BitFlow Partners with One Box Vision to Develop Cost-Effective PackFlow™ Packaging Inspection Bundle

WOBURN, MA, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 — BitFlow has partnered with engineering firm One Box Vision in developing the PackFlow 100% print inspection bundle that improves the way the packaging industry inspects materials printed on high-speed web presses.

Comparable in performance with vision systems costing thousands of dollars more, the PackFlow bundle features all the key components needed for a print machine manufacturer or system integrator to profit from a state-of-the-art vision system: line-scan cameras, BitFlow Axion-CL 2xE frame grabbers, software and LED illuminator. PackFlow installation optimizes a press’s return on investment by performing quality checks at the full speed of the production line.

PackFlow is the first complete bundle that enables a vision inspection system to be installed on a new or in-operation printing press using standard hardware. In the past, a system integrator would use proprietary hardware that required custom coding based on machine vision libraries that typically fail when running at the high data rates associated with 100% print inspection. PackFlow eliminates that costly barrier so that packaging customers can focus CapEx resources on innovation and achieving business objectives.

Contributing to PackFlow’s success is the BitFlow Axion-CL 2xE frame grabber based on the Camera Link (CL) 2.0 specification. Even though the CL specification has been around a long time, it is still one of the simplest, most efficient, and least expensive ways to get high-volume camera data into a computer. CL also benefits from the hundreds of thousands of pieces of CL equipment sold worldwide. The BitFlow Axion-CL is the most powerful CL frame grabber BitFlow has ever manufactured, featuring a StreamSync Direct Memory Access (DMA) engine and buffer manager to prevent overloading of the CPU with image transfer operations, along with a PCIe Gen 2 expansion bus to deliver high-speed access to host memory. It supports Base, Medium, Full or 80-Bit mode Camera Link area and line scan, color and monochrome cameras with PoCL capabilities.

PACKFLOW IN ACTION
Printing is a material-intensive and relatively low-margin industry. Printers are under continuous pressure to boost productivity and improve output quality while at the same time reducing production costs. Even a small reduction in waste levels can have a significant impact on the printer’s profitability.

This was the case for a major US packaging supplier that recently approached One Box Vision with a challenge. Its older Flexo and RotaGravure printing presses were equipped with vision components that suppliers would no longer support because they deemed them obsolete. Two key performance indicators — inspection quality and production uptime — had slipped to critical levels, requiring a new inspection solution.

Following an equipment survey, One Box Vision recommended its PackFlow 100% print inspection bundle for the older presses, powered in part by BitFlow frame grabbers. Operations immediately benefited from more accurate monitoring of stretched films, real-time job control, and higher resolution displays of register and ink lay down. Equally important, PackFlow was deployed at only 50% of the cost of purchasing replacement components from the previous suppliers, allowing the customer to invest savings on employee training to ensure the refurbished presses were utilized to their full potential.

For more information, please call 781-932-2900 or request more information.

About One Box Vision
One Box Vision develops and licenses automated machine vision solutions for manufacturing, and has developed a broad portfolio of packages for web and sheet inspection. We work with system integration companies, original equipment manufacturers and corporate engineering teams to design and implement advanced inspection and metro-logy solutions. Our key clients operate in the US, Brazil,UK, Germany India and South East Asia. Feel free to contact One Box Vision at www.oneboxvision.com

BitFlow Debuts NVIDIA-Powered CoaXPress Embedded Vision Solution at Laser World Of Photonics

WOBURN, MA — BitFlow, Inc., a global innovator in frame grabber technology, underscored its commitment to embedded vision by demonstrating a high-speed CoaXPress-NVIDIA® embedded imaging system at the recent Laser World of Photonics Show in Munich, Germany. This Small Form Factor (SFF) solution was engineered with lower hardware requirements so it can reside in compact devices or be integrated directly into a larger mechanical or electrical system, all while minimizing space, cost and energy consumption.

“Embedded vision is still in its infancy, but it has the potential to transform industries and open up new imaging capabilities that are almost infinite,” said Donal Waide, Director of Sales for BitFlow. “Through our Innovation Labs division, BitFlow is leveraging the CoaXPress 2.0 interface to develop embedded systems that are faster, more intuitive, and easier to integrate throughout the factory, which is critical to success in the IIoT era.”

As building blocks, BitFlow’s CoaXPress-NVIDIA solution coupled the BitFlow Claxon-CXP4 Quad CXP-12 frame grabber with a NVIDIA Jetson TX2 high-density AI computing platform, and demonstrated with a JAI SP-12000C-CXP4 camera for image acquisition. HDMI, DisplayPort, DSI and eDP video ports provide flexibility in display choices. Dispensing with the need for a full-sized PC altogether, images relayed from the BitFlow Claxon frame grabber are more efficiently processed on the NVIDIA CPU. At Laser World of Photonics, for example, BitFlow demonstrated how its Claxon frame grabber provided Direct Memory Access (DMA) for 12 Megapixel images transferred into GPU memory where the NVIDIA processor performed 2D to 3D transformations in real time.

BitFlow Innovation Labs aims to usher in a host of next generation embedded solutions for the factory floor and beyond, radically changing the functionality of countless devices. Targeted applications include commercial drones, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), border and port security, robotics, portable medical machinery, and many other emerging market segments. Going even further, the BitFlow Innovation Labs foresees embedded systems that facilitate image recognition and deep learning capabilities so that Smart Factory networks can be proactive in making decisions based on the environment around them.

“We founded BitFlow Innovation Labs to accelerate the adoption of embedded vision and CoaXPress 2.0,” said Waide. “By delivering new platforms based on both technologies, we are providing systems integrators with faster, smaller and more cost-effective solutions to deploy even their most mission critical imaging applications.”

BitFlow in Munich, Germany 2019

BitFlow will be exhibiting at Laser World of Photonics in Munich from June 24th through June 27th.  Come visit us in Hall B2 Booth 127-3 to see our latest products!

BitFlow in Shanghai, China, March 20-22, 2019

BitFlow recently exhibited at Laser World of Photonics China at the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

Cameras from ISVI, Sentech, IO Industries and CIS Corp were on display highlighting our Cyton CXP4.

Our soon to be released Claxon CXP4, a CXP-12 frame grabber, was highlighted in a demo.

Our distributor, ATMV, also exhibited and had a few of our frame grabbers on display.

If you attended the show and did not get a chance to stop by our booth 1739 in Hall W1, please visit us online, submit an inquiry, or give us a call at 781-932-2900.

Vision 2018, Stuttgart, Germany, November 6-8, 2018

BitFlow recently exhibited at Vision in Stuttgart, Germany.

Our latest released CoaXPress frame grabber, the Claxon, was on display.  The Claxon, which can run at up to 12.5 Gb/S, is our CXP-12 frame grabber which will be available in Q2 2019.

A demo showcasing our Cyton CXP4 with 4 single channel CXP cameras was on display.  These cameras were focused in on our Aon-CXP, single link frame grabber.  Cameras on display included ISVI, CIS, Adimec and Sentech.

The Cyton CXP HALCON demo was front and center catching the attention of many attendees.

Located in Hall 1 Aisle A we had a prime location for lots of booth traffic.

If you attended the show and did not get a chance to stop by our booth, please visit us online, submit an inquiry or give us a call at 781-932-2900.

BitFlow at CRAV in Santa Clara, CA 2018

BitFlow recently exhibited at the AIA CRAV conference at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, California.

Cameras from ISVI, CIS, Adimec and Sentech were used in a demo highlighting our Cyton-CXP4.

Our BitBoxAxion-CLAon-CXPand Cyton CXP4 were all on display.

If you attended the show and did not have a chance to stop by tabletop #3, please visit us online, submit an inquiry or give us a call at 781-932-2900.

BitFlow Unveils First CXP v2.0 Frame Grabbers at VISION 2018 in Stuttgart

WOBURN, MA, OCTOBER 30, 2018 — BitFlow, a global innovator in frame grabber technology for machine vision, announced today that it will display its first generation of CXP v2.0 frame grabbers at the upcoming VISION Show scheduled for November 6-8, 2018, in Stuttgart, Germany.
Over the past two years BitFlow has furnished input and direction to the Japan Industrial Imaging Association (JIIA) on the finalization of the new CoaXPress v2.0 (CXP v2.0) standard — an upgrade that will double the speed of the interface used in the inspection of semiconductors, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals, among others.
“By coordinating with the JIIA on a standardization roadmap BitFlow is in a better position to develop frame grabbers that will reliably perform up to full potential,” explained Donal Waide, Director of Sales for BitFlow, Inc. “Because BitFlow engineers have been actively involved in every detail of CXP v2.0 development we can ensure our customers that the frame grabbers we are introducing at VISION are fully tested and certified to meet the high quality expectations of system designers.”
BitFlow’s first CXP 2.0 frame grabbers can be viewed at BitFlow’s VISION booth located in Hall 1, Stand 1A06. Additionally, BitFlow will be conducting live demonstrations of its 2.0-ready Aon-CXP and Cyton-CXP CoaXPress frame grabbers, along with its advanced Camera Link models. Another showstopper at VISION will be the BitFlow BitBox, an I/O device that provides an unprecedented 36 inputs and 36 outputs in a compact, DIN-rail mounted form factor supporting TTL, LVDS, open collector, opto-isolated and 24V signaling.
NEEDED UPGRADE IN SPEED
Introduced a decade ago, CoaXPress standard v1.1.1 is currently supported by over 50 vendors of cables, connectors, intellectual property, transceivers, cameras, frame grabbers, simulators, range extenders and software. CXP v2.0 will double the current 6.25 Gbps image data transfer rate to 12.5 Gbps, therefore allowing for higher frame rates or larger camera resolutions. The JIIA and BitFlow have concluded CXP v2.0 is necessary for manufacturers to achieve the extremely high levels of quality, cost efficiencies and productivity needed to gain a competitive edge in the global economy.
Among its many proven advantages, CoaXPress allows video, camera control for triggering, and up to 13W of power to be transferred without latency on off-the-shelf coaxial cables up to 100 meters in length or approximately three times that of USB3 or GigE Vision. Also, because CoaXPress relies on standard coax, many such cables previously installed in legacy defense and security systems utilizing analog cameras can be re-used for migrating to digital imaging, eliminating the cost of new cabling.
For more information, please call 781-932-2900.

BitFlow in Santa Clara, CA

BitFlow will be exhibiting at the CRAV Conference at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara from Wednesday October 24th through Thursday October 25th.  Stop by tabletop #3 to see what we have on display!

SPS IPC Italy, May 22-24, 2018

Our Italian distributor, Visionlink recently exhibited at SPS Italy at the Parma Exhibition Center in Parma, Italy.

On display was the latest released BitFlow frame grabber, the Aon-CXP, a single link CoaXPress frame grabber.  It supports CXP camera speeds up to 6.25 Gb/S.

If you attended the show and did not get to stop by their booth please visit their website.