NATICK, MA, USA January 17, 2012

Cognex Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Release Date and Conference Call

NATICK, MA, January 17, 2012 — Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) will release earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011 on Thursday, February 9, 2012, after the market closes, and will host a conference call that same day at 5:00 p.m. eastern time. The earnings release and conference call are scheduled to coincide with the company’s expected filing of its Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2011.

The telephone number for the live call is (866) 253-6509 (or (703) 639-1208 if outside the United States). A replay will begin at 8:00 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, February 9, 2012, and will run continuously until 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Sunday, February 12, 2012.The telephone number for the replay is (888) 266-2081 (or (703) 925-2533 if outside the United States) and the access code is 1565428.

Internet users can listen to a real-time audio broadcast of the conference call, or an archived replay on Cognex’s website a cognex.com/investor.

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 online at www.cognex.com.