P r e s s - R e l e a s e Darmstadt/Marl, October 28 th, 2002 Coating glass for glasstec Fully automatic inline inspection for coated glass The term coated glass covers a broad spectrum of various types of glass and coatings, which are used not only in the important sectors of construction glass, automotive glass and mirrors, but also in an increasing number of new applications. Moreover, the market demands ever higher production capacities and speeds that can only be achieved through the latest manufacturing and automation techniques. These new high-performance technologies, which are increasingly complex, require 100% inspection, which can be guaranteed only by technologically evolved systems. With its COATINGSCAN product line, ISRA GLASS VISION has a tried-and-trusted range of optical inline inspection systems that can be added onto or integrated into any production installation. They enable continuous and complete monitoring and control of the production quality. Coated Glass, with its broad spectrum of various types of glass and coatings, enables an ever greater number of new applications that are finding expression in global emerging markets. New coatings and processes are leading to improved products with interesting target characteristics, such as: saving energy, reducing size and weight, shielding from light and radiation and splitting or filtering out specific wavelengths and bandwidths. Page 1 of 7
Page 2 of press release dd. October 28 th, 2002 Both the coatings themselves and the production methods are constantly changing. For instance, the same coating systems can be used to make different layers, layer thicknesses, colors and functions. Common coating processes include hard coating of glass through spray pyrolysis application in the float glass line or subsequent "soft" coating through in- or off-line sputter application. Important sectors of current application are construction glass, automotive glass and mirrors. But complex products such as glass for display technologies are becoming more and more important, including the required contact patterns, radiation- and light-splitters, as well as electromagnetic shielding. These rapidly growing markets require ever higher production capacities, which inspection systems need to keep pace with. This means that a wide variety of coatings must be inspected at top production speeds, followed by measurement and recognition of defects as small as 10 micrometers. The importance of the defects in reference to the product specifications must then be evaluated. This would exceed the ability of human inspectors in every respect. Only high-performance technology can meet such needs. Modular systems The tried-and-tested optical inline inspection systems of ISRA GLASS VISION ensure reliable, continuous and complete monitoring of production quality under the harsh conditions of factory life. The systems have a general-purpose, modular design consisting of real-time standard components developed and manufactured by the company. In combination with ISRA- BrainWARE, a modular application-specific program for intelligent machine vision systems, the resulting solutions are Page 2 of 7
Page 3 of press release dd. October 28 th, 2002 extraordinarily effective for any type of coated glass inspection job. Typical uses include: Arc-burns Inline coating float lines Vacuum offline coating of jumbos Phased coating installations for small-sized panes for mirrors for high-end special coatings such as ITO for high quality Precisely customizable The proprietary, scalable standard components make it easier to set up and lay out such systems flexibly. Each customer thus receives installations that are precisely tailored to their specific needs. It is perfectly adapted to the production environment from the technical and economic standpoints in terms of transport speed, track width, sheet dimensions, installation requirements and feed. There are no application-related constraints on resolution or lighting, either. For example, each substrate can be given the proper, user-defined lighting combination light/dark field, reflection/transmission for defect detection, and the appropriate type and number of cameras can be integrated for any required level of precision. Page 3 of 7
Page 4 of press release dd. October 28 th, 2002 The spectrum of real-time defect detection in the production process running at the usual high speeds includes: Arc-burns Pin-holes Scratches Clouds Areas of oxidations Broken edges or plates and other defects Clear display of defects A PC-based control computer synthesizes all the defect data from the various input channels. Defects are identified by category on the user monitor in a defect map display. Each individual defect is assigned a descriptive picture ("mug shot") in a digitized image. All the data are then ranked, reported in full, and documented. That information can be used to generate statistics on defect categories, defect frequency and trend analysis. To optimize the production process, PLC systems can be integrated. In addition, 24-volt defect signals are provided in order to control external marking bridges for optimized cutting as well as alarm devices and material locks. These additional system capabilities have finally made it possible not only to "test" quality but to produce it. That is the only way to ensure a good return on such investments. Page 4 of 7
Page 5 of press release dd. October 28 th, 2002 A complete program The market leader in production inspection over the entire spectrum of glass manufacturing has many years of practical experience with all types of glass applications at leading manufacturers: float, drawn, insulating, rolled glass, as well as display glass and ITO coatings. The success and acceptance of these systems is based not only on the reliability of a unique combination of theoretical knowledge and know-how in mathematics, physics, optics, image processing, industrial process design and modular software expertise. Another factor is the general-purpose, modular design consisting of real-time standard hardware components developed and manufactured by the company, whose inhouse-regulated product life cycle guarantees unique functional compatibility for many long years to come. The extremely durable technologies have been proving themselves effective for years in raw float glass manufacturing for detecting glass and surface defects such as depressions, spots, scratches and inclusions in transparent and colored glass of various thicknesses. - Imprint fee free Please send your imprint reference to: ISRA VISION SYSTEMS AG Industriestraße 14, D-64297 Darmstadt Tel. (0 61 51) 9 48-0 Fax. (0 61 51) 9 48-1 40 e-mail: info@isravision.com Internet: www.isravision.com Page 5 of 7
Page 6 of press release dd. October 28 th, 2002 Image material: For further information: as attached ISRA VISION SYSTEMS AG Marketing Mr. Walter Meyer Industriestrasse 14 D-64297 Darmstadt Tel.: (+49) 6151 / 948 172 Fax.: (+49) 6151 / 948 140 E-Mail: wmeyer@isravision.com Page 6 of 7
Page 7 of press release dd. October 28 th, 2002 Images: Picture 1: Coating 1.jpg Title: In-line coating inspection system in operation Picture 2: Coating 2.jpg Title: Running defect map (RDM) with grey value defect images Page 7 of 7