Micro-Vu Past , Present & Future

Micro-Vu was founded in 1959 in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. The goal was to provide precision optical comparators at an affordable price. Small machine shops needed to improve the quality of their parts. Most measurement and inspection systems on the market were too expensive for the average small shop.

Today, Micro-Vu designs, manufactures, and assembles in the heart of Northern California's wine country, now providing a large line of precision multisensor, vision, video, and optical measurement machines. Customers include the world's largest manufacturers as well as small job shops that seek high performance measurement equipment at a fair price.

Micro-Vu's first product was a portable optical comparator. Micro-Vu designed a special lens system that offered bright images at a low cost. The comparator was an instant success.

Over the years, Micro-Vu expanded its product line to fill the needs of customers developing larger and more accurate measuring machines. In the 1970s Micro-Vu offered a full line of optical comparators with advanced features like thru-the-lens surface illumination and integrated digital readouts (DROs).

In 1980, Micro-Vu introduced the first metrology computer designed specifically for optical comparators. The Q16 and it's predecessor the MD-1, brought functionality to optical comparators that previously had been available only on coordinate measuring machines.

The 1980s saw many other innovations such as video comparators, edge detectors, video inspection systems, and the latest technology - machine vision systems.

In 1988, Micro-Vu moved to a Windsor, California and constructed a 40,000 square foot facility for design and manufacturing operations.

In the 1990s, Micro-Vu expanded its vision system line with stepper, servo, and linear motor systems. In 1998 construction was complete on a 25,000 square foot building to house the growing assembly operations. Micro-Vu also was the first to introduce 32-bit Windows NT software for vision systems. InSpec for Windows software was the first to provide click and drag stage and vision tool control. The schematic, camera view, program list, and results were all viewable in a multiwindow interface.

In 2000, Micro-Vu introduced InSpec for Windows 2. The Windows interface was optimized based on customer feedback. The layout has proven itself and is the basis of the current versions of the InSpec software.

Micro-Vu introduced a new generation of vision systems in 2001. The Vertex machines connect to a computer with just a USB and S-Video cable. Modular drives, a single MV control board with on-board memory, a MV amplifier board, FEA, and other advances improved performance and reduced costs. Together with the InSpec Metrology Software, customers had a high accuracy, easy-to-use vision system offered at a very competitive price.

The next year Micro-Vu launched the Excel product line. Using the same advancements in electronics and software, these granite based machines brought high accuracy and lower costs to customers with large parts.

Growth has led to the construction of a two story addition to add another 20,000 square feet. Micro-Vu invested in 5 and 6 axis machining centers to keep its in-house manufacturing efficient. Micro-Vu designs, manufactures, and assembles its machines in Windsor, California.

In 2010, Micro-Vu introduced another generation of multisensor measurement systems. The Vertex 251 uses a digital camera and a single USB cable to connect the machine to a computer. Through new technology and electronic design, computer related downtime is nearly eliminated.