One downside with machine vision is that it performs so well we sometimes forget it requires maintenance in some situations. In the last couple of months we have assisted two customers whose systems were starting to act erratically.
In one case the system had been running for about two years and the other unit had been running for about four months. What did they have in common? Dirty lenses.
As vision systems become more sophisticated with higher resolutions, sub pixel processing, and better optics, it is becoming more important to insure the camera lenses stay clean.
Just wiping the lens may not be enough. Use a pre-moistened lens cleaning wipe. These wipes will clean off oils and contaminants where other methods are not effective.
