SWIR Cameras

Short Wave InfraRed is more often than not referring to the wavelength band of light that sits between 900nm and 2500nm. We call this type of camera “SWIR.” Unlike Long-Wave Infrared light, which is emitted from the object itself, SWIR light is similar to visible light in that photons are reflected or absorbed by an object, giving you the strongest contrast possible. A LWIR camera produces lower quality images, while a SWIR camera produces stunning high definition imaging.

Short Wave InfraRed Imagers

SWIR imagers are now used in so many applications. Some of these may be including silicon inspection, laser beam profiling, hyperspectral imaging, chemical and plastics sensing, machine vision imaging, agricultural sensing, surveillance systems, and medical imaging. They give you the ability to see those super minute defects that you just can’t catch otherwise, and in some circumstances that’s the difference between life and death. In today’s age, SWIR is used in autonomous cars and phone face ID, just to name a few of the more commonly known ones.

Machine Vision Imaging

Machine vision imaging is one of the most common uses of SWIR. It necessitates cameras that can see the absolute smallest defects, see that at extremely fast frame rates, and a field of view wide enough to image a large area. SWIR cameras fit in with most vision softwares Manufacturing anything always has some unknown and risk to it. There are just so many steps involved in most manufacturing processes, there’s always a chance for something to wrong and lead to you putting out faulty products.

NIR Cameras

Near InfraRed is commonly referred to as “NIR”. It is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum directly adjacent to the visible range, meaning it is not visible to the human eye. NIR-optimized industrial cameras are popular for applications that need to utilize this wavelength range, mainly applications with poor light conditions, which could be anything like security cameras or the traffic cameras that monitor traffic flow. Until now, these applications were only possible with infrared cameras with expensive CCD sensors. Some application fields and inspection solutions require NIR for high wavelengths as well as for normal lighting, to record high-contrast images. You’ll know which applications can handle an NIR camera and which ones may require a SWIR or LWIR imaging system.