OP-RIP: a case history in machine vision factory automation

Summary form only given. A prototype machine vision system was designed to measure and inspect lumber to automate a rip saw process in a secondary wood products manufacturing plant. The optimizing ripsaw project is known as OP-RIP. OP-RIP scans boards, processes color images, optimizes value recovery for production and generates product at an average rate of 18 feet per second. The system is an island of automation in an otherwise unautomated plant. The use of machine vision technology in manufacturing can be as simple as producing a 100% inspection quality report or as complex as process automation. This paper presents several simple charts, gleaned from a case history of the OP-RIP project, that compare machine vision technology and application arenas to potential price, promotion, position, product and production benefits.