FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATICK, MA, USA April 21, 2008

Cognex Announces New $50 Million Stock Repurchase Authorization

NATICK, MA, April 21, 2008 — Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) today announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $50 million of Cognex common stock in open market transactions.  The repurchases will be made at management’s discretion depending upon a variety of factors, including price levels and share availability. 

This new authorization is in addition to the $100 million stock repurchase program that was announced by Cognex on July 27, 2006, of which approximately $13 million remains available.  And it is also in addition to the $30 million stock repurchase program announced on March 13, 2008 that is subject to the parameters of a Rule 10b5-1 Plan for repurchases during Cognex self-imposed trading blackout periods related to the announcement of quarterly results, of which approximately $27 million remains available.  This new authorization brings the total amount of funds available for the repurchase of Cognex common stock to $90 million.

Forward-Looking Statement
Certain statements made in this press release, which do not relate solely to historical matters, are forward-looking statements.  These statements can be identified by use of the words “expects,” “anticipates,” ”estimates,” “believes,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “shall” and similar words.  These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.  Such risks and uncertainties include: (1) economic conditions that impact the capital spending trends of manufacturers in a variety of industries; (2) the cyclicality of the semiconductor and electronics industries; (3) the inability to achieve significant international revenue; (4) fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; (5) the loss of, or a significant curtailment of purchases by, any one or more principal customers; (6) the reliance upon certain sole-source suppliers of critical components; (7) the inability to attract and retain skilled employees; (8) the inability to design and manufacture high-quality products; (9) the technological obsolescence of current products and the inability to develop new products; (10) the failure to effectively manage product transitions or accurately forecast customer demand; (11) the failure to properly manage the distribution of products and services; (12) the inability to protect Cognex proprietary technology and intellectual property; (13) the company’s involvement in time-consuming and costly litigation; (14) the impact of competitive pressures; (15) the challenges in integrating acquired businesses and achieving expected results; (16) exposure to additional tax liabilities; and (17) the other risks detailed in the company’s reports filed with the SEC, including the company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year 2007.  You should not place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Cognex disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements after the date of such statements.

CONTACT:
Susan Conway
Director of Investor Relations
Cognex Corporation
Telephone: (508) 650-3353
Email: susan.conway@cognex.com

About Cognex Corporation

Cognex Corporation (“the Company” or “Cognex”) invents and commercializes technologies that address some of the most critical manufacturing and distribution challenges. We are a leading global provider of machine vision products and solutions that improve efficiency and quality in high-growth-potential businesses across attractive industrial end markets. Our solutions blend physical products and software to capture and analyze visual information, allowing for the automation of manufacturing and distribution tasks for customers worldwide. Machine vision products are used to automate the manufacturing or distribution and tracking of discrete items, such as mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries and e-commerce packages, by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them. Machine vision is important for applications in which human vision is inadequate to meet requirements for size, accuracy, or speed, or in instances where substantial cost savings or quality improvements are maintained.

Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 4 million image-based products, representing over $10 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has offices and distributors located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For details, visit cognex.com.

IR Contact
Nathan McCurren
Head of Investor Relations
Cognex Corporation
ir@cognex.com

Media Contact
Jeremy Sacco
Senior Manager, Global Content Marketing
Cognex Corporation
pr@cognex.com

GET ACCESS TO SUPPORT & TRAINING FOR PRODUCTS & MORE

Join MyCognex