Reduce Costs with Custom Machine Vision, Medical, or Rugged Cameras

Cameras that are optimized to the imaging system can offer performance advantages and reduced system costs. For the most efficient custom camera, seek suppliers that combine engineering services and series production.

When the exact camera you need is not available on the market, you have 3 options: build it yourself, build a workaround in the imaging system, or pay a supplier to customize their camera to your specifications. An immediate reaction to the term customization is that it will be more expensive than an off-the-shelf solution. But a careful analysis of the total cost (Cost Of Ownership) shows the opposite often to be true.

System redesigns, workarounds, and software adjustments for inadequate quality and functionality are often inefficient and costly in the end. Building it yourself may sound good at first since you will have total control over the product, but when you require leading edge technology, working with a camera specialist can save huge amounts of time by eliminating the learning curve.

Utilizing an optimized camera from the start allows for more focus on your core technologies and eliminates the need for your own additional design work. When you deal with lengthy product life cycles in your industry, custom cameras also provide better continuity and obsolescence management.

So where do you begin? There are firms available that provide engineering services and firms that provide series production. The most cost-effective option is to have both of these done by the same company. This way the design takes manufacturability and long-term supply into concern from the beginning.

For example, Adimec has developed an automated system for image sensor alignment in the camera. All of our standard and modified cameras are designed to take advantage of this highly accurate tool that requires minimal labor. If a design is brought to us instead of created as part of a collaborative process, this production savings measure cannot be taken advantage of.

Also, Adimec frequently shares our roadmaps with our supply chain. When designing a variation of a camera, we do not need to establish a supply chain. We already know what they can do and what we can expect.

Also, these suppliers who are willing to modify their products have designed for flexibility to allow for quick and low cost development. There may be an established selection of changes to the interface, outline, feature set, or additional qualification testing.