Automatic machine vision technology can be used to examine components that the eye cannot see. The technology developed by the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) with its co-partners is expected to bring new international business to Finnish companies in the next few years.

VTT has developed automatic machine vision with which the quality of extremely small components can be checked at twice the present speed. With the technology it is possible to examine technical components of less than 0.1 millimetre and also droplets.

"Machine vision finds out the dimensions of a micro-component and also possible cracks, scratches and surface flaws. Machine vision reveals the shape and size of micro-droplets," says Jukka Laitinen, a researcher at VTT.

Those who will benefit from the technology include the producers of micro-components and biotechnical droplets and companies that produce new kinds of quality control systems for the micro-technology field.

"Thanks to different applications, Finnish machine vision know-how may become big business on an international scale," Laitinen says.

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Two microscopes locate and check a small micro-component at the same time from two directions.