Thermal imaging & vision systems
FASTER,CONTACTLESS, AND MORE ACCURATE: INSPECTION OF PRECISION AND MICRO COMPONENTS IMPROVED BY MACHINE VISION
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The precise inspection of very small precision components, for example in watchmaking, is a challenge. Petitpierre, the Swiss specialist for high-precision technology, has developed sophisticated applications with which micromechanical components can be cleaned and measured precisely during the production process. MVTec HALCON supplies the appropriate machine vision algorithms for this: Technologies, such as matching and contour extraction, ensure precise measurement results.
easuring and inspecting super-small parts repetitively, precisely, and at high speeds are key requirements for the watchmaking industry
as well as all industries dealing with micro components, as they help to avoid production rejects and to produce precise pieces. Petitpierre SA, headquartered in Cortaillod, Switzerland, specialises in sophisticated microtechnology committed to making this ideal a reality – with the help of machine vision. Founded in 1973, the family-owned company’s portfolio includes complex measuring applications for the watchmaking, jewelry, medical, and aerospace industries. The company also develops and produces high-precision systems for the automated assembly of high-end microtechnical components as well as sophisticated watchmaking tools.
One of Petitpierre’s customers is KIF Parechoc, a flagship company in the Swiss watchmaking industry based in Vallée-de-Joux. To comprehensively improve and automate their processes, Petitpierre developed a contactless inspection and cleaning system. This is suitable for a wide range of components for mechanical watch movements, such as shock absorbers, index assemblies, wheels, screws, trains, and complete barrels. To elevate the quality of the processes to a new level, the objective was to optimise the measurement of these precision mechanical parts. “Our goal was to carry out the entire measurement process with just one click. We also wanted a wide variety of precision mechanical parts to be detected automatically and the data to be transferred directly to our quality control software,” recalls Yoann Canon, COO at KIF Parechoc, “The major challenge in implementing the project was to perform a highly precise and very fast series of
measurements under harsh production conditions – a challenge, that could only be overcome by using machine vision technologies, i.e., MVTec HALCON.”
PROCESS RELOCATION FROM THE CLEAN ROOM TO THE PRODUCTION FACILITY In the past, several systems carried out this process, including contact measurement, in a clean environment. “From there, we wanted to move the measurements directly to the production plant to reduce the effort and ensure continuous process chains. A further objective was to reduce the inspection time compared to conventional means and thus increase productivity substantially. And finally, the required measurement accuracy also needed to be brought into a harsh mechanical production environment. Here, it was important to reduce employee intervention in the process to a minimum,” adds Yoann Canon. Advanced measurement technology was needed to meet the diverse requirements. “It
April 2025 Instrumentation Monthly
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