The Autoaim microscope upgrade from Invigon, consisting of a powerful industrial camera from Baumer, the Autoaim microscopy software and the appropriate accessories, brings almost any microscopy system up to the current state of the art.

A digital camera brings tangible benefits for microscopy applications. Instead of looking through an eyepiece, microscopic images can be viewed on a monitor and microscopic areas can be measured on a PC. Subsequent image processing is also possible.

In the age of digitalization, many users who already own a good microscope are therefore looking for a suitable solution. However, to really benefit from a microscope camera, users also need software that controls the camera and provides the necessary functionality for the respective application. A well-coordinated overall solution is therefore required.

This is exactly what Invigon, a software development and industrial image processing company, offers in the form of the Autoaim microscope upgrade package. It contains everything users need to upgrade their existing microscope systems to a modern, digital system. This includes the powerful and intuitive Autoaim microscope software as well as a high-performance 5 megapixel CMOS camera from Baumer's CX series, including all accessories for connection to the PC and calibration. The cameras offer high-resolution and at the same time fluid and fast reacting live images.

Flexible and modular

With its automatic pattern recognition and simple, reproducible measurement, Autoaim is used by research institutes, medium-sized companies and large corporations. "Our customers praise the intuitive operation and the workflows that can be adapted to their tasks," says Dr. Enrico Seise, Managing Director of Invigon.

The principle of "recipe-based automation" also allows users without programming knowledge to automate their measurement sequences. To do this, the individual measuring steps are carried out once with a sample in a teach-in process. If only one of several points to be measured was taken into account, the measuring range can be extended afterwards in the software. Once taught, this "recipe" can be carried out on many different samples of the same type. In the event of positional deviations, the integrated pattern recognition automatically recognizes the structures to be measured and measures the relevant points.

A variety of functions, the simple creation of "recipes" and modular hardware compatibility allow a wide range of applications to be implemented, from biology and life sciences to industrial material testing and the inspection of electronic circuit boards. Extensive export options allow comprehensive documentation of all measurement results at all times.

Digital upgrade

"Microscopes with and without cameras have often been an essential part of the work of research institutions and quality inspection in companies for many years. However, due to outdated technology, it is not possible to digitize workflows, or only to an insufficient extent," says Seise, explaining the need to retrofit microscope systems. The upgrade package brings these users up to the latest state of the art. In less than an hour, all components are installed and the software adapted so that digital measurement and documentation can be started quickly and easily.

Even though Autoaim can address a wide range of hardware, Invigon made a conscious decision to deliver the VCXU-51C and VCXU-51M camera models from Baumer as standard in the upgrade package. "It was important to us to have a high-quality camera that works reliably. After all, we want to manufacture our package in industrial quality, and it should also work satisfactorily for the customer." The cameras also impressed on the software side: "As software developers, we naturally pay close attention to the software that comes with the camera, as it becomes part of our software, so to speak," says Seise, adding: "And good documentation and a high level of maturity are important to us, which is what Baumer offers us."