Eccentricity, diameter, concentricity The diameter of an object can be established in different ways. If the center of the object is known, a single sensor is sufficient for the measurement whose result is evaluated with the position of the center point or the axis. If the position of the center point is not known, the diameter is measured directly using two sensors. The distance information here is also evaluated together. In particular cases, if the opaqueness of the object allows this, the determination of the diameter can also be made directly using a confocal sensor. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Measurement of flat washers These days, flat washers are an auxiliary material used in almost every industry. In most cases, the washers consist of different alloys and are required in all sizes and thicknesses, which means the demands on the manufacturers are particularly high. In order to supply the customer with a correctly sorted, high quality product, the thickness and diameter are inspected before the washers are packed. This inspection is carried out using a scanCONTROL 2910-50 laser scanner. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Measurement of metal stampings Cylindrical, ground stainless steel metal stampings are precisely measured in a fully automatic measurement installation. Two optical optoCONTROL micrometers are applied in order to measure roundness, concentricity and diameter. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Bore hole depth It is essential to measure in bore holes for some applications. In doing so, the depth or the wall structure of a bore hole can usually be measured. Only confocal axial or radial miniature sensors with 4 mm external diameter are suitable for this. Triangulation sensors would not provide any measurement results due to the shadowing of the laser in bore holes. The target material is not important for confocal sensors. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Ovality inspection on brake pipes using vision4A For the highly accurate measurement of the roundness of the ends of brake pipes in production with short cycle times, only a precise and versatile vision system is able to fulfill the required rapid data acquisition with the associated evaluation. In this regard the diameter measurement of individual pipes, as normally carried out in the industry through the center of the circle, is nowhere near sufficient. For reliable quality assessment the deviation of the actually existing circular geometry must be dimensionally acquired over the complete 360° circle. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Brake disc concentricity Brake discs are subject to the highest loads in use and are responsible for the safety of vehicles. For this reason alone, brake discs are thoroughly inspected on test benches. Brake discs are checked for various characteristics at a speed of approx. 2000 rpm on special testers. Capacitive sensors are used for checking the geometric characteristics such as concentricity, thickness and wear. As the deformations only occur in the range of hundredths of micrometres, only very precise sensors can be considered for this. The thermoMETER infrared sensors are used for examining the thermal characteristics of the brake disc. The absolute temperature can be monitored with these so that the thermal drift over a long period can be established. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Coil unwinding Rolled strips in the metal industry are wound on coils for transport. For the later processing when the coils are unwound, it is important to know how much material has already been unrolled. This task is simple to solve by using an optoNCDT ILR optical length sensor. It continuously measures the distance from the surface of the coil to the center. The thickness of the coil reduces due to the unwinding which is measured using the increase in distance from the coil surface to the sensor. Using the coil thickness, the material length can be recalculated using specific algorithms. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Coil diameter Rolled strips in the metal industry are wound on coils for transport. For the later processing when the coils are unwound, it is important to know how much material has already been unrolled. This task is simple to solve by using an optoNCDT ILR optical length sensor. It continuously measures onto the surface of the coil and thus records the diameter. The diameter of the coil reduces due to the unwinding which is measured using the increase in distance from the coil surface to the sensor. Using the coil thickness, the material length can be recalculated using specific algorithms. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Diameter - radial/axial runout - measurement at disk motors The production of disk motors has to meet the highest mechanical accuracy requirements. In order to ensure perfect functioning of the disk drives the drive units are measured and evaluated with respect to diameter, true running, and axial running. Since production specifications of < 5 μm have to be measured under nominal speed, a decision has been made to use the fast and high-resolution capaNCDT system. In this measurement two sensors with measurement range50 μm that are adapted to the flange geometry are of special importance. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Stainless steel tubes for catalyst production Various shapes of catalysts require that the stainless steel casing has a precise dimensional stability. For round catalysts, stainless steel tubes are therefore subjected to a diameter check in a special measuring system. A confocal sensor measures the distance to the tube, which is rotated through 360°. The outer diameter, the minimum circumscribed circle, and the maximum inscribed circle are directly determined by software calculations. The sensor moves in a horizontal direction, depending on the size of the catalyst. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Extruder bore diameter The idiamCONTROL system has been developed for checking the wear of extruder bores. The measuring cylinder is inserted in the case bore and pushed as far as the upper end. During retraction of the cylinder, several capacitive sensors measure the case diameter on several tracks. Specially for double worm extruders, the measuring cylinder has two metal pins which run along the saddle of both bores and in this way prevent rotation of the cylinder. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Rebound behavior of the feltIn paper production the paper band is transported over a felt conveyer from the screen station to the pressing station. This felt removes the residual moisture from the paper. For water separation the felt passes a defined gap between the central and the suction roller. The wear and the rebound behavior of the felt determine the hygroscopy and are thus of decisive importance for the paper quality. Laser-optical position measuring systems monitor the wear at a guide roller. Measuring with two sensors compensates the ovality / stroke of the guide roller. The result of the measurement is the effective thickness of the felt. If the measured value falls below the specified limits of wear, the production can be stopped and the felt can be replaced. Because of the difficult environmental conditions the sensors are installed in a protective housing. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Bearing shell detection in automotive manufacturing The presence of the bearing shells is checked automatically for all bearing caps before the assembly of the engines at the Swedish automotive manufacturer, Volvo. The bearing caps are kept in the light band of an optical micrometer by robots. As the bearing shells and the bearing caps cover a part of the light band, a reliable OK/NOK inspection can be performed. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Diameter of a pulley Diameter and concentricity are crucial factors for a long service life, due to the high rotational speeds achieved by pulleys. These parameters are evaluated on a special test bed, using four optoCONTROL digital micrometres. Two sensors on each level detect the outside diameter of the disc. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Acquisition of the internal diameter of tubes An important criterion for the quality or the wear of tubes in industrial applications is the dimensional conformance of the internal diameter over the complete length. Where high demands are made on accuracy, a quick and reliable recording of the data must be ensured, because, for example, wear measurements must be carried out in the chemical industry on pipes which are already installed, i.e. with the plant shut down. Two pairs of sensors record two tracks offset by 90° in one measurement step. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Quality control of medical tablet stamps and dies According to ISO 18084:2011, the press tools for the tablet production are subject to a continuous quality control. Due to complex geometry and a strongly reflecting surface, automatic inspection of stamps and dies has been difficult. Only the use of a confocal sensor (confocalDT 2451) and an optical micrometer (optoCONTROL 2600) together with a precise movement with 5 degrees of freedom enabled the development of »Ti-1«. Ti-1 is a complex measurement system equipped with a USB interface and special software for the geometric and visual inspection of tools. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Drive controller in precision respooling machines Laser distance sensors from Micro-Epsilon are used for the respooling machines of the MEMA company from Menden. They continuously measure the diameter of coils there. Finished coils for the merging of several coils are produced from ring-shaped metal bands in this system. In doing so, the diameter is crucial for the constant band tension. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Underwater Measurement of axial movement and shaft playThe functional safety of systems of special economic importance often depends on the perfect operation of delivery devices (pumps). Increased radial shaftwhirl, or an axial shift due to termal expansion, are first signs of possible malfunctions. Measuring axial movement and shaft play will reduce downtimes of the system and minimise repair costs. For underwater measurement a pressureproof eddy-current position sensor, which has been developed from the standard type U3 with certain adaptations is used. The sensor still has its high basic accuracy, and procuring spare parts is no problem at all. The use of potentiometers with readable setting ensures that the sensor can be easily and quickly adapted to different shaft materials (ferromagnetic or non-ferromagnetic). Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Non-contacting roundness measurement for rollers In the production of tapes and foils the high speeds of up to 2700 m/min that are used today lead to an increased vibration tendency in the roller stands. Even smallest μm-range irregularities in the rolling contour lead to cross-grooves on the rolled material and thus clearly reduce the quality of the product. For quality assurance a highprecision roundness measuring system for rollers is required, in which an eddy-current sensor measures the surface contour of the roller. Ambient conditions like dust or oil must not affect the measurements. With computer support the angular position of roundness errors and the accumulation and periodicity of circularity errors can be documented. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Roller runout The runout of the roller is a crucial criterion for rolling processes of metals, plastics or other materials. An imbalance is even dangerous for rollers which have to rotate at high speeds. Therefore, the roundness of the roller must be measured before and also during the application. For all the following processes, a sensor measures the roller directly and establishes the ovality. The non-contact eddy current method is used for rollers made of polished metal. Capacitive or laser triangulation sensors are used for rollers made of other materials. Sensor technology applied |
| __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Washing machine displacement Using an inductive displacement sensor, the displacement of the suds container during filling and the spinning stage can be calculated. The correct quantity of detergent can be calculated with the data obtained in this way. The speed for the spinning process is adapted in accordance with the displacement. The sensor is integrated in a friction damper using the measurement reducing VIP principle. Sensor technology applied |
