Feature: Machine vision
If a single pin is found to be outside the pre-determined tolerance limits, the connector is rejected by the software and automatically gated off the assembly line
each part to provide both surface and internal X-ray views of the complete part. The data is then transferred (as an STL file) to a nearby computer that’s been loaded with Volume Graphics VGInline analysis software. The software (pre-configured with the manufacturer’s macros and parameters) compares the geometry of each connector against a ‘golden mesh’ – an adaptation from the original CAD design of the part that takes into account the realities of the pin-manufacturing process – to identify any variances in connector-pin structure or alignment. If a single pin is found to be outside the pre-determined
Figure 2: (a) CT scan of connector pins; and (b) visualisation of scan data
tolerance limits, the connector is rejected by the software and automatically gated off the assembly line. Customising the CT scanning process for an individual
production line in this way requires answers to questions such as: How quickly is the line moving and how fast does the scan need to be? What kind of information needs to be taken from the scan and what will be done with the information afterwards? What are the tolerances within the parts being produced and how much variation is permissible? Tailoring the system to the connector manufacturer’s answers produced an optimised solution that precisely configured the setup. The ability of CT scanning to non-destructively “see” deep
inside objects allows this kind of system to be used for quality control on manufacturing lines across many industries. The setup can evaluate parts made from almost any material, no matter how complex in shape. The software can also apply finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate to what extent any variations in part geometry will affect performance. As the automation of factories continues to expand, the
economics of implementing reliable, repeatable quality control directly on the manufacturing line in this way are increasingly making sense to high-volume parts-production companies.
www.electronicsworld.co.uk November 2021 35
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