Free-fall system inspects the quality of precision stamped parts during the production process

In industrial stamping processes, a number of hundred sheet metallic elements are sometimes produced per minute. Along with the stamped elements producer Quittenbaum GmbH, researchers at Fraunhofer IPM have now for the primary time developed and put in an optical inspection system that checks the dimensional accuracy of each single element in high-speed stamping processes—with an accuracy within the vary of 100 micrometers.

Connectors, sleeves or pins are stamped from sheet metallic with excessive precision and in excessive volumes. They’re utilized in quite a few high-tech merchandise similar to cars, in telecommunications, in digital techniques or in medical know-how.

Till now, high quality assurance has not been capable of maintain tempo with the excessive manufacturing cycle in stamping processes. In consequence, stamped elements are often solely examined on a random foundation by visible inspection or with the assistance of CT scans.

Utilizing a free-fall inspection system, a workforce from Fraunhofer IPM has succeeded in checking the geometric dimensional accuracy of 3D precision elements within the manufacturing cycle for the primary time. The system was examined in a manufacturing course of for plug connectors product of copper sheet, of which 330 elements per minute are manufactured.

A element feeder developed by the producer transports the person elements, that are as much as 40 mm in measurement, from the punching machine right into a take a look at sphere with none additional dealing with. Because the elements fall by way of the sphere, they’re captured from totally different views by 16 high-resolution cameras.

The objects are captured with out shadows or reflections due to an oblique LED flash illumination. The measurement information is checked towards the nominal CAD mannequin in order that faulty elements could be ejected instantly.

The excessive processing fee for this computationally intensive evaluation is achieved by quick inspection algorithms, parallelized digital camera management and a number of other analysis computer systems. Throughout take a look at operation, faulty elements with geometric deviations within the vary of 100 micrometers have been reliably recognized. The measurements have been verified on a random foundation utilizing CT scans.

In a follow-up venture, the companions from Fraunhofer IPM and Quittenbaum intend to analyze how the floor of the stamped elements could be effectively inspected.