Product category:
Inspection and testing (non-metrology)
News Release from: Orlin Technologies | Subject: Automated quality control for airbag component
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 24 April 2006
Automated quality control for airbag
component
An automotive Tier 1 supplier approached SMAC to provide an automated quality control solution for a safety-critical airbag component.
An automotive Tier 1 supplier approached SMAC to provide an automated quality control solution for a safety-critical airbag component At the time of the request, although parts were being checked by hand by a team of 40+ people, faulty parts were still being allowed through inspection
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Mar 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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This caused a major problem to the supplier as their customer, upon finding a faulty part, rejected the entire batch, meaning retesting of a large number of parts.
This obviously incurred a huge cost, both in monetary terms and damage to the supplier's reputation.
Many solutions were considered, including lasers and vision systems, but were dismissed as unsuitable due to the geometry of the part, with recessed grooves and overhanging surfaces.
The SMAC solution was to utilise a LXY15 actuator with 15mm of travel in two axes, as a contact gauging system - a kind of "mini CMM".
The actuator moves a probe around the part measuring seven critical dimensions to a resolution of 1 micron in only 2.5 seconds.
SMAC's unique softland feature means that the probe touches the surface with just a few grammes of force, preventing damage to either the probe or the part.
The supplier can now guarantee zero defects and has since won a quality award as a direct result of integrating SMAC actuators into its inspection procedures.
SMAC actuators are used extensively in the automotive industry for automated assembly and test, including automated screw thread inspection.
SMAC is represented in the United Kingdom by ORLIN Technologies.
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