Inline measurement technology

What is meant by “inline measurement technology”?

The aim of inline measurement technology is to record measurement data within the production line in cycles and use it for process control and quality assurance. This makes it possible to react quickly to process changes in order to stabilize the processes and to check and ensure the quality of the manufactured products. In contrast to measurement technology that is often used under laboratory conditions and as random sample testing, inline measurement technology can be used to achieve a prompt 100% inspection under production-related testing conditions. Extensive measurement data can be recorded and used for process analysis. Manufacturing processes can then be analyzed and optimized using statistical process control or AI.

For which processes / in which industries is inline measurement technology used?

Processes:

Form- und Maßprüfung
Oberflächeninspektion
Vollständigkeitsprüfung
Objekterkennung
Lagebestimmung
Anwesenheitskontrolle
Ebenheitsprüfung
Erkennen von Verunreinigungen
Fehlerprüfung von Bahnware
Abstands- und Positionsbestimmung

Industries:

Steel processing
Mechanical engineering
Automotive
Food
Aerospace
Mobile radio
Energy technology
Mining
Pharmaceuticals

Inline measurement technology - Weld seam inspection on gears

Why is inline measurement technology so important for quality inspection in production?

Manufacturing products and systems of the highest quality, flexibly and at low cost is a must for companies in today’s global competition. Inline measurement technology plays a particularly important role here. Final tests on the product or random sample tests under laboratory conditions are no longer sufficient against the background of increased requirements. Both in series production and in batch size 1 production, it is important to avoid rejects and rework and to ensure consistently high production quality.

As a result of the increasing level of automation in the industry, measurement technology is also being automated and takes place directly during machining. This so-called inline inspection of pre-products enables the ejection of faulty products even before they are assembled into a more complex unit. This 100% inspection enables the minimization of rejects and expensive customer complaints. Another advantage of inline measurement technology is the monitoring and optimization of machine downtimes.

Definition and importance of inline measurement technology

In times of digitalization, the development of measurement technology to accompany production is progressing rapidly. Metrology and production are increasingly moving closer together. Real-time measurement data supports inline quality assurance processes. Customers from the manufacturing industry not only expect precise and reliable measurement data, but increasingly also visualization of this data in real time.

Application-specific visualized data is like a tool with which all conditions can be reliably evaluated and processes proactively controlled. Without this measurement data, which is determined by modern sensors and measurement technology and evaluated by intelligent software in fractions of a second, quality assurance is not possible. The demand for a solution for checking tolerances and structures in manufacturing processes is increasing enormously.

Basics & methods of inline measurement technology

The most important components of inline measurement technology include sensors, e.g. for capturing images of weight and dimensions. With inline measurement technology, there are usually only short time cycles during which a measurement can be carried out. For this reason, non-contact measurement methods such as industrial image processing are usually used. It is important that the production cycle time is not extended by the measurement process.

Inline measurement technology using image processing requires the use of cameras or laser scanners that can perform the measurement task within the available cycle time. The image processing software must also calculate the evaluation in real time so that a faulty part can be ejected immediately.

Inline measurement technology with QuellTech

QuellTech’s industrial image processing generates 3D images of the measurement objects. Laser triangulation is used for this. In triangulation, a laser beam is directed vertically onto an object and the diffuse reflection of this beam is then measured at a known angle. Since the angle is known, the distance between the laser source and the light receiver (camera module), the height of an object can be calculated exactly.

With QuellTech 3D laser scanners, a laser line is projected onto the object to be measured. The algorithms in the sensor enable this line to be calculated in width (x) and height (z). If many laser lines are recorded from an object at short distances from each other, a 3-dimensional point cloud (x,y,z) can be generated. This 3D laser line triangulation can achieve measuring ranges from a few 5 to 1500 mm with high precision (from 1 – 3 µm) and high measuring speeds.

With inline measurement technology, the products are typically moved on a conveyor belt. This movement can be used with QuellTech inline measurement technology because the sensor does not have to be guided over the measurement object, but can move under the fixed laser scanner.

Inline index table with laser measuring stations

Advantages of inline measurement technology from QuellTech

The 3D laser scanner measurement with QuellTech offers a highly flexible measurement method that can be scaled from the smallest measurement objects with a measurement width of a few mm up to several meters.
The existing movement of the measurement objects is used for measurement by conveyor belts, axis gantries or robots. The advantage is that no additional axes or robots are required. The generally high measuring speed for inline measurements enables an equally short measuring cycle, so that no additional cycle times are required.
The QuellTech 3D laser scanner measurement is highly robust against ambient light and color changes, which has the advantage that, unlike 2D cameras, no enclosure of the measurement technology is necessary.

Application areas and reference installations of QuellTech inline measurement technology

Inline measurement technology from Quelltech is used in a variety of applications and processes. Some examples of this are:

Thickness measurement of Li-ion batteries before and after charging
Sheet metal profile measurement of annealed steel
Grinding wheel measurement for radius, concentricity and wear
Crimp depth measurement on electric motor housings
Preventive maintenance and wear monitoring on mining machines
Adhesive bead measurement in automotive engineering
Measurement of aluminum blocks
Measurement of red-hot steel ingots
Weld seam inspection and weld seam guidance inline with robots or linear axes (Non-Contact Inline Supervision of Welding Processes)
Flatness test of measuring axes
Oberflächendefekte on steel rollers and surfaces
Thickness measurement of battery foils

Inline positioning for adhesive bead application with robot

QuellTech products for inline measurement technology

Q4 Laser Scanner: Small form factor, low weight, many housing variants, high laser power in blue, red and green, very high robustness against environmental influences

Q5 Laser Scanner: Medium form factor, high resolution, very high speed, laser measuring widths up to 800 mm

Q6 Laser Scanner: Medium form factor, very high resolution, high speed, many housing variants, measuring widths up to 1500 mm

QuellTech Software Vision 3D Area: Image processing software, a highly flexible platform for the efficient development of the evaluation of 3D point clouds generated by QuellTech laser scanners.

QuellTech Laser Scanner Q4-80s with small form factor (86 x 44 x 25 mm) for robotic welding

QuellTech Laser Scanner Q4-60 with optional cooler and protective window system

Do you have questions about Inline measurement technology, or would you like QuellTech to advise you on these topics?

If you have any questions about Inline measurement technology, or would like advice from QuellTech on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We would like to help you to precisely evaluate your specific measurement task. Through an initial free test measurement of your application, we can give you an early assessment of the feasibility.

There is always potential for improvement, we will help you with that. Contact us for more information or to make an appointment for a consultation.

Your personal contact:

Stefan Ringwald
Tel: +49 89 124 723 75

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