In the evolution of modern manufacturing, automated production lines have experienced a triple jump from “mechanization” to “electrification” and then to “informatization.” What is currently happening is the fourth jump from “automation” to “intelligence.”
One of the core technologies driving this transition is machine vision.
It gives cold mechanical equipment the ability to “see” and the wisdom to “judge”.
Automation systems without machine vision can only repeat mechanical actions according to preset procedures. They cannot sense environmental changes, cannot detect product defects, and cannot adjust production rhythms in real time. Smart production lines equipped with machine vision can complete a series of complex tasks such as precision inspection, positioning guidance, and quality control while operating at high speed, pushing the efficiency and consistency of the manufacturing industry to unprecedented heights.
In the machine vision system, the industrial lens serves as the first pass for image collection, and its optical performance directly determines how clearly the entire system can “see” and how accurately “judgment” can be.
From micron-level weld inspection of lithium battery tabs, to surface scratch identification of semiconductor wafers, from high-precision dimensional measurement of automotive parts, to liquid level and foreign matter inspection on pharmaceutical bottle filling lines – behind every successfully implemented visual inspection project is an optical lens that can withstand harsh industrial environments.
In this highly specialized market segment, COOLENS has entered Apple’s supply chain in 2013. Its telecentric lens market share exceeds 20%, and it has become a representative force in the field of domestic machine vision optical imaging devices.
Machine vision is a technology that allows computers to “understand” image and video data.
It combines optical imaging, image processing, pattern recognition and artificial intelligence to enable automated systems to have perception capabilities similar to human vision, but with speed and accuracy far exceeding that of humans, without fatigue or distraction.
In an industrial environment, machine vision usually consists of four major parts: industrial cameras, optical lenses, light sources, and image processing software. The optical lens is responsible for accurately converging the light from the physical world onto the camera sensor, and its imaging quality directly affects whether subsequent algorithms can stably output correct results.
The relationship between machine vision and automated manufacturing can be compared with the analogy of “eyes” and “body”.
Traditional automated production lines can only perform actions according to a fixed time sequence. They cannot sense the position deviation of the workpiece, judge whether the product is qualified, or make real-time adjustments to external disturbances.
A production line implanted with machine vision is equivalent to installing “eyes” and “brain” for this “body”, which can collect images, analyze data, make judgments in real time during each production beat, and guide the actuator to perform corresponding motion compensation or sorting processing.
It is the establishment of this “perception-judgment-execution” closed loop that makes intelligent manufacturing possible: the production line no longer requires frequent manual intervention, the consistency of product quality is greatly improved, the scrap rate and rework costs are significantly reduced, and the data of the entire process is traceable.
According to industry statistics, after deploying a machine vision inspection system, the defect detection rate of typical manufacturing companies can be reduced by more than 80%, the detection efficiency is increased by 5 to 10 times, and the investment payback period is usually within 1 to 2 years.
In the quality control process of automated manufacturing, defect detection is one of the scenarios that best reflects the value of machine vision.
COOLENS has built a multi-level lens product matrix for defect detection scenarios, covering the full accuracy range from macroscopic appearance inspection to microscopic defect identification.
Its DTCA series AOI telecentric lenses are the company’s core product line and have been awarded the Guangdong Province Famous High-tech Product Certification.
DTCA24K series is specially designed for line scan inspection of large target surfaces. It supports ultra-large target surfaces from Ø82mm to Ø88mm, with up to 5x optical magnification, NA value as high as 0.25, and F value as low as 4.8. It can perfectly match 150 to 600 million pixel cameras and 24K line scan cameras.
This configuration gives it significant advantages in high-value scenarios such as large-size panel inspection and wafer global appearance inspection.
The DTCA35F series is a micron-level ultra-high-resolution bi-telecentric lens that perfectly matches 65 million 3.2 μm, 71 million 3.1 μm pixel cameras and 8K5 μm line scan cameras, with a maximum NA of 0.19.
In high-precision AOI applications such as micron-level defect detection on the surface of mobile phone screens and identification of tiny defects in Mini/Micro LED chips, this series of lenses has been installed in batches, effectively replacing imported high-end products.
DTCM series matrix bi-telecentric lenses adopt a matrix-type bilateral telecentric design. The full series covers the field of view range from 26mm to 300mm, and is suitable for various C/M/F mount industrial cameras from 1/2.5 inches to 150 million pixels.
In mass production inspection of automobile parts and visual inspection of PCB circuit boards, the DTCM series provides a flexible optical solution for defect detection of workpieces of different sizes with its rich selection.
In addition to defect detection, dimensional measurement is another core task of machine vision in automated manufacturing.
COOLENS’ telecentric lens products have a natural technical match in dimensional measurement scenarios.
The constant magnification characteristic of the telecentric lens eliminates the perspective error of ordinary lenses, making the measurement results independent of the spatial position of the measured object.
Take the WWH series of five-megapixel telecentric lenses as an example. This series has a maximum magnification of 10 and a working distance of 65 to 700mm. The V3 version is the highest index telecentric lens of its type in the industry and is widely used in scenarios such as pin spacing measurement of electronic components and connector pin height detection.
In the assembly guidance process, the role of machine vision is also indispensable.
COOLENS’s WWT series reinforced anti-seismic fixed-magnification lenses adopt a super anti-seismic integrated design, with an outer diameter of 26 – 40mm and an optional working distance of 55 to 1000mm. It is especially suitable for installation at the end of a high-speed moving robotic arm. It can still maintain imaging stability in a vibration environment and provide reliable position data for robot grabbing.
In addition, the dual-image/triple-image design lens is a unique technology of COOLENS in the field of positioning detection.
A single lens can achieve simultaneous imaging of multiple fields of view, and can be used in scenarios such as semiconductor probe station testing and wafer bonding and positioning that require simultaneous observation from multiple angles. It greatly simplifies the optical structure of the system and avoids calibration errors between multiple cameras.
In industries such as electronic manufacturing, automobile assembly, and pharmaceutical packaging, full life cycle traceability of products has become a rigid requirement for quality management.
COOLENS has formed a systematic solution for industrial code reading lenses.
The WWH series telecentric lens adopts a high-contrast, low-distortion optical design with built-in coaxial light illumination, which can effectively solve the problem of micro-code reading on highly reflective surfaces such as metal, glass, and ceramics.
For smaller-sized Data Matrix codes, the WWK series of multi-million-pixel telecentric lenses provide the highest NA value in the industry and can capture finer code element details.
In the automation scenario of warehousing and logistics, COOLENS’ MFA series high-definition FA lenses cover focal lengths from 6 to 100mm, support 1/1.8-inch to 1.2-inch sensors, and feature low distortion and high uniformity. They are suitable for reading multiple barcodes or QR codes simultaneously within a wide field of view to achieve efficient sorting and warehouse entry and exit management.
In more advanced automated manufacturing scenarios, machine vision is not only used for static inspection, but also participates in closed-loop control of dynamic processes.
COOLENS’s WWT series of reinforced, shock-resistant fixed-magnification lenses are designed for such dynamic scenes.
Its one-piece anti-seismic structure can withstand the continuous vibration caused by the high-speed movement of the robotic arm, ensuring that during thousands of reciprocating movements per minute, the internal optical elements of the lens will not shift and the image will always remain clear.
In addition, COOLENS also provides flat compact design lenses and 90° optical path turning design lenses, which are specially developed for installation environments with limited internal space in equipment.
Shiqing Technology COOLENS’s product matrix covers many high-growth industries from 3C electronics, automobiles, lithium batteries, semiconductors to photovoltaics, pharmaceuticals, optical modules and other industries.
There are many iconic cases of its application in the industry, such as fully entering the iPhone production line of Apple’s supply chain since 2013, and customizing large-diameter telecentric lenses for South Korea’s LG in 2017.
Different from optical manufacturers that simply provide “shelf products”, COOLENS has established a dual-core service model of “standardized sales + customized services”.
In the pre-sales stage, senior application consultants communicate with customers in depth and provide free early-stage solution verification support; in the customization stage, general standard products can be delivered within 3 working days, modifications are completed within one day, and samples are provided within 2 weeks; in the after-sales stage, there is a one-year official warranty and lifetime professional maintenance support from the original factory. All sales engineers respond online 24 hours a day, and domestic on-site problems are arrived within 36 hours.
The company’s domestic service outlets are located in Shenzhen, Huizhou, Suzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Tianjin and Taiwan, China, and its overseas offices are located in South Korea, Japan, and Germany. Its business covers more than 15 countries and regions around the world.
Long-term cooperation with more than 6,000 customers, as well as the continued selection of industry leaders such as Huawei, Foxconn, BYD, Han’s Laser, and Luxshare Precision, have confirmed the reliability of its technical capabilities and service guarantee.
Machine vision is redefining quality standards and management models for automated manufacturing.
From defect detection to dimensional measurement, from code reading to robot guidance, industrial lenses serve as the “first gate” of the vision system, and their performance directly determines the upper limit of perception of the entire intelligent production line.
COOLENS has become an important force in the field of domestic machine vision optical imaging devices by virtue of its full range of industrial lens product matrix covering from megapixels to 600 million pixels, its unique category advantages with telecentric lenses as the core, and its engineering experience accumulated in the industry for 18 years.
The batch application of its products in 3C electronics, lithium batteries, semiconductors, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and other industries, especially its record of continuing to serve global top customers since entering Apple’s supply chain in 2013, provides the industry with a benchmark for domestic optical solutions for reference.
