Thermographic Inspection in Plastic Injection Molding.

In the car more and more large parts made of plastic are included: center consoles, bumpers, dashboards but also various trim elements, as well as their hidden support.

Defective locking lugs, over-molding and missing material can have expensive consequences for the automotive supplier if discovered later.

An innovative approach is to inspect large components immediately after spraying. At this point, a robot removes the part from the mold and holds it in front of a thermal imaging camera before it is deposited on a conveyor belt. To make the details visible, different detail positions are approached one after the other. Thus, the last filling point, locking lugs, the injection point and function-relevant details can be 100% controlled.

Since the part itself is still warm, thermal imaging cameras can easily generate a meaningful image for all component types. This is a great device advantage because the lighting design for different components is very prone to error and costly.

In addition, locking lugs, which are positioned in front of a material, can not be tested reliably with classic lighting. By considering the heat distribution of the component, however, this is easily possible with thermal imaging cameras, because locking lugs cool down considerably faster compared to solid material and thus create a contrast to the background.

Thanks to the simple concept with webHMI, the end customer can quickly look for new components themselves.

In cooperation with industrial thermography Schweiger, a solution has been developed that is faster and more reliable than any other known system on the market.

The system was standardized and advertised under the name "ThermoInspection".

Position Control of Sheets in the Hot Stamping Process

In order to manufacture fuel-efficient lightweight body parts, hot forming technology is increasingly being used. The sheets are first heated, then shaped in a press, hardened and cut to size.
It is important that the sheets are always inserted correctly, otherwise the expensive pressing tool can be damaged.

The use of thermal imaging enables a completely reliable detection of misplacements in an otherwise very dusty environment. In combination with the reliably reacting image processing system vicosys^®, the press forms a perfect unit.
The system can prevent the closing of the tool within a few milliseconds via a signal and thus prevent great damage.

In a second step, after removing the parts from the press room, it is possible to check whether hot scrap parts have remained in the press room. These too can jam the mechanics and disturb the subsequent pressing process.
In cooperation with industrial thermography Schweiger, a solution has been developed that is faster and more reliable than any other known system on the market.