ORAFOL Fresnel Optics adds AI vision inspection for plastic lenses
ORAFOL Fresnel Optics has automated inspection of more than 1.5 million optical lenses with an AI machine vision system built with Zebra Technologies. The company reports a 50% cut in inspection times and round-the-clock operation.
ORAFOL Fresnel Optics, part of the ORAFOL Group, has moved lens inspection from manual work to an AI-powered machine vision setup. The company developed the system with Zebra Technologies.
Some Fresnel plastic lenses are only 4mm across and carry complex microstructures. Under the old process, operators checked each lens by eye in controlled lighting. That work took up to 15 people and brought fatigue from repetition, according to the company.
The system runs on Zebra Aurora Vision Studio and Aurora Deep Learning. ORAFOL says inspection times fell by 50%, production can run around the clock, and traceability improved. A custom optical turret handles the lens characteristics, while a standard camera setup is used.
A second, more advanced system for optical windows was built with ID Engineering, a Zebra integrator. ORAFOL says the systems have processed more than 1.5 million optical components.
For equipment buyers, ask whether a trial can test your smallest parts and tightest defect limits. What camera and optics changes would your lens shapes require? How are reject decisions logged for traceability? What support does the integrator provide after installation?