Up and running

Cognex achieved preferred supplier status with Ford Motor Co. to supply the Dearborn, Mich.-based manufacturer with In-Sight vision sensors for Ford's global powertrain operations. The sensors will read 2D code marked directly on parts for tracking during the manufacturing process. Cognex also will supply Bremen, Germany-based Johann A. Krause Machinefabrik, an assembly & test systems supplier to the automotive industry, with machine vision systems to perform ID code reading, part detection, part inspection, and assembly verification. PC-based vision systems also will be used to inspect sealant beads.

Thales Avionics says its use of Visiprise Manufacturing, a manufacturing execution solution (MES), will benefit Thales via suggestions for fault diagnosis and repair information, and tracking repaired items throughout the manufacturing process. Genealogy and test & repair-loop management are high-priority items for Thales. And according to Gary Fortune, operations engineering manager, Westinghouse Rail Systems, "Visiprise's verified defect capabilities will significantly reduce our repair-loop work-in-process." The MES at Westinghouse compares the result of circuit boards that did not pass testing—and undergo retesting—to the result of the prior test, and determines exactly which repair action successfully corrected the failure. This information is added to the solution database, which reduces rework.