Outokumpu Integrates Cognex Machine Vision on Copper Line

NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001--Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX), the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, announced today that Outokumpu Oyj, one of the world's largest producers of copper and stainless steel, has integrated Cognex's SmartView(TM) web inspection system at their manufacturing facility in Finspang, Sweden.

Outokumpu will use the SmartView system to perform quality inspection on its high-speed copper line. The Cognex vision system, which was up and running on the first day of installation, will inspect the copper for defects such as pinholes, flakes, stains, and discoloration. SmartView will enable operators to detect defects as small as 200 microns in size.

'With its ability to detect the most minute pinholes at full production speeds, SmartView eliminates leaks in the copper strip - one of the most troublesome defects for companies like Outokumpu,' said Markku Jaaskelainen, General Manager of Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division. 'Significant process improvements like these result in increased overall output.'

SmartView is a state-of-the-art web inspection system that is used to automatically detect, identify, and display defects in metals and other materials as they are being produced. Cognex has sold over 100 SmartView systems since its release in February, 2000, making it the most successful product launch in the history of Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division.

Founded in Finland in the early 1900s, Outokumpu Oyj is currently recognized as a worldwide leader in base metals production, stainless steel, copper products, and technology.

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 150,000 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 that are 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.

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Cognex Corporation
John Cacciatore
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