Line Lights for Machine Vision Applications collection

Line Lights for Machine Vision Applications

Line scan lights provide concentrated and consistent illumination for machine vision systems that inspect moving products or continuous materials. They are commonly used with line scan cameras, where the image is captured one line at a time as the object moves through the inspection area.

VA Imaging offers standard and high-brightness line lights for applications such as conveyor inspection, foil and film inspection, glass inspection, print inspection, surface defect detection and PCB inspection. Both series are available with emitting lengths from 100 to 1500 mm.

Choosing the right line scan light depends on more than its length. Inspection width, production speed, exposure time, working distance, surface properties and required image contrast all influence the most suitable lighting configuration.

Line Light products

Compare VA Imaging Line Scan Lights

VA Imaging offers two line scan light series for different illumination requirements: the VA-LLS5 standard line light series and the VA-LLHB2 high-brightness line light series.

Specification VA-LLS5 Standard Line Light VA-LLHB2 High-Brightness Line Light
Main use General line scan illumination Applications requiring higher light output
Emitting length 100–1500 mm 100–1500 mm
Emitting width 25 mm 25 mm
Power range 29–432 W* 52–750 W*
Cable configuration 4 or 6 poles* 4 or 6 poles*
Supply Current-controlled 48 V Current-controlled 48 V
Best suited for General continuous inspection High-speed or short-exposure applications

*Depending on the selected model.

VA-LLS5

The VA-LLS5 is suited to general line scan inspection where stable and focused illumination is required across the inspection width.

VA-LLHB2

The VA-LLHB2 provides higher light output and is particularly relevant for short exposure times, higher line rates or applications where more concentrated illumination is required.

Selection tip: When choosing between the two series, consider the required intensity together with camera sensitivity, exposure time, line rate and working distance.

What are Line Scan Lights?

Line scan lights are machine vision lights designed to illuminate a narrow inspection line rather than a large area.

A line scan camera captures successive lines of pixels while either the camera or object moves. These individual lines are combined to create the complete image. Because the final image is built line by line, the illumination needs to remain consistent throughout the inspection.

This makes line scan lighting particularly suitable for continuous materials, moving products and long objects that need to be inspected at high resolution.

Compared with broader machine vision lighting, a line light concentrates illumination specifically onto the area being captured by the line scan camera.

Why Is Lighting Important for Line Scan Cameras?

Lighting for line scan cameras needs to provide sufficient intensity, spatial uniformity and temporal stability.

Production speed, line rate and exposure time are closely connected. At higher speeds, the camera often has less time to capture each section of the object. The line light therefore needs to provide enough illumination within the available exposure period.

Spatial Uniformity

Spatial uniformity describes how consistently the light covers the complete scan width.

Uneven illumination can create brightness differences across the image. Light length, alignment, position and working distance should therefore be selected so the complete inspection area receives usable illumination.

Temporal Stability

Temporal stability describes how consistently the light output remains while successive lines are captured.

Changes in illumination over time can become visible as repeated bright or dark bands in the final image. The lighting and power supply should therefore provide stable output throughout the inspection.

How to Choose a Line Scan Light for Machine Vision

Choosing a line scan light starts with the inspection width, working distance and speed of the application.

Inspection Width

The illuminated area should cover the complete field of view of the line scan camera.

For wide sheets, conveyors or continuous webs, the selected line light should provide consistent illumination across the full inspection width. VA Imaging offers emitting lengths from 100 to 1500 mm.

Working Distance

Working distance affects both illumination intensity and coverage.

The light position should be evaluated together with the camera position, field of view, mounting space and inspection width.

Production Speed and Exposure Time

Higher production speeds generally reduce the time available for each exposure.

Applications with high line rates or short exposure times may therefore require a higher-intensity light such as the VA-LLHB2 series.

Object Surface and Contrast

The surface of the inspected material affects how the light is reflected toward the camera.

Matte, reflective, transparent, dark and textured surfaces can require different lighting angles or intensities. The goal is not simply to make the object brighter, but to create enough contrast between the feature being inspected and its surroundings.

Choosing the Right Color or Wavelength

The wavelength of a line scan light can influence the contrast between the inspected feature and the surrounding material.

White illumination is suitable for many general machine vision applications. Other wavelengths can be useful when stronger contrast is required.

Depending on the application and configuration, Red, Green, Blue, UV and IR options are available on request.

Consider:

  • Material and surface properties
  • Color of the inspected feature
  • Camera sensor sensitivity
  • Required contrast
  • Inspection objective
  • Ambient lighting conditions

Testing different wavelengths can be useful when standard white illumination does not provide enough contrast.

Power Supply and System Integration

Line scan lights also need to be matched correctly to the electrical requirements of the machine vision system.

The VA-LLS5 and VA-LLHB2 line lights operate with a stable, current-controlled 48 V supply. A compatible VA-PS4-CD power supply should be selected according to the power requirement of the chosen model.

Depending on the model, a 4-pole or 6-pole cable connection is required.

Before integration, check:

  • Line light model and required power
  • Compatible 48 V power supply
  • Cable configuration
  • Cable routing and installation space
  • Cooling requirements
  • Camera and machine control integration

Review the technical documentation for the selected model before installation.

Combining Line Scan Lights with Line Scan Cameras

Line scan lights and line scan cameras should be selected as part of the same imaging system.

The camera resolution and line rate determine how the object is captured, while the lighting determines how clearly the required features appear in the image.

When configuring a complete line scan system, consider:

  • Camera resolution
  • Line rate
  • Exposure time
  • Lens and field of view
  • Inspection width
  • Working distance
  • Object speed
  • Surface characteristics
  • Required contrast
  • Lighting intensity and wavelength

Explore our line scan cameras when configuring the camera side of the system or view our complete range of machine vision lighting when comparing different illumination methods.

Line Scan Lighting for Industrial Applications

Line scan lighting is particularly suitable for continuously moving products or materials.

Typical applications include:

  • Conveyor inspection
  • Web and roll-to-roll inspection
  • Foil and film inspection
  • Glass inspection
  • Print and character inspection
  • Surface defect detection
  • PCB and electronics inspection
  • Textile and fabric inspection
  • Inspection of long or continuous materials

Surface Inspection

Line lights can help reveal scratches, marks, irregularities and other surface defects as the material moves through the inspection system.

The lighting angle should be selected around the feature that needs to become visible.

Foil, Film and Web Inspection

Line scan systems are well suited to continuously produced materials such as foil, film and paper.

The camera can inspect the material continuously instead of dividing a long product into separate area images.

Print and Character Inspection

Line scan lights can provide controlled illumination for printed information, labels, characters or markings on moving materials.

Strong contrast between the print and background helps the vision system capture the required detail consistently.

Glass, Electronics and Other Materials

Line lighting can also be used for glass, PCB, electronics and textile inspection.

The best lighting geometry depends on whether the system needs to reveal edges, surface defects, printed features, components or material variations.

Troubleshooting Common Line Scan Lighting Issues

Image problems in a line scan system can often be traced back to the lighting configuration.

Imaging issue What to check
Image is too dark at higher speeds Illumination intensity, exposure time and working distance
Brightness varies across the scan width Alignment, spatial uniformity and illumination coverage
Repeating bright or dark bands appear Temporal stability and power supply
Feature contrast is too low Lighting angle, wavelength and exposure
Reflections hide details Light position and surface geometry
Edges are darker Line light length, alignment and coverage
Image quality changes as speed increases Line rate, exposure time and light intensity
These checks can help determine whether the lighting should be adjusted before changing the camera or image-processing settings.

Standard and Custom Line Lights

The VA-LLS5 and VA-LLHB2 ranges cover emitting lengths from 100 to 1500 mm.

Application-specific requirements can also be discussed with VA Imaging when a standard configuration does not match the inspection setup.

Useful information includes:

  • Inspection width
  • Working distance
  • Camera model
  • Line rate or production speed
  • Exposure time
  • Object material
  • Surface characteristics
  • Required feature or contrast
  • Available mounting space

Providing this information helps determine the most suitable line light based on the complete application rather than size alone.

Frequently Asked Questions About Line Scan Lights

A line scan light is a machine vision light that concentrates illumination onto the narrow area captured by a line scan camera during continuous inspection.

A line light describes the shape of the illumination, while a line scan light refers specifically to a line light used with line scan imaging.

A line light concentrates illumination onto a narrow inspection area and is commonly used with line scan cameras. A bar light generally provides broader directional illumination and is often used with area scan cameras.

Line scan cameras often use short exposure times at high line rates, leaving less time for the sensor to collect light. This can increase the required illumination intensity.

Choose a line scan light based on inspection width, working distance, production speed, exposure time, surface properties and required image contrast.

A high-brightness line light is useful for applications with high line rates, short exposure times or surfaces that require additional illumination.

The best color depends on the material, camera sensitivity and feature being inspected. White works for many general applications, while other visible, UV or IR wavelengths can improve contrast in specific inspections.

Yes. Application-specific line light requirements can be discussed with VA Imaging when a standard configuration does not match the machine vision setup.

Find the Right Line Scan Light for Your Applications

Find the Right Line Scan Light for Your Application

The right line scan light depends on more than the required length. Inspection speed, exposure time, working distance, surface properties, camera settings and electrical requirements all influence the final setup.

Share your camera, inspection width, working distance, production speed and object material with our machine vision experts, and we can help determine the most suitable lighting configuration for your application.

Ask Our Machine Vision Experts

Reviews VA Imaging

  • 10
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  • 8
    Cameras are a great value for money

    The cameras are a great value for money and the lenses also. The software is outdated and needs refreshing. It took me considerable amount of time to discover how to access the camera features. The cameras are a great value for money and the lenses also. The software is outdated and needs refreshing. It took me considerable amount of time to discover how to access the camera features.

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    Its a pleasure to contact with the sales department. They are very polite and always ready to help. Our orders are always delivered on time and the communication is easy and simple. High quality pr... Its a pleasure to contact with the sales department. They are very polite and always ready to help. Our orders are always delivered on time and the communication is easy and simple. High quality products.

  • 10
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  • 10
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  • 8
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  • 9
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  • 10
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    These people know their subject. Thanks to their help, I was able to successfully complete my machine vision project. They are competent in optics and that makes the difference. Delivery and post-d... These people know their subject. Thanks to their help, I was able to successfully complete my machine vision project. They are competent in optics and that makes the difference. Delivery and post-delivery service at the highest level.

  • 9
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    Unfortunately they could not help me finding a suitable camera+lens combination for a specific application, but they even assigned a physicist to my query. Unfortunately they could not help me finding a suitable camera+lens combination for a specific application, but they even assigned a physicist to my query.

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  • 10
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    GeT Cameras in Germany made some photo's of our products to show the performance of their cameras and they looked perfect. Recently we purchased a camera with lens, and LED lights. We are not exper... GeT Cameras in Germany made some photo's of our products to show the performance of their cameras and they looked perfect. Recently we purchased a camera with lens, and LED lights. We are not experienced with machine vision but the installation worked out fine. After installation on our laboratory we were surprised again of the high quality of the photos and the versatility of this system. (options in Galaxy viewer and integration in Python. Recently we had an issue with the software and the customer support was able to give us the relevant information to fix it within one day. The next time we need a camera we will not be looking to other suppliers but contact GeT Cameras immediately.

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    First I was a little bit sceptic about buying online industrial cameras. It’s a critical part for our machine. For a new product development there was a lot of price pressure. We needed a cheap cam... First I was a little bit sceptic about buying online industrial cameras. It’s a critical part for our machine. For a new product development there was a lot of price pressure. We needed a cheap camera. I called them and Caspar was providing great support. He even advised a cheaper camera than I had in mind. I was just surprised by the inhouse knowledge of get cameras about machine vision. Never expected this from a webshop. The image an built quality of the camera is also great. The camera feels and operates the same as our Basler cameras.

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    The customer service staff was friendly, easy to approach and helped us select the appropriate products which fit our use case perfectly. The customer service staff was friendly, easy to approach and helped us select the appropriate products which fit our use case perfectly.

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    Get Cameras were extremely kind to sponsor us with some amazing equipment for our RoboCup student team, Delft Mercurians. We had no issues with the cameras, they perform as advertised and enabled u... Get Cameras were extremely kind to sponsor us with some amazing equipment for our RoboCup student team, Delft Mercurians. We had no issues with the cameras, they perform as advertised and enabled us to continue with the project and the company was extremely supportive of us overall. The customer service staff was friendly, easy to approach and helped us select the appropriate products which fit our use case perfectly.

  • 8
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  • 10
    Products delivered sooner than promised

    Ordered products were delivered sooner than promised, all ordered items were included in the package and we had no problems to make them work (cameras work with the attached software and with Matlab). Ordered products were delivered sooner than promised, all ordered items were included in the package and we had no problems to make them work (cameras work with the attached software and with Matlab).

  • 10
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    I liked that your team helped me chose the needed equipment by my description. The items that i have ordered are exactly what i have looked for. I liked that your team helped me chose the needed equipment by my description. The items that i have ordered are exactly what i have looked for.

  • 10
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    Prompt responses to our many questions. A good selection of cameras despite shortages elsewhere in the industry and we have been able to specify some of these cameras to keep projects moving forwar... Prompt responses to our many questions. A good selection of cameras despite shortages elsewhere in the industry and we have been able to specify some of these cameras to keep projects moving forward. We continue to buy regularly.

  • 10
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    Reachable by phone and smooth cooperation. Invoice provided without the need for extra requesting for it. Reachable by phone and smooth cooperation. Invoice provided without the need for extra requesting for it.

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    Prompt responses to our many questions. A good selection of cameras despite shortages elsewhere in the industry and we have been able to specify some of these cameras to keep projects moving forwar... Prompt responses to our many questions. A good selection of cameras despite shortages elsewhere in the industry and we have been able to specify some of these cameras to keep projects moving forward. We continue to buy from Get-Cameras regularly.

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    The customer service is quick, friendly and helpful, shipping takes place fast and the quality of cameras and accessoires is excellent. Very useful is also the provided software, including coding e... The customer service is quick, friendly and helpful, shipping takes place fast and the quality of cameras and accessoires is excellent. Very useful is also the provided software, including coding examples to implement the cameras in our systems.

  • 10
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    The customer service is quick, friendly and helpful, shipping takes place fast and the quality of cameras and accessoires is excellent. Very useful is also the provided software, including coding e... The customer service is quick, friendly and helpful, shipping takes place fast and the quality of cameras and accessoires is excellent. Very useful is also the provided software, including coding examples to implement the cameras in our systems.

  • 10
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    i called them and they proposed the camera, lens and light setup. I received everything 2 days later. Tested it and it works. I didn't expect such a good image quality for the total set price. They... i called them and they proposed the camera, lens and light setup. I received everything 2 days later. Tested it and it works. I didn't expect such a good image quality for the total set price. They recommended the cheapest camera they had, but it's perfect for detecting the defects on my products.

  • 9
    Suitable product for us

    We already have several of your cameras. These are for stock only. Since we are taking them into stock, that means we are happy with them. Only lead time is little bit longer. We already have several of your cameras. These are for stock only. Since we are taking them into stock, that means we are happy with them. Only lead time is little bit longer.

  • 10
    The German-speaking customer service team is very attentive to our needs.

    We greatly value our collaboration with VA Imaging. The German-speaking account managers always address our individual requirements and consistently find suitable solutions, even for last-minute ch... We greatly value our collaboration with VA Imaging. The German-speaking account managers always address our individual requirements and consistently find suitable solutions, even for last-minute changes. Thanks to their support and flexibility, we have always been able to implement our projects quickly and smoothly. Thank you for the excellent collaboration!

  • 8
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    We are very happy with the quality of goods and services. We are very happy with the quality of goods and services.

  • 10
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    The camera arrived on schedule and gives excellent images. Very good value for money. The SDK makes it very easy to acquire images into a program of my own written using C++Builder (about 2 hours p... The camera arrived on schedule and gives excellent images. Very good value for money. The SDK makes it very easy to acquire images into a program of my own written using C++Builder (about 2 hours programming).

  • 10
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    I was using cameras from a German competitor, but I was not happy with the support. They contacted me and we where able to select a camera with the same sensor. I received the camera within 2 days.... I was using cameras from a German competitor, but I was not happy with the support. They contacted me and we where able to select a camera with the same sensor. I received the camera within 2 days. It took me half a day to implement their SDK into my software so it was relative easy.

  • 10
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    We needed a vision camera for our project very urgently. They where able to deliver it in a few days time. They responded quick to my emails also when I needed support. They send me an article how ... We needed a vision camera for our project very urgently. They where able to deliver it in a few days time. They responded quick to my emails also when I needed support. They send me an article how to quickly install the camera and set the most important parameters. it was very helpfull and within half an hour we had a good live view image. We have also ordered the lens they advised. It provides a nice and sharp image.

  • 10
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    My questions were answered very quickly. The right camera was determined quickly and the order placed immediately. Camera delivered within two days. I hope to do business again in the future! My questions were answered very quickly. The right camera was determined quickly and the order placed immediately. Camera delivered within two days. I hope to do business again in the future!

  • 10
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    Great seller, good comunication, ship very fast. Great seller, good comunication, ship very fast.

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