In the summer of 1994, Vision Engineering presented the first eyepiece-free stereo microscope in the Mantis series, creating a highly ergonomic solution for inspection and processing tasks that was positioned between the simple magnifying lights and conventional microscopes that were common at the time in terms of function and price. Since then, the approach has undergone further technical development - the second generation came onto the market in 2005 and the third in 2023 - and has also become firmly established in industrial microscopy applications with around 100,000 installations.
Its innovative approach to eyepieceless stereo microscopy has earned Mantis numerous design and innovation awards. Today, it is not only used in electronics production for quality control or for incoming and outgoing goods inspection. Other areas of application include mechanical engineering, aerospace, the automotive industry and the plastics industry in the field of precision mechanics or additive manufacturing. Mantis systems are also used in medical technology, the dental industry and life sciences.
The third generation, launched a year ago, has improved optics for hand-eye coordination and achieves excellent depth perception. Using the three-position turret, the operator can select objectives from 3x to 15x or even an 8x objective with a very long working distance.
Five different illumination options offer the best possible flexibility for optimizing object illumination. With the PIXO option, the system also offers a high-resolution image and video camera. Simple switching between white and UV light is also possible, which expands the detection options.
Mantis was originally manufactured in England at Vision-Engineering's headquarters. With the introduction of the second generation in 2005, production was moved to the American subsidiary in New Milford, north-east of New York in the state of Connecticut.
Website
https://www.visioneng.de/produkte/stereomikroskope/mantis/
