In today’s fast-paced world, the demand for durable and reliable imaging solutions is higher than ever. Whether it’s for industrial applications or harsh environments, ruggedized lenses are essential. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the features and benefits of Kowa and Computar ruggedized lenses, as presented by Andre Paige and Ezequiel Morales.

What Are Ruggedized Lenses?

Ruggedized lenses are designed to withstand harsh conditions and maintain their functionality despite being subjected to shock and vibrations. These lenses are built to be shock-resistant and can endure rough handling without compromising image quality.

Features:

Sealing and Encapsulation: Ruggedized lenses often feature sealing technologies, such as O-rings or hermetic sealing, to prevent dust, moisture, or chemicals from entering and affecting the internal components.

Temperature Resistance: They are engineered to function effectively over a wide range of temperatures, sometimes incorporating heat-resistant coatings or materials

Precision Optics: Despite their tough design, these lenses maintain high optical quality, ensuring clear and accurate image capture essential for machine vision systems that rely on image processing.

Key Features of Kowa & Computar Lenses

Kowa Lenses
Shock Resistance: Kowa lenses are built to handle high levels of vibration, ensuring minimal image distortion.
Click Type Iris Mechanism: This feature eliminates the need for locking screws, reducing the risk of the lens shifting and causing the image to go out of focus.
Variety of Focal Lengths: Available in 8, 12, 16, 25, 35, 50, and 75 mm focal lengths, these lenses cater to various imaging needs.
Computar Lenses
Two-Way Reversible Nut for Focus Adjustment: This allows for easy hand-tightening, ensuring the lens remains secure even in high-vibration environments.
Interchangeable Iris Plates: These plates offer a range of f-stops from 1.4 to 8, providing flexibility in different lighting conditions.

View the video below to see a hands on demonstration of ruggedized lenses in action! Our video showcases a comparison between non-ruggedized and ruggedized lenses. When subjected to high vibration levels, the non-ruggedized lens showed significant image distortion. In contrast, the ruggedized lenses from Kowa and Computar maintained minimal vibration, demonstrating their superior performance in harsh environments.

Common Applications:

Applications

Industrial Automation: Used in robotic inspection, production line quality control, and precision assembly tasks where environmental conditions are challenging.

Aerospace and Defense: Employed in surveillance, guidance systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that require reliable optical systems under extreme conditions.

Transportation and Vehicles: Integral to systems that monitor railways, highways, or are installed in autonomous vehicle technologies.

Wrap Up

Ruggedized lenses from Kowa and Computar are essential for applications requiring durable and reliable imaging solutions. Their ability to withstand shock and vibration without compromising image quality makes them ideal for industrial and harsh environment applications. For more information and to explore their extensive selection of lenses, visit wilcoimaging.com.