Machine vision systems, having been in use for a number of years on specialized applications, are now being more commonly used in new machines to enhance accuracy and in older systems to achieve today's tolerance requirements without major mechanical refurbishment. Additionally, the data received from such systems is being used to create custom machine routines which provide useful tools on parts where complete numerical data is not available for programming. This paper will discuss how the need for such a system arose at Northrop Grumman and the solution developed.
