ORAFOL Fresnel Optics halves lens inspection times with Zebra AI vision

ORAFOL Fresnel Optics has automated quality inspection of its Fresnel plastic lenses with a bespoke system built on Zebra Aurora Vision Studio with Aurora Deep Learning. The German division of the ORAFOL Group says the setup has halved inspection times and enabled 24/7 workflows.

Previously, operators held each lens to the light under specific conditions to spot defects — a repetitive task that caused fatigue and tied up as many as 15 operators on production lines. Lenses can measure as little as 4mm across with complex microstructures, and ORAFOL says it struggled to find a supplier able to handle them. The chosen system pairs Zebra's software, which works with any camera, with a purpose-built optical turret.

ORAFOL reports that more than 1.5 million optical lenses have passed through the automated inspection, with end-to-end component traceability. Quality engineer Alexandra Frenzel said the system is now a key element of production for high-volume products. As demand grew, ORAFOL built a second, more advanced system for optical windows with integrator ID Engineering.

For shops weighing automated inspection, the case shows the software can run on standard cameras, but the optics handling complex microstructures still needed custom hardware.