Page 54
www.us-
tech.com
December, 2010 Production
Vision System Helps Connector Maker Achieve Zero Defects
By John Lewis $39900 00
Discover the Micro world with this newest innovation from Aven. The iloupe XL2
of quality by implementing a vision system that measures parts to an accura- cy of 0.1mm — better than could be achieved in the past with a human inspec- tor. The vision system also identifies variations much faster than human inspectors, making it possible to adjust machine parameters quickly enough to avoid production defects. The result is that the number of nonconformances in the latest measurement period was reduced to 0 ppm, well below the extremely tough six-sigma quality benchmark of 3.4 ppm. JST makes more than 30,000 different types of connectors including sur-
B is one of the
lightest, most powerful and compact mobile microscopes in the world today. This palm-size microscope does not require any additional monitors to view subjects, giving the freedom to take it anywhere you need magnification. The unique iLoupe XL2
with its full color display allows
you to view images in high magnification, take standard photos, record videos, and output on a PC. It can also be used as a web camera.
face mount, flat flexible circuit, EMI shielded, IC memory card connectors and many others. For most standard terminals, the company uses oxygen-free cop- per, which has high electroconductivity and inherent toughness and can be brazed with no chance of hydrogen embrittlement. Standard products are all galvanized and treated with a special method that ensures maximum adhe- sion of electroplating, further reducing electrical resistance and enhancing corrosion resistance.
Tight Dimensional Tolerances JST’s 2.54-mm pitch HCM solderless terminal is used in the automotive
industry to attach wires to a printed circuit board (PCB) using crimp-style connectors. The two primary components are the housing and retainer. The user inserts the wires into one side of the housing, then pushes the retainer into an opening on the other side. The user pushes a tab on the retainer to lock it to the housing. Both the housing and retainer are produced by injection molding to tight dimensional tolerances. But while the injection molding process is extremely accurate, there is a small risk that a problem in the process conditions might cause the mold to be incompletely filled — a so-called “short shot” that could cause the part not to work but would be easily visible with the naked eye. However, JST’s tough quality specifications prohibit even much smaller short shots that cause only 0.1mm of material to be missing — smaller than could be detected with the naked eye. Defects this small have no effect on the performance of the part, but they are still unacceptable to JST.
Manual Inspection used in past JST maintained high levels of quality by devoting considerable time and
LED Powered Mighty Mag Magnifying Lamp, featuring 80 High Powered LED Lights (40 LEDs per side) with a new arm design for an elegant look. Features a large 7.5” x 6.2” Crystal Clear, 5 diopter (2.25x) glass lens to provide distortion free viewing.
$15000 00
resources to manual inspection. “We spent a lot of time continually checking these parts,” said Nate Hoselton, Facilities Manager for JST. “Often problems were not detected until a day or two after the parts had been molded. In that case, we had to go back and re-inspect a considerable number of parts. It was sometimes difficult after the fact to identify the problem with the
molding machine. We maintained records for the process conditions, materi- als, machine parameters, etc., but the operator might have difficulty remem- bering anything unusual that had happened during the run. As a result, it typically took us several days and about $1,500 to investigate each nonconfor- mance.” Hoselton identified this application as a good one for machine vision. “We
have long used machine vision in this plant because of our intense focus on quality. In fact, we have systems from all three of the leading suppliers of machine vision systems. For this project, we selected the Cognex In-Sight vision system because it is easy and fast to program.” Hoselton selected an In-Sight 5600 vision system because it provides a
LED Powered Pro Vue Magnifying Lamp, featuring 90 High Powered LED Lights with a new arm design for an elegant look. Features a 5” Crystal Clear, 5 diopter (2.25x) glass lens to provide distortion free viewing.
$9995 95
4595 Platt Rd | Ann Arbor | MI 48108 Telephone 734-973-0099
Web
www.aveninc.com Email
sales@aveninc.com
complete solution in a modular package and does not require any additional hardware or other equipment. The 60 x 110 x 80mm package of the vision sys- tem easily fits within the tight confines of the manufacturing plant. The In- Sight 5600 model offers a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels and an image acqui- sition time of 15 frames per second. Cognex EasyBuilder software walks the user step-by-step through the process of setting up a vision application. The In-Sight vision system has improved the company”s already high
quality levels. Manufacturing personnel receive immediate feedback from the vision system for even tiny variations, which are far too small to affect perform- ance and too small to be seen with the naked eye. The assembly machine oper- ator immediately gathers the parts along with the inspection information and takes them to the quality control department. Quality control takes the parts to the molding technician where the issue is addressed. As a result, the time required to determine the root cause and address the manufacturing variation has been reduced to one day and the cost reduced from $1500 to $100. Most important, the ability to detect and correct even the smallest vari-
ations has resulted in JST exceeding demanding six sigma quality objectives. In the most recent measurement period, there was not a single defect in sev- eral million parts produced by the company. JST managers attribute this to the implementation of the machine vision system. Hoselton concluded, “Machine vision has helped us make significant improvements by helping us
detect variation faster so we can make corrections before defects occur.” Contact: Cognex Corp., One Vision Dr., Natick, MA 01760-2059
% 877-264-6391 or 508-650-3000 fax: 508-650-3333 Web:
www.cognex.com r
ased in Waukegan, IL, JST manufactures electrical and electronic con- nectors, with a focus on achieving world-class levels of quality. Recently, JST was able to improve on its already extremely high levels
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84