Area scan cameras are highly versatile and ideal for applications where detailed, high resolution images of fixed or slow-moving objects. These cameras capture images by scanning all pixels in a two-dimensional array at the same time and are therefore suited for applications that need full-frame rate imaging without distortions as sometimes seen with line scan technology. A variety of industries uses it for purposes like quality control, inspection and surveillance.
Area scan cameras are well-suited to applications like PCB (printed circuit board) inspection where clear, detailed imaging is required in electronics manufacturing industry. With resolutions over 20 megapixels, these cameras found misaligned parts or mistakes during soldering and make sure only great products are passed on the production line. A’ research by the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, for instance found that implementing high-res area scan cameras would increase accuracy in detection rates up to 30%, resulting in reduced recall/rework costs and yield when it comes directly-to-dropship orders with this as per their white paper (read here).
Area scan cameras are also greatly used for packaging and labelling applications. These cameras are used for looking at package seals on products in the food and beverage industry, check that labels maintain accuracy as well as verify printed dates or barcodes meet quality standards. They are capable of processing up to 60 frames per second for fast image acquisition and analysis, making them suitable in high-speed settings. This area scan cameras in packaging reduces the error rate by about 25 % thereby improving product quality and customer satisfaction as per Industry data.
Complex pharmaceutical sectors — they are used in essential quality control to examine medicine containers for defects, confirm correct labelling and detect foreign materials within transparent packaging. As this sector is under strict regulations, area scan cameras are crucial to maintaining safety and compliance. According to the Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation, area scan cameras applied in automated inspection processes are achieving accuracy rates as high as 98%, matching industry requirements around safety and quality assurance
Another important use-case for area scan technology is surveillance and security. Thankfully, all of these can be easily detected thanks to the clear and detailed images provided from area scan cameras this suits perfectly for facial recognition, license plate reading as well as general monitoring tasks in sensitive environments like airports or government facilities. These cameras can view wide fields, seeing more of an area and capturing a lot in a single shot. According to a report filed by the Security Industry Association, high-definition area scan cameras have increased incident detection rates of up to 40%, making them an invaluable tool for advanced security systems.
In addition to these, area scan cameras are also popular in medical imaging such as microscopy and radiology where detailed image quality is necessary for diagnostics. The organization captures full-frame, undistorted images that facilitate accurate diagnosis through analysis of cells, tissues and minute anomalies. For example, they are used for 20 Mp colour imaging in digital pathology allowing pathologists to zoom in up close on tissues with reported diagnostic confidence levels of over 95% by the Journal of Diagnostic Imaging.
In addition, the automotive industry uses area scan cameras in part surface inspections as well as final vehicle evaluations. Paint defects, scratches and misalignments are detected by high-resolution area scan technology – only press-fit vehicles which meet exacting quality standards leave the assembly line. According to data from the automotive industry, area scan cameras have lowered defect-related recalls by 20% with respect to quality inspections.
Applications as illustrated in the above examples, depict how area scan camera are essential for highly-precise-quality-control manufacturing line production or time-critical tasks and processes such as medical applications (e.g. endoscopy) security camera systems or any other sort of modern industrial inspection application ran at higher speed with high throughput rates (.).