Optical inspection equipment makers are facing difficulty securing machine vision cameras due to a shortage caused by high demand, TheElec has learned.
Lead time for the cameras has been usually around eight weeks but this has been extended up to 52 weeks, multiple people working at equipment companies told TheElec.
Producing image grabbers and other power devices were also difficult but securing machine vision camera supply was by far the hardest currently, they said.
Optical inspection equipment are used to find defects in products. It is an important kit used in production that determines yield rate of products.
Machines vision cameras integrate high resolution cameras, image processors analysis software. It is used to inspect images in the micrometer range and is designed to work in high-temperature environments to take massive cache of photos.
The processor processes the image into 2D or 3D, and the software analyzes the photos to look for defects.
The technology is seeing high demand from smart factories due to its automation capabilities.
More and more factories for chips, displays and lithium-ion batteries are incorporating the technology.
