Last year at this time I wrote a column in which I criticized the practice of having calibration labs make acceptance decisions in their reports.

As I write this, America has just reelected a president, celebrated a holiday of family and probably too many mashed potatoes, and started preparing for the New Year. By the time you read this, the country will be beginning resolution season.

Machine vision is a familiar technology in manufacturing and industry, and is used in an ever-growing range of tasks from simple code reading and assembly verification to robotic guidance and 3-D profiling.

Machine vision is an integral part of the manufacturing process for many different industries. Manufacturers ensure the safety, consistency and integrity of the products produced through proper inspection, while being assured that defective parts are rejected from the production line.

Over the past several years, there have been some common threads among many of the companies that develop vision sensors and cameras.