Quality Boosted and Zero Rejects with Vision from Cognex

Mayer & Co., a global leader in its field, has found the solution to its production problems in Cognex vision systems. While it’s something we all do possibly several times a day - opening a balcony door or window, most of us are unaware of the technology behind it. Mayer & Co., known to experts worldwide as MACO, is one of the three market leaders in the manufacture of rotary and tilting hinges for windows and doors. Using cameras from Cognex and support from Buxbaum Automation, MACO was able to find the perfect solution to optimizing their production process, resulting in a near total reduction of rejects. Motivated by their successes with the Cognex DVT 510 series, the MACO engineers will be relying on Cognex quality for other production areas and lines in the future, especially given that they were the first company industry-wide to be certified to DIN ISO 9001 by the AGQS.

The components are manufactured exclusively at the company’s main plants in Salzburg and Trieben. MACO distributes its products through an extensive worldwide network, with Europe as its main focus. Both the plant in Salzburg (the company’s headquarters and home to its product development center) and the plant in Trieben possess state of the art tool making facilities. Specialty machines such as assembly equipment are designed and produced in-house. MACO has always derived its success from the quality of its products, and thusly, all products undergo stringent monitoring and improvement processes, from development to production to delivery. 

The right vision system for the task at hand
For two years, MACO had tested numerous vision technologies without a satisfactory resolution of the problem at hand. The company faced a particular challenge due to the necessity for a vision system to detect whether a work piece has been inserted with the correct side facing upwards. If the piece is incorrectly positioned, the camera immediately sends an error message to the machine controller. A separate mechanism then rotates the gear to the correct position and it can then be processed as normal. 

MACO solved its dilemma by fitting a DVT 510 camera sensor from Cognex on the machine. A recess in the gears allows the camera to immediately detect whether the piece is facing the correct direction. The automation engineers from MACO confirmed that, “With the camera sensors from Cognex and support from Buxbaum Automation, we were finally able to find a perfect solution to our problem. Rejects have been reduced to practically zero. This has ultimately convinced our process managers to make further investments in this technology”. They continued, “The technical capabilities of the Cognex DVT 510 – such as the Ethernet port, compatibility with standard bus systems, remote operation in real time, CMOS image chip, 32 MB DRAM data memory, 8 MB Flash memory and the Intellect camera software – were crucial in overcoming the issues we faced. The software is easy to operate yet provides optimum scope for adjustment. At the end of the day it was not the price that mattered most to us; it was quality and expert advice”.

Motivated by the success with the Cognex DVT 510 series, the MACO engineers will be relying on Cognex quality for other production areas and lines in the future.

About Buxbaum Automation
Buxbaum Automation is one of the leading suppliers of industrial communication technology and vision systems for manufacturing industry. With its international partners Woodhead Software and Electronics, Contemporary Controls, Trebing & Himstedt, ProSoft, Softing, Cognex, Büchner Lichtsysteme, Vision Components, Tamron and Fujinon, the Eisenstadt, Germany-based company can offer a broad range of high-quality products in the areas of network technology, field bus systems and vision. Backed up by process know-how, years of experience and expert staff, Buxbaum Automation is ideally placed to supply complete communication solutions for industrial applications.

About Cognex
COGNEX designs, develops, produces and sells machine-based vision systems and computers which allow machines to see "intelligently". Cognex is the world's leading supplier of machine-based vision systems, with over 450,000 systems already supplied, corresponding to a cumulative turnover of over $2.5 billion since the company was founded in 1981. The Modular Vision Systems Division of Cognex is based in Natick, Massachusetts, and specializes in machine-based vision systems used in the automated production and quality assurance of individual parts. The Surface Inspection Systems Division headquartered in Alameda, California, concentrates on the high-speed surface inspection of sheet product made of metal, paper and plastic. In addition to the headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, there are other subsidiaries in North America, Japan, Europe and South-East Asia. Further information can be found on our website at http://www.cognex.com.