While early adopters found more promise than productivity, Industry 4.0 has finally come of age.

The demand for machine vision has grown exponentially as manufacturing facilities turn to automated quality control solutions to remain competitive in fast-paced markets with decreasing tolerance for error. In fact, the rise of machine vision is directly correlated with the increase in automation and robotic use in factories.

Many people find vision challenging, and complex vision systems certainly can be overwhelming. But vision is a powerful tool for automated quality control, and in many cases, inspections that previously required costly, complex vision systems—or multiple photelectric sensors—can now be completed with an economical but capable vision sensor.