Humans are equipped with a fairly advanced visual system. However, the human eye, with the ability to detect electromagnetic wavelengths only within 390 to 770 nm, is limited to a small range of visible light. In the industrial sector, such limitations to the visual threshold can expose factory workers to unseen environmental hazards and inhibit the detection of defects in mass productions, thereby increasing manufacturing costs and lowering product quality. Fortunately, technological advancements have brought upon machine vision systems, which are responsive to far broader wavelengths and can inspect object attributes too small to be detected by the human eye.

In line with this innovative breakthrough, The Imaging Source, a leading machine vision innovator, develops cameras and software that make the invisible visible. “Our mission through machine vision technology is to improve the quality of life for everyone by protecting lives and making them safer and more enjoyable,” says Sebastian Bollhorst, General Manager of The Imaging Source. With software and hardware designed in Germany, The Imaging Source boasts a wide range of products, including cameras with USB 3.1, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, GigE, MIPI interfaces and other innovative machine vision products.

With a vast range of industrial cameras to its name, The Imaging Source excels in producing standard, autofocus, zoom, and microscope product lines along with embedded vision solutions while also providing OEM models. The company operates via their offices in Europe, the US, and Asia and collaborates closely with its worldwide network of distributors to deliver personalized support services worldwide.

Valued by both systems engineers and end-users, The Imaging Source’s extensive library of software ensures hassle-free camera integration into new or existing applications within a matter of minutes.

Years of Pioneering Experience

Setting out 30 years ago as a small business in Bremen, Germany, by Rolf Bollhorst and Heiner Suhr, The Imaging Source has since jumped ahead to the forefront as a worldwide leader in the field of digital imaging. Several years of pioneering experience in this field have helped the company develop a range of cameras renowned for their high quality and ability to fulfill the performance requirements of demanding applications. Concurrently, upholding the value of their family business while being trustworthy and flexible in operation has helped the company ensure long-term cooperation with their customers.

With Asia as the main source for components and the distribution of production lines in Germany and Asia, the company has been able to gain a competitive advantage in pricing strategies and production lead time. Moreover, The Imaging Source’s valuable partnership with industry giants like Nvidia, MVTec, Sony, and ON Semiconductor has attributed to the company’s ability to provide high standard products to customers. “We are devoted to providing cameras for leading international companies who share our commitment to the highest standards of quality and dependability,” says Sebastian Bollhorst.

Staying true to their ability of making the invisible visible, The Imaging Source’s products have been instrumental in enhancing a Romanian automation solution provider’s vision systems. In cooperation with local flat-pack furniture manufacturers, the client had been designing and developing an inspection system to detect drill holes on furniture components. Finding The Imaging Source’s industrial cameras to be “easy to work within a complex automation system,” the project manager of the automation company opted to use their products in the vision systems. The client selected the DMK33GX264, GigE industrial cameras, and MVTec’s comprehensive machine vision software, HALCON, from The Imaging Source’s extensive product line. The newly installed inspection systems not only reduced the error rate for the manufacturers significantly but also, as a result, increased customer satisfaction for the companies’ largest customers, including a global furniture retailer.