Sick has developed an industrial camera which, it claims, is the first in the world to combine 3D measurement capabilities with high-quality colour sensing. The ColorRanger E camera can provide several measurements at the same time, replacing the need for separate cameras, saving space and cutting hardware, integration and maintenance costs.

In addition to 3D imaging for determining heights, shapes or volumes, the camera (above) can check colours in applications such as: grading fruit and vegetables; inspecting the shape and colour of baked products; grading boards in the timber industry; checking fill levels and colours in cosmetic and pharmaceutical production; and verifying the quality of electronic assemblies.

The camera uses laser triangulation to determine true 3D shapes, regardless of an object’s colour or contrast. At the same time, it performs 3,072 pixel/channel colour inspections, using a separate row of pixels for each colour. It can be used for RGB and near-infrared measurements, and for IR-free monochrome applications. The measurements are performed faster than 11kHz, allowing multiple inspections to be performed in parallel at full production speeds.