshop and the Vision 2006 trade fair. For more information about these and other events, visit our online calendar.

To keep up-to-date on machine-vision and inspection topics, and to read machine-vision articles from the pages of Test & Measurement World, visit the Machine Vision & Inspection section of our Website.