Cognex Machine Vision Selected by BluePrint Robotic Solutions.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2003

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX), the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, announced today that BluePrint Robotic Solutions, a division of BluePrint Automation Group, has selected Cognex's In-Sight(R) vision sensor to provide vision guidance for their high-speed robotic systems.

BluePrint Robotic Solutions specializes in developing high-speed, vision-guided robotic systems for the packaging industry. Cognex's In-Sight vision sensor will be used to identify and inspect items moving on a conveyor belt, and to guide robots performing tasks such as loading randomly-oriented unpackaged goods into trays, or assembling items such as snack foods into variety packs. Robotic Solutions also uses In-Sight in stand-alone inspection systems for applications such as verifying wrap quality, labeling, and proper assembly.

"In consumer goods manufacturing, there is an increasing number of applications where the ability to deal with a variety of randomly-oriented products is critical to manufacturing efficiency," said Joseph Crompton, Director of Software and Controls for BluePrint Robotic Solutions. "Vision-guided robotics is key to providing this flexibility, and our experience is that Cognex's In-Sight vision sensor has the capabilities and tools of a much more expensive vision system but at a more affordable price. This price advantage enables us to build robotic packaging systems that can be more easily cost-justified by our customers, which opens up many new markets to us."

Mr. Crompton continued, "In-Sight is simple to program, easy to interface to the robots, and offers a number of options like color and high-resolution cameras. Even the base model can usually keep a robot supplied with well over 200 targets per minute. And, we can leverage Cognex's extensive product line so that higher-end systems such as Checkpoint(R) or VisionPro(R) can also be used with a minimal change to the robot interface."

"Cognex has over 20 years of experience developing high-accuracy, high-speed machine vision for the semiconductor industry," said Dr. Robert J. Shillman, Cognex's CEO and Chairman. "We have been able to leverage this robust technology to develop In-Sight, which is now providing general manufacturers with the same level of high-performance machine vision for their factory floor applications."

BluePrint Robotic Solutions, a division of the BluePrint Automation Group, was established in June of 2003 to focus on developing high-speed automated systems for the consumer goods industry. The BluePrint Automation Group is a leading, multinational packaging automation company with full service manufacturing facilities in Virginia and The Netherlands.

Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision systems, or computers that can "see." Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 175,000 vision systems, representing over $1.4 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Cognex's Modular Vision Systems Division, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for automating the manufacture of a wide range of discrete items and for assuring their quality. Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division, headquartered in Alameda, California, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for inspecting the surfaces of products manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metals, paper, plastics, and nonwovens. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.