Inspection Station Frame & Camera Mount Reference
This page covers how to build a tabletop inspection station for the Zira AI Vision camera. The structure is a 40 in cube assembled from black aluminum T-slot extrusion, joined at every top corner with a 3D printed Zira corner connector. The top face carries a center beam that holds the camera over the exact middle of the station, looking straight down. The bottom face is left fully open so product can be pushed in along the table surface and pulled back out after capture. All dimensions are given in both imperial (in) and metric (mm) units.
The Inspection Cube at a Glance
The station is a four legged portal cube. Four posts stand on the table, a doubled square frame closes the top, and one beam crosses the center of that top frame to hold the camera. There is no bottom frame, so the table surface itself becomes the inspection plane and product slides in freely from the open front.
The Extrusion Cut List
The frame breaks down into a handful of extrusion pieces in four roles: posts, a doubled top frame (outer and inner rails), one camera beam, and lower braces that stiffen the open bottom. Members that butt between two others are cut shorter than the 40 in envelope by twice the profile width.
How the Corners Join
Every joint is a right angle. The four top corners are three way joints where a post meets two perpendicular rails. Zira uses a 3D printed corner connector, debossed with the Zira mark, that seats into the slots and is locked with T-nuts and button head screws. Lower braces use the same connector family.
Front & Top Views
The front view sets the 40 in square opening and the doubled top frame. The top view shows the center beam crossing the frame and the camera positioned over the exact middle of the footprint. Dimensions are shown in both imperial and metric.
Mounting the Camera on the Center Beam
The camera ships pre assembled in its CNC machined aluminum housing with the adjustable bracket. On this station the bracket attaches to a slide plate that rides in the underside slot of the center beam. Slide it to the middle, level it, and lock it down.
- Drop a T-slot slide plate into the underside channel of the center beam.
- Bolt the Zira camera bracket to the slide plate with the four supplied screws.
- Slide the assembly to the center mark on the beam, then lock the T-nuts.
- Aim the lens straight down and tighten the bracket pan and tilt joints.
Why 40 in Is the Right Height
The Zira AI Camera has a 60° field of view, which gives a simple 1:1 rule of thumb. The distance from the lens to the surface should be at least equal to the longest dimension you need to capture. At 40 in of working distance, this station frames roughly a 40 in wide inspection field in a single shot.
| Surface to capture | Min. distance |
|---|---|
| 40" / 1016 mm (GMA) | 40" / 1016 mm |
| 42" / 1067 mm | 42" / 1067 mm |
| 48" / 1219 mm | 48" / 1219 mm |
| 30" / 762 mm | 30" / 762 mm |
| 24" / 610 mm | 24" / 610 mm |
Lab Build Photos
Photos of the inspection station assembled in the Zira lab. Use these as a visual reference for the doubled top frame, the 3D printed Zira corner connectors, the center camera beam, and the splayed legs on an open bottom.
| Component | Material | Dimensions | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical post ×4 | Black T-slot extrusion | 40 × 40 mm × 40" (1016 mm) | Quality Inspection |
| Top rail, outer ×2 | Black T-slot extrusion | 40 × 40 mm × 40" (1016 mm) | Quality Inspection |
| Top rail, inner ×2 | Black T-slot extrusion | 40 × 40 mm × 36.85" (936 mm) | Quality Inspection |
| Camera center beam ×1 | Black T-slot extrusion | 40 × 40 mm × 36.85" (936 mm) | Quality Inspection |
| Lower brace | Black T-slot extrusion | 40 × 40 mm, cut to fit | Quality Inspection |
| Zira corner connector ×4 | 3D printed (PETG / ASA) | 3-way corner cube, debossed mark | Quality Inspection |
| Camera slide plate ×1 | Aluminum T-slot plate | Rides underside of center beam | Quality Inspection |
| Camera bracket ×1 | Adjustable aluminum bracket | Supplied with the AI Camera | Quality Inspection |
| Leveling feet ×4 | Adjustable feet / anchors | Post base, table fixing | Quality Inspection |
| T-nuts + button head screws | Steel hardware | Sized to 40 series slot, M8 typical | Quality Inspection |