Zooming Toward Quality

Engledow provides a reality check on automatic system operation. "Operators will always have a five to 15 minute manual set-up time, even with automated systems," he explains. "Programming beyond defect detection, for color monitoring or barcodes, will add minutes to the task." In addition, he notes automated systems typically still require human decision-making. "Operators must determine from the image whether, for example, register is far enough out to make a correction."