Drop and Cut

The Drop and Cut feature uses a network camera mounted inside the machine to provide a live view of the sheet on the pallet. After calibrating the camera, you can place parts directly onto the camera image in postproduction, and Vulcan automatically captures the work offset — eliminating the need for manual offset entry.

Camera model and specifications

Model name: Hikvision DS-2CD1027G2-L

Specification	Value
Camera
Image Sensor	1/2.8" Progressive Scan CMOS
Max. Resolution	1920 x 1080
Min. Illumination	Color: 0.001 Lux @ (F1.0, AGC ON), 0 Lux with light
Shutter Time	1/3 s to 1/100,000 s
Day & Night	24/7 color imaging
Angle Adjustment	Pan: 0° to 360°, tilt: 0° to 90°, rotate: 0° to 360°
Lens
Lens Type	Fixed focal lens, 2.8 and 4 mm optional
Focal Length & FOV	2.8 mm, horizontal FOV: 106°, vertical FOV: 57°, diagonal FOV: 126° 4 mm, horizontal FOV: 83°, vertical FOV: 44°, diagonal FOV: 99°
Lens Mount	M12
Iris Type	Fixed
Aperture	F1.0
Depth of Field	2.8 mm: 1.5 m to ∞ 4 mm: 2.1 m to ∞
DORI
DORI	2.8 mm, D: 44 m, O: 17 m, R: 8 m, I: 4 m 4 mm, D: 56 m, O: 22 m, R: 11 m, I: 5 m
Illuminator
Supplement Light Type	White Light
Supplement Light Range	Up to 30 m
Smart Supplement Light	Yes
Video
Main Stream	50 Hz: 25 fps (1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720) 60 Hz: 30 fps (1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720)
Sub-Stream	50 Hz: 25 fps (640 x 480, 640 x 360) 60 Hz: 30 fps (640 x 480, 640 x 360)
Video Compression	Main stream: H.265+/H.265/H.264+/H.264 Sub-stream: H.265/H.264/MJPEG
Video Bit Rate	32 Kbps to 8 Mbps
H.264 Type	Baseline Profile, Main Profile, High Profile
H.265 Type	Main Profile
Bit Rate Control	CBR, VBR
Region of Interest (ROI)	1 fixed region(s) for main stream

Specification

Value

Camera

Image Sensor

1/2.8" Progressive Scan CMOS

Max. Resolution

1920 x 1080

Min. Illumination

Color: 0.001 Lux @ (F1.0, AGC ON), 0 Lux with light

Shutter Time

1/3 s to 1/100,000 s

Day & Night

24/7 color imaging

Angle Adjustment

Pan: 0° to 360°, tilt: 0° to 90°, rotate: 0° to 360°

Lens

Lens Type

Fixed focal lens, 2.8 and 4 mm optional

Focal Length & FOV

2.8 mm, horizontal FOV: 106°, vertical FOV: 57°, diagonal FOV: 126°
4 mm, horizontal FOV: 83°, vertical FOV: 44°, diagonal FOV: 99°

Lens Mount

M12

Iris Type

Fixed

Aperture

F1.0

Depth of Field

2.8 mm: 1.5 m to ∞
4 mm: 2.1 m to ∞

DORI

2.8 mm, D: 44 m, O: 17 m, R: 8 m, I: 4 m
4 mm, D: 56 m, O: 22 m, R: 11 m, I: 5 m

Illuminator

Supplement Light Type

White Light

Supplement Light Range

Up to 30 m

Smart Supplement Light

Yes

Video

Main Stream

50 Hz: 25 fps (1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720)
60 Hz: 30 fps (1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720)

Sub-Stream

50 Hz: 25 fps (640 x 480, 640 x 360)
60 Hz: 30 fps (640 x 480, 640 x 360)

Video Compression

Main stream: H.265+/H.265/H.264+/H.264
Sub-stream: H.265/H.264/MJPEG

Video Bit Rate

32 Kbps to 8 Mbps

H.264 Type

Baseline Profile, Main Profile, High Profile

H.265 Type

Main Profile

Bit Rate Control

CBR, VBR

Region of Interest (ROI)

1 fixed region(s) for main stream

Positioning the camera in the machine

The camera is mounted inside the machine, positioned on the top inner right side of the door, at 50 mm. It provides a view from inside the machine. The viewing angle is tilted to align with the placement of half the sheet.

Connecting a network camera in Vulcan

To establish communication between the camera and Vulcan, the camera IP address must be configured within the same network series as the machine IP address.

Checking the machine IP address

Switch to Service User Active mode:
1. Open Settings
2. Select Switch User
3. Change the user group to Service User Active
Open the Command Shell:
1. Go to Windows Tools
2. Select Command Shell
Type ipconfig and press Enter. The system will display the machine’s network details, including the IP address connected in the local area network.

Configuring the camera IP address

The camera must be configured with an IP address in the same series as the machine.

Example:

Machine IP: 192.168.1.176
Camera IP: 192.168.1.xxx

Ensure the camera IP address is unique and not already assigned to another device. Contact the IT team to confirm uniqueness.

By default, the Hikvision DS-2CD1027G2-L camera uses IP 192.168.1.64, which is already in the correct series. No manual configuration is required unless the IP differs.

Configuring the system IP address (if needed)

If the camera has a different IP address:

Connect the camera directly to a system via Ethernet.
Use the default IP address provided in the camera manual.
Configure the system IP in the same range:
- IP Address: 192.168.1.176
- Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
- Default Gateway: As required

Ensure that the system IP address and camera IP address are in the same network series. Do not assign an IP address that is already used by another device on the network.

Configuring the camera in Vulcan

Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Metamation\Vulcan\Data and open CamSettings.xml in a text editor.

Update the configuration details:

<Camera id="1" description="Camera 1" enable="true">
  <Configuration>
    <LiveStream enable="false"
      url="http://192.168.1.64/ISAPI/Streaming/channels/101/picture" />
    <LiveStreamDefault enable="true"
      url="http://192.168.1.64/ISAPI/Streaming/channels/101/picture" />
    <Authentification username="admin" password="your_password" />
  </Configuration>
</Camera>

Replace the IP address in the url field with the actual camera IP.
Update authentication details if required.
Save the file and close the editor.

Verifying the camera connection

Open Vulcan → Calibration page.
Confirm that the camera feed is displayed correctly.
Ensure:
- Camera IP matches the XML configuration
- System and camera are in the same network series
- Username and password are correct

Rectifying camera distortion

Vulcan does not currently support camera undistortion. It will be implemented in a future release. Vulcan supports all IP cameras but may have some deviation with distorted cameras.

To correct lens distortion:

Print a checkerboard pattern and stick it onto a flat, rigid blackboard. Make sure the surface is even and does not bend.
Take multiple images of the checkerboard. While capturing:
- Move the board so that various parts of the checkerboard appear in the centre, edges, and corners of the camera view.
- Tilt the board at slightly different angles to capture more variation.
  
  This helps the calibration process understand how the camera behaves across the entire field of view.

Running the undistort function

Run the captured images through the undistortion code. The code will compute:

K (intrinsic matrix) — represents the focal length and optical centre of the camera
Distortion coefficients — represent the lens distortion present in the camera

These values describe how the camera forms an image and how it distorts. All matrices can be saved in XML format and reused later, as long as the camera setup remains unchanged (no movement, no focus change, etc.).

Verifying the undistortion

After undistortion, check whether the distortion has been corrected properly and the output image looks accurate.
Lens distortion is usually stronger near the edges and corners of the image, so pay special attention to those regions.
If the distortion is not properly corrected, repeat the undistortion process with better images.

Steps to calibrate

Go to Configure → Calibration.

① Shows live position diode coordinates.
② Status message to guide the user through the calibration process.
③ Displays the saved bound region.
④ To capture a new bound region.
The live image from the camera will appear on the control screen.
Click Show Bound to view the saved calibration boundary. This helps to verify the visible area and confirm whether the camera is correctly positioned to capture the desired portion of the sheet.
If the displayed boundary does not match the desired sheet area, click Capture to reset and provide new bound points.
Proceed with calibration by measuring four reference points one by one on the sheet by guiding the position diode and clicking on it, thus forming an exact rectangular boundary.

Capture mode

① Guides the order of points to be captured.
② To exit capture mode without saving changes.

Once the position diode is placed at the required position and a point is clicked on the position diode, the position diode position will automatically be captured for the corresponding point.

If the position diode point is not updating when the laser head is moved in the calibration page, the textbox prompts for user-input of the machine point which must be entered manually and confirmed by pressing Enter or clicking outside the textbox.

Once all four points are given, a confirmation popup appears. If confirmed, the bound will be added; if not, the previous bound will be retained. After confirmation, the bound will be displayed.

Calibration is a one-time process that remains valid unless the camera position or pallet changes.

Using the calibrated view in postproduction

Once the bound is saved, head to Postproduction by choosing the desired LST file from Programs.
The camera view in postproduction takes up the saved bound, within which parts can be added and saved.
Click Save NC — the work offset is captured with respect to the bound region. The saved part can then be cut without needing any manual capture of work offset.