(AIA: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Sales of machine vision components and systems in North America soared 54 percent in 2010 to nearly $1.8 billion, according to new figures released by the Automated Imaging Association (AIA), the world’s largest machine vision trade group.

The AIA “Quarterly Machine Vision Sales Tracking Report” recorded robust sales growth in all major machine-vision supplier markets, including cameras, lighting, optics, imaging boards, application-specific machine vision systems, software, and smart cameras. The report also disclosed widespread optimism about the future, with nearly three-fourths of companies submitting data for the report expecting sales to improve over current levels during the first half of 2011.

“The substantial market growth in 2010 demonstrates the importance of machine vision technology to companies in manufacturing and nonmanufacturing sectors,” says AIA president Jeff Burnstein. “We saw strong evidence of this at the recent Automate 2011 Show and Conference, which was our largest in a decade. Exhibitors reported strong interest in machine vision solutions, and conference sessions focusing on vision were packed.”

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