Initial situation
Proper monitoring of crimp connections can significantly improve the quality and reliability of spindle drives in vehicles.
Electric tailgate systems open and close the trunk lid automatically using an electric spindle drive. Originally installed exclusively in luxury and luxury class vehicles, these drives are now also being used in medium-sized and small cars due to increasing demand for greater convenience.
The electric spindle drives in the trunk of a vehicle are designed so that their metal housing is crimped. Crimping is a technique in which two or more parts are positively connected without having to be soldered or welded. The material is bent or formed in the process. The spindles have specific crimp patterns and the quality of these crimps is crucial.”
The crimp connections on the spindle axles in the trunk of a vehicle fulfill several important functions:
When operators use mechanical probes or special tools to measure crimp depths, spindle diameters or crimp positions, this poses various challenges:
QuellTech presents an innovative solution: the inspection of crimps using 3D laser scanners. A sophisticated device has been designed to facilitate the rotation of the scanner around the manufactured component. The scanner performs a precise 360-degree rotation around the component, capturing data points and generating a detailed 3D point cloud. Thanks to its flexible mounting field, this device can capture a wide range of components.
Once the assembly process is complete, the specifications for each variant are transferred to the QuellTech software via a PC-based control system, as the tolerances and nominal values can vary between variants. The user can adjust these values as required via a user-friendly front end.
The results of the scan and the “pass/fail” status are immediately visualized on the display and documented for later analysis. A blue laser diode was chosen for this use of a laser sensor as it enables minimal noise development and precise line guidance. The tolerance values for features to be inspected are between 0.050 mm and 0.150 mm, and high repeatability requirements are met.
In order to exclude the influence of the test piece during the measurement, the scanner rotates more than 360° around the test piece during the measurement. This ensures that the centers of the components are correctly aligned for each scan. In addition, special algorithms have been developed for different components to take into account their individual shapes, distribution, position and size of the crimps. The required measuring equipment capabilities are determined and verified for each test feature using DAkkS-calibrated zero masters. The measuring equipment capability is checked with the zero master at fixed time intervals.
In summary, 3D laser scanner inspection is a precise, efficient and safe alternative to manual inspection of crimps.
This crimping solution with QuellTech laser sensor technology was realized and implemented together with our valued long-term integration partner:
SPIE KAT
Kraus Automatisierungstechnik GmbH
Ottostrasse 4
D-97437 Hassfurt
Contact person: Stefan Besendorf
Phone: 09521-618133
[email protected]
kat-gmbh.de
We are happy to help you with that!
Stefan Ringwald
Technical Consultant
We would like to help you to evaluate your specific measurement task.
With an initial free test measurement of your application, we can give an early assessment of the feasibility. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information or to make an appointment for a consultation. Please talk to us!
Your technically competent contact, Stefan Ringwald, will be happy to help you.
Our aim is to fully understand your specific technical requirements for your current measurement task.
Thanks to many years of experience with complex tasks in the field of 3D laser measurement, you will receive well-founded solution proposals from us.
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