The industrially proven software products from MVTec Software GmbH, a world leader in standard software for machine vision, are widely used in all demanding areas of imaging such as semi-conductor industry, web inspection, quality control and inspection applications. MVTec has more than 30 established distributors throughout North and South-America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Outlining the growth-oriented company technology in an interaction with MOTORINDIA at Automatica 2014, Mr. Tjark Nikolai, Technical Sales Manager, MVTec Software GmbH, said: “MVTec is a technology-driven company started in 1996. We are one of the leading manufacturers of software technology in machine vision. We have more than 80 employees and two offices. Our headquarter is located in Munich, Germany, where all our development work is done. We have also a sales and support team in Boston, USA. HALCON is our main product for machine vision applications. We are pleased to introduce MERLIC, which we are showcasing for the first time at the trade fair Automatica”.
The newly-introduced MERLIC is an all-in-one machine vision software product that enables users to quickly build complete solutions without programming. It offers a radically new user experience with novel interaction concepts, an image-centered user interface and many easy-to-use tools. It is an all-in-one, PC-based solution, enabling the customer to build complete machine vision applications with integrated PLC communication and graphical user interface. The software includes many standard vision tools such as calibration, alignment, measurement, counting, checking, reading, position determination, and defect detection. It can also be extended with customized, user-defined tools. The software is scheduled for release in 2015.
”The well known product HALCON is a comprehensive standard software for machine vision with an integrated development environment (IDE) that is used worldwide.” Said Mr. Nikolai: “In South-East Asia, our focus is more on the semi-conductor industry. We enjoy to work with Indian partners who can support our products in the country. Currently, MVTec has two channel partners in India, Menzel Vision & Robotics in Mumbai and Lucid Imaging in Bangalore. We have major customers in the automotive industry and our software is found to have good use in the aftermarket applications like wheel alignment as well”.
As a driving force in industrial automation and an early adopter of industrial robots on its production lines, the automotive manufacturing industry continues to push technology innovation in machine vision. Precise calibration between robot and camera, accurate 2D and 3D object detection and pose determination in 3D space, meticulous inspection, and reliable track and trace capabilities allow manufacturers to further automate production processes. As a result, manufacturers can ramp up production rates, drive down costs and improve the product quality. Furthermore, the company is enabling future automotive technologies like vision-based driver assistance, lane departure and obstacle detection warning systems.
MERLIC, which will be launched in India soon, will prove much advantageous for the automotive sector in the country. MVTec’s software is one of the best selling in the machine industry worldwide and has seen constant growth. “Last year we had a 10 per cent growth for our products in India”, added Mr. Nikolai.
At the global level, 30 per cent of MVTec’s business comes from the automotive sector, another 30 per cent from semi-conductors and the balance from the other segments.