Quality control is under more pressure today than ever before: It must operate flexibly, precisely and economically. Industries such as automotive, mechanical engineering and electronics manufacturing test a growing variety of components — often under changing conditions and with minimal time for complex integrations. This is precisely where preML's inspection solution comes in. It can be quickly integrated, is intuitive to use and enables even users without image processing knowledge to create artificial intelligence (AI)-supported inspection models. Their modular design has proven itself in electronic assemblies, plastic parts and many other industrial applications. The system is supplied as a complete, modular kit – with camera, lighting, edge computing and pre-installed software. This makes it a genuine plug-and-play solution for industrial quality control.
At the heart of the system is the IDS uEye XC industrial camera. Its 13-megapixel sensor delivers detailed images, while the autofocus ensures consistent sharpness — even with changing component heights, variable working distances or different surfaces.
Practical inspection — from plastic parts to circuit boards
In live operation of the preML Vision Lab software, the uEye XC captures a plastic dowel, for example, and automatically checks it for deviations. Test models can be created, managed and evaluated in real time directly on the device.
uEye XC — Image quality and ease of use
Source: IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbHJürgen Hejna, product manager 2D machine vision at IDS, described it as follows: “The uEye XC is designed for users who require reliable image quality without significant integration effort. The autofocus camera automatically focuses and enables perfect distance adjustment. Its sensor delivers 20 fps at full resolution and, thanks to BSI technology, can also cope with changing lighting conditions.” A quick-change macro attachment lens extends its use at close range: It reduces the minimum object distance and enables the precise detection of small structures, from conductor tracks to material defects and geometric deviations. Features such as digital zoom, auto white balance and color correction support reliable detail checks.
“Depending on the inspection requirements, up to four uEye XC cameras can be used per system to map multi-sided inspection processes, complex geometries or combined surface and detail inspections,” explained David Fehrenbach. “The uEye XC fits perfectly with our system philosophy: It automatically delivers images without our users having to struggle with optical parameters.”
The system is supplied with a compact edge computing unit. It operates completely independently, requires no internet connection and is therefore ideal for isolated production environments. The pre-installed preML Vision Lab software runs as a web application directly on the device. It is designed as a no-code solution and enables the training and execution of test models without programming knowledge. Models can be adapted to new products in just a few minutes, which saves time, especially in production with many variants.
Use at TOP: Quality control without expert knowledge
The solution can be adapted to new products in just a few minutes; test models can be created and expanded without any programming knowledge. Fehrenbach explained: “Our solution combines the best of both worlds: the performance of turnkey inspection systems with the flexibility of customizable software functions. At the same time, it impresses with the operating logic and cost-effectiveness of a smart camera.”
Market development: Flexibility, cost-effectiveness, independence
The system thus opens up new possibilities not only for today's testing processes. It also lays the foundation for future, even more flexible inspection solutions, ranging from automated series testing to fully self-learning quality control. The next step in development is integration into robotics and automation solutions in order to further network testing processes and fully automate them.
