HEIDENHAIN’s New VS 101 Camera System For Automatic Machine Setup Monitoring

Feb. 24, 2016
In order to automatically monitor the setup situation and machining result with HEIDENHAIN’s flagship TNC 640 mill-turn control, the innovative accompanying VS 101 camera system is now introduced.

In order to automatically monitor the setup situation and machining result with HEIDENHAIN’s flagship TNC 640 mill-turn control, the innovative accompanying VS 101 camera system is now introduced.

The TNC 640 is HEIDENHAIN’s versatile contouring control, especially well-suited for HSC and 5-axis machining on machines up to 18 axes. The new VS 101 camera system now enables the TNC operator to not only monitor setup and machining result, but also view faulty situations that are displayed on the control. Visual Setup Control (VSC) is an effective means of preventing faulty parts because it is setup to identify incorrectly positioned workpieces and incorrectly mounted or missing fixtures.

To detect faults, the operator can use the camera system to run nominal-to-actual value comparisons. After starting the VSC function, the cover of the camera is opened and the camera starts recording images. The data is transmitted to the control that compares the images to a reference image. If a wrong setup is detected, the process is stopped and the faults are displayed. If everything is alright, the camera lens is closed and machining is continued.

VS 101 hardware components included are:

  • Industrial camera (1.31 MP) with Gigabit Ethernet and either 6 mm or 4.5 mm prime lens
  • Protective housing with proximity sensors, affixed to spindle housing
  • Integrated cylinder with valve that opens/closes the cover
  • DA 400 compressed-air unit for sealing air and air curtain


The camera has a 12V to 24 V voltage supply and a LAN connection for image data transmission to the control. The camera’s hardware components were specifically designed for HEIDENHAIN controls and rough ambient conditions in the machine’s working space.

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