Quality gate in axle assembly
Quality controls with camera systems are a proven means of avoiding errors. This also applies to axle assembly in automotive engineering. After a series of assembly steps, completeness, type variant and alignment of various add-on parts are checked. Whether the presence of the cable holders, cable pull holders and star sheaves, correct caulking of the collar nut, variant checking by code reading or on the basis of part-specific forms, the list of features to be checked is long.
Depending on the complexity of the features and their position in different variants, many inspection areas must also be covered with cameras and associated lighting. Conveyed on a part carrier into an inspection cell, many cameras and lighting systems are often required in such quality gates in order to acquire all features and variants. The use of the robot-guided camera results in almost limitless flexibility. Not only can any additional features be integrated into the inspection process in just a few simple steps, but the operator of the system can also look forward to future variants. While new derivatives, due to their partly different design, made it necessary to repeatedly expand test cells with permanently mounted cameras and lighting, it is now sufficient to adjust the test position and analysis feature.
Special knowledge for handling the robot is not necessary. The camera can be moved manually to the desired position by weightless switching of the robot. The V60 image processing software transfers the position to the position list by mouse click and saves it as a type variant and inspection characteristic. The cameras used are equipped with 36x zoom and enable an adapted image area, focus and brightness for each inspection feature, which are also acquired in the type and feature list.
The camera system with the VisionTools V60 image processing software not only inspects all features, but also manages all associated robot positions and controls their movement. The user therefore only has to concentrate on one user interface, which considerably simplifies the handling of the system.
