Vision Application Engineer

Welcome to Balluff Inc.!

Balluff is a global leader in sensor technology and industrial automation. Our mission is to drive smart manufacturing forward while creating a workplace where innovation and people thrive. Join a team that values precision, quality, and continuous improvement.

Position Summary

The Vision Application Engineer supports customers and Sales personnel by helping evaluate, develop, and apply machine vision solutions using Balluff vision products. This role combines technical problem-solving, customer engagement, and hands-on application support through product demonstrations, proof-of-concept testing, and solution development. It's an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build expertise in machine vision while supporting customer success and business growth.

What You’ll Do

• Provide pre-sales technical consulting, feasibility testing, proof-of-concept support, product demonstrations, training, and customer-facing presentations.
• Support application evaluation, concept validation, and technical solution development for customer vision opportunities.
• Develop an understanding of customer project methodologies and identify how Balluff vision products can support customer applications.
• Partner with Sales to develop customer opportunities and assist in creating bills of material, project proposals, and solution recommendations.
• Collaborate with Sales, R&D, Product Management, and other internal teams to support customer opportunities and business growth.
• Support after-sales escalations through troubleshooting, documentation, and coordination with Service, Product Management, R&D, and global Application Engineering teams.
• Help customers evaluate and understand the capabilities of vision products, cameras, optics, lighting, and image acquisition technologies.
• Build technical expertise in Balluff vision products and machine vision applications through hands-on customer support, testing, and training.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Position may be based within Michigan, Ohio, Northern Kentucky, or eastern Indiana.
• Employees residing within a reasonable commuting distance of Balluff offices are expected to work from those offices when not traveling or supporting customer activities.
• Travel throughout Michigan and Southern Ontario is required to support customers, projects, training, and business needs. Travel is expected to be approximately 10-20% for candidates residing within the Detroit metropolitan area and approximately 30-50% for candidates residing outside the Detroit area, depending on residence location and business needs.
• Ability to travel internationally, including multiple trips to Germany during the first year of employment for product and technical training, is required.
• Work is performed in office, customer manufacturing, laboratory, and industrial environments.
• Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required when working in customer facilities.

Balluff is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Qualifications

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
• 2-4 years of experience in machine vision, industrial imaging, imaging systems, camera-based technologies, automation, controls, or related technical fields.
• Understanding of machine vision fundamentals, including cameras, optics, lighting, image acquisition, and vision applications.
• Exposure to GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, GenICam, Linux environments, embedded systems, or related technologies preferred.
• Understanding of industrial networks and system integration, including PLCs, controllers, electrical systems, hardware systems, and machine operations.
• Basic programming knowledge in C++, C#, Python, or C sufficient to understand and evaluate code related to image acquisition; programming development is not required.
• Strong customer-facing communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, troubleshooting, and documentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and customer opportunities in a dynamic environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and familiarity with SAP.