Patti Perspective

Hello there,

Happy New Year!

We hope that 2017 has been off to a great start for you.  We're kicking off the year with a focus on Visions Systems.  Joe Palace discusses the pros and cons of using a system or not using one in our feature article.  In a new blog post, Dan Bock discusses his experience with a particularly tricky application and gives a word of caution to others who consider implementing a vision system.

Dan Bock is also our Patti Perspective Spotlight this month! Outside of work, he's making his way through a pretty impressive list.  Read on to find out what it is and what he's recommending from it!

Do I Need a Vision System for my Robot or Should I Fly Blind?

When a robot performs an application, a process, or a validation check on a part, it relies on that part being the same size and being in the exact location before it does its routine. But what if this part is not the same size or is not located where it is supposed to be? The end result is bad things happen, like:

• A ‘crash’
• Invalid data results
• The process does not complete

Human intervention is needed to correct this problem. Hopefully, the problem can be corrected. If it cannot, then the system is down and productivity (and thousands of dollars) is lost.

But sometimes, the part that needs to be processed or checked is not always the same size or cannot be perfectly located in the same location every time. This is where a vision system comes into play.

When is using a Vision System a good idea?

• Check the part size
• Check the location of the part
• Relay results back to the robot like part size or X, Y, Z coordinates of its location

The robot will adjust its path based on the results from the vision camera and then process the part for whatever application it is supposed to do. No production is jeopardized and no downtime is encountered.

There are also some cases where the robot might need to make a decision before executing its path. Say it has to decipher between two different parts because these parts get put into different dunnage. The decision is based off the successful read of a bar code stamped on each part. The robot, with vision capability, can execute this decision in a split second and correctly load the parts in the right dunnage every time, and all on its own. No human interaction is needed.

Another case for vision is the introduction of new parts, where they are not the same size as the old ones. It might take months before new a new fixture is designed to house these parts. With vision, a new program is used to train the new part, which only takes a fraction of the time as it would for a new fixture design. Vision identifies the new part and then sends the correct job number to the PLC and/or robot directly to process the correct part. A definite time savings here.

When is using a Vision System not a good idea?

Patti Perspective Spotlight: Dan Bock

Dan Bock joined us at Patti Engineering after graduating from Michigan Tech with a BS in Computer Engineering in the Spring of 2015. He is a Controls Engineer who has spent much of his time with Siemens Step7 Classic and has become our go-to resource for Cognex 3D scanners. In addition to his technical skills, he has proven himself to be a stand-out with his communication skills.

“Dan is a sharp young engineer who possesses very good communication skills,” said Sam Hoff, CEO of Patti Engineering. “He is able to make complex engineering issues understandable to our clients that may not be engineers.”

In his time at Patti, Dan has worked on two long-term projects onsite at large automotive transmission lines installing Siemens equipment. In between, he has worked on several smaller projects including a couple with Cognex vision systems.

“There are two things that are great about working at Patti Engineering,” Dan says. “First, I don't think I was ever meant to sit at an office desk all day. I enjoy being on the factory floor with the noise, activity, and occasional chaos. Second, my fellow engineers. All of which are knowledgeable, eager to help each other, and easy to get along with.“

Originally from Shelby Township, Michigan, Dan has one sister, Kristin, who is an ICU nurse pursuing a graduate degree to become a nurse practitioner. His parents are recently retired; Frank is a former business owner of a low-volume aluminum, bronze, brass, and copper foundry and Joyce was a CPA.

Outside of work, Dan enjoys traveling and calls himself “a big cinephile.” He particularly likes Japanese samurai movies like "Seven Samurai" and "Lone Wolf and Cub" series and psychological horror like "John Carpenter's The Thing" and "Jacob's Ladder." Dan is currently about 320 movies into the list of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". So far, "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" is the one he would most highly recommend.

Between his junior and senior year of college, he took a trip to China with college friends. They visited Shanghai, Beijing, and Inner Mongolia. He is currently organizing a trip to Japan for either later this year or early next year.

We work as partners with our clients. When you need an expert to help solve automation challenges, we are here to add value to your solution - enhance efficiency, increase productivity, and work with your team as a trusted resource. Visit our website for more information on our areas of expertise, or call us (248)364-3200 for a free initial consultation.

Thank you for your interest in Patti Engineering.

Best regards,

Georgia H. Whalen
Director of Marketing
Patti Engineering