{"id":5401,"date":"2026-10-20T16:06:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T20:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stvision.com\/machine-vision-solutions\/?p=5401"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T20:08:54","slug":"5-signs-your-machine-vision-application-needs-swir-imaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stvision.com\/machine-vision-solutions\/2026\/10\/5-signs-your-machine-vision-application-needs-swir-imaging.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Signs Your Machine Vision Application Needs SWIR Imaging"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most machine vision systems begin with visible-light cameras, but many inspection challenges remain unsolved because the information being sought simply isn’t visible in the VIS spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many are intimidated by SWIR, worried it’s some exotic sensing technology. While it’s different in that it’s a form of vision that’s in a different part of the spectrum than VIS, we all enjoy radio and bluetooth, and we’re not natively equipped to sense those parts of the spectrum either!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below we present SWIR as a practical problem-solving technology. And we’ve created a new area on the 1stVision website dedicated to SWIR imaging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign #1: You Need to Detect Moisture or Water Content<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Drone mounted SWIR sensor identifies moisture content in crops – could be used to determine irrigation needs – Courtesy Tamron<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Applications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Fruit and vegetable inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Agricultural monitoring<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Crop stress analysis<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Food quality grading<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Moisture detection<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
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    VIS image left; SWIR image right reveals moisture content – Courtesy Allied Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Key takeaway: Water absorbs SWIR wavelengths, creating contrast that visible-light systems often cannot provide.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    The economic payoff for fruit sorting with SWIR is to detect early bruising. That way bruised fruit isn’t shipped for display and customer rejection and poor quality – instead lightly bruised fruit can still be quickly sauced or juiced, while heavily bruised fruit may be rejected early to reduce shipping costs and preserve reputation for quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sign #2: Different Materials Look the Same in Visible Light<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Applications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Plastic sorting<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Recycling systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Material identification<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Foreign material detection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Food processing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Key takeaway: Materials that appear identical in visible light often separate very clearly in SWIR.<\/p>\n\n\n

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      VIS left; SWIR right: differentiate materials with SWIR – Courtesy Allied Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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      Consider recycling and automated sorting applications: If the materials aren’t visible to humans, then neither humans nor VIS spectrum machine vision are candidates. But SWIR applications can distinguish among different types of plastic, for example, making recycling profitable or at least less costly. Also relevant for food safety applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Sign #3: You Need to See Through Silicon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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      VIS image (left) only finds the large crack; SWIR image (right) also finds smaller upper crack \u2013 Courtesy JAI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      Applications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • Semiconductor inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Wafer inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Die inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Solar manufacturing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Key takeaway: Silicon becomes transparent at SWIR wavelengths, allowing inspection of features hidden from visible cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Economics: Semiconductor and solar panel production is an expensive undertaking, and it’s essential to detect any flaws as early as possible, to reject any materials that aren’t worthy of further processing. Improving yields reduces costs and raises quality, providing competitive advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Sign #4: You Need to Inspect Through Plastic Packaging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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        SWIR clearly reveals seal quality better than VIS \u2013 Courtesy JAI<\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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        Left: VIS image of same scene Right in SWIR – Courtesy QDI Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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        • Pharmaceutical packaging<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Medical devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Bottle inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Seal inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Fill-level verification<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Key takeaway: SWIR can provide visibility through packaging materials that are difficult to inspect using conventional imaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Especially many plastics are opaque in VIS yet transparent in SWIR. The benefits are clear – pun initially not intended but in hindsight it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Sign #5: Glare, Dust, Smoke, or Haze Is Limiting Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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