The WILDCAT 640 camera has been announced as the latest shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera from Xenics, Europe’s developer and manufacturer of advanced infrared sensors, cameras and customized imaging solutions from the SWIR to the LWIR realm.
The WILDCAT 640 camera has been announced as the latest shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera from Xenics, Europe’s developer and manufacturer of advanced infrared sensors, cameras and customized imaging solutions from the SWIR to the LWIR realm. The WILDCAT 640 is a new SWIR camera designed for industrial applications such as semiconductor inspection, food sorting, plastic recycling and laser-based processing. Xenics exhibits in booths 8333 (BiOS) and 3333 (Photonics West) at the Moscone Center.
2020, a promising year for Xenics
This year will be special for Xenics’s customers as several major products are expected for release. In Xenic’s ambition to always improve performance, the WILDCAT 640, in production now, is the first of a promising series that the Belgian company is bringing to the market for the benefit of its customers.
When speed and electro-optical performance encounter small size
The WILDCAT 640 family consists of the WILDCAT 640 CL, the CameraLink interface version, and the WILDCAT 640 U3V, the USB3 Vision interface version, both designed for demanding industrial applications.
Thanks to its new 640×512 SWIR sensor based on a new Xenics readout circuit, the camera can run up to 220Hz. Moreover, two gains allow the users to benefit from low noise (only 80 electrons in high gain) with a high dynamic range: 63dB in high gain mode and 68dB in High Dynamic Range mode.
Thanks to a compact design, the WILDCAT 640 only has a volume of 55 x 55 x 91.5mm3.
The CameraLink interface makes the WILDCAT 640 compliant with industrial systems requiring low latency. Moreover, in order to simplify integration process, the USB3 interface version allows users to operate the camera without any frame grabber; the camera is thus really “plug-and-play” and can be used with a standard laptop computer enabling portable use. Flexible triggers (2 inputs and 2 outputs) allow use in complex synchronisation environments (moving objects, pulsed lights…). Of course, as all Xenics industrial products, GenICam compliance is ensured which provides another level of ease-of-integration with standard industrial SW suites.
With the WILDCAT 640, Xenics offers users a new optimized SWIR solution combining the advantages of a small sized camera, high-speed operation, high sensitivity and a high dynamic range, into one product for demanding applications:
- Semiconductor inspection (crack detection, dicing damage control, alignment) will benefit from the high dynamic range, triggering flexibility and USB3 interface.
- Food and waste sorting and recycling in hyperspectral imaging systems will benefit from the high speed, high dynamic range and high sensitivity.
- Laser-based processing will welcome the high speed and high dynamic range.
- Wavefront sensing will gain from high speed, low latency and high sensitivity.
The WILDCAT 640, like its namesake wild animal, is freed from traditional limits. It thus opens new horizons for industrial inspection compared to former products such as the proven and successful BOBCAT.