Cognex Receives Record $13 Million Purchase Order from Shinkawa

Largest Single Order in Cognex History

Natick, MA, August 8, 2000-Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX), the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, has received a purchase order for more than $13 Million from Shinkawa, Ltd., the leading Japan-based manufacturer of wire and die bonding equipment for the semiconductor industry.

The $13 Million purchase order is the largest ever received by Cognex from any customer since it began operations in 1981, exceeding an order for nearly $12 Million received from Shinkawa just last year.  This new order comes on top of a $6 Million order from Shinkawa received in May of 2000, and brings the total value of orders received from Shinkawa in the past 14 months to over $30 Million.  Shinkawa expects to take delivery of all the Cognex machine vision systems covered by this order in a seven-month period starting this October.

"Cognex and Shinkawa have established a strong business relationship over the past 11 years, and we are delighted to continue helping them meet their customers' needs," said Dr. Robert J. Shillman, President, CEO, and Chairman of Cognex.  "This substantial order is a clear indication that demand remains very strong for our customers in the semiconductor capital equipment industry."

Shinkawa will integrate the Cognex vision systems into their wire bonding, die bonding, and tape bonding equipment.  These automated, high-speed, and highly accurate machines are used during the manufacture of semiconductor chips to attach and assemble semiconductor die to lead frames and other substrates.  The Cognex vision systems are an integral part of each bonding machine; they guide and monitor the bonding process by automatically determining where the connections between the die and lead frame are to be made.

Shinkawa, Ltd. is a Tokyo-based manufacturer of capital equipment used in the production of computer chips.  Established in 1959, Shinkawa has become one of the world's leading suppliers of wire bonding, die bonding, and tape bonding for the semiconductor industry.

Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision systems, or computers that can "see."  Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 100,000 machine vision systems, representing over $1 Billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981.  Cognex's Modular Vision Systems Division, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for automating the manufacture of a wide range of discrete items and for assuring their quality.  Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division, headquartered in Alameda, California, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for inspecting the surfaces of products manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metals, paper, and plastics.  In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia.  Visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.

CONTACT:
John Cacciatore
Public Relations
Cognex Corporation
(508) 650-3000, ext. 3366