Precision Imaging in the SWIR Range

Kowa and Emberion:

A High-Performance Alliance for Food and Security Applications

When high-performance optics meet cutting-edge sensor technology, remarkable things happen. This case study showcases how Emberion’s broad spectral SWIR camera, paired with Kowa’s VIS-SWIR lenses, creates powerful machine vision systems that solve real-world challenges - from food inspection to counterfeit detection.

1. Application: Foreign Material Detection in Rice

Challenge: White plastic pieces mixed with rice are nearly impossible to detect with the human eye due to their similar color and size.
Solution: By using short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging, the rice appears black while the plastic remains bright - allowing for instant, high-contrast discrimination between the two.
The Emberion SWIR camera, combined with the Kowa HC-VIS-SWIR lens, ensures that scanning across multiple wavelengths can be done in a single pass without focus shift, crucial for fast-paced environments like food sorting factories.

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2. Application: Banknote Counterfeit Detection

Challenge: Detecting subtle counterfeit elements invisible to the human eye in banknotes.
Solution: Emberion’s broad-spectrum camera captures fine details across the visible to SWIR range. Paired with Kowa lenses engineered to minimize focus shift, users can scan documents in multiple wavelengths without the need for constant refocusing, increasing efficiency and accuracy in fraud detection.

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3. Application: Moisture Contamination in Food

Challenge: Moisture is often invisible in standard visible-light inspection but can impact food quality and safety.
Solution: The SWIR system easily visualizes moisture content - ideal for food preparation, inspection, and sorting processes.

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This collaboration highlights the synergy between Emberion’s sensor innovation and Kowa’s optical precision, creating inspection solutions that are faster, sharper, and more reliable.