For any imaging challenge, establishing a carefully designed machine vision system can be a challenging task. According to Dr. Andreas Franz, the process begins with hand-picking the right imaging system and integrating the various components and software, before customizing them for specific industries. The CEO of FRAMOS, Dr. Franz, who brings to the table several years of rich experience in image processing, believes that the trick lies in taking a broader perspective. He says, “At FRAMOS, we don’t just see machine vision, but the imaging industry as a whole.” The company is driven by its goal-oriented strategy to enable machines ‘to see and think’. It is this prowess and the team’s deep expertise on a broad spectrum of cameras, robotic eyes, software, and sensors, along with its 36-year old legacy that has hoisted FRAMOS to be a major player in helping to automate the manufacturing industry.

FRAMOS advises manufacturers in deploying and developing state-of-the-art imaging systems. Dr. Franz mentions the instance of a customer seeking FRAMOS’ assistance in developing a 3D laser line camera. The customer had specific requirements on time-to-market, interface control, specific 3D image processing features and cable size, among other requirements. FRAMOS took the challenge head-on and successfully customized all aspects ranging from camera design, lens, size, interface, and processing. “We are really focused on helping our customers enjoy a competitive edge, like reduced time-to-market and enhanced cost efficiency— something they are unable to get in the standardized market,” states Dr. Franz. FRAMOS has a record of catering to numerous customers in the logistics domain, where the company assists in adding data—pertaining to 3D size, weight, and surface area—to their automatic robotic imaging systems, through its proprietary software applications.

Our goal is to enable machines to ‘see and think’

The FRAMOS software application portfolio consists of FRAMOS VLG—a volume light grid and FRAMOS OTS—an optical tracking system. The VLG system is a cost-effective plug-and-play solution for efficient volume and dimension measurement of geometric parameters of all objects, saving time and human and monetary resources, to improve efficiency. FRAMOS OTS, on the other hand, enables 3D tracking of devices. This is primarily used for computer-aided medical procedures that require highly accurate orientation information. “OTS detects moving objects in real-time and relays it to an ultrasound or X-ray device to capture an image,” explains Dr. Franz. It features a robust indigenous self-learning marker recognition system that can identify deviations from prescribed product parameters. FRAMOS has also developed compact strobe controllers for robots featuring a high-speed interface control that addresses the gaps in illumination of areas covered by machine vision.

The company attributes its success to its partner network that has a significant role to play in serving their customers. The company works with two types of partners—one, the line partners, specific for each category, like lenses, sensors, or cameras and two, localized partners. Depending on the client’s location, localized partners help to enable FRAMOS to develop solutions with the best cost/ performance ratio in the market. Dr. Franz mentions that FRAMOS believes in partnering with all its customers to support their growth as opposed to competing with them, a noble thought driving the company’s growth. He dutifully acknowledges the role of his company’s workforce, in steering the company ahead, which has taken cognitive computing to several smaller niche industries. The move clearly readies FRAMOS for the new heights it is poised to reach in the near future.