Sales reports for machine vision components and systems in North America increased 19 percent year-over-year to $709 million in the first quarter of 2018. According to the AIA, a leading industry trade group for machine vision and imaging, these numbers represent a record for quarterly sales.
The machine vision components category grew 28 percent, which was primarily driven by camera sales, which increased 44 percent to $65 million. Optics (16 percent) and software (nine percent) rounded out the top growth areas in the first quarter. The machine vision systems category increased 17 percent to $597 million in the first quarter of 2018. Within the systems category, smart cameras climbed 26 percent, while Application-Specific Machine Vision (ASMV) systems sales grew 16 percent to $488 million.
The AIA also stated that member feedback shows 87 percent of survey respondents expect the market to increase or maintain current levels for the next two quarters. The demand for vision systems that are smaller, cost-effective, and complementary to connected automation systems are helping drive the optimism. The technology developed for industrial settings is also making its way into new transportation and military applications, including autonomous vehicles and drones.
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