QUELLTECH GMBH - Precision is our Mission

Wear is a damage consisting in gradual removal or deformation of material on solid surfaces, caused by mechanical (e.g. erosion) or chemical (e.g. corrosion) influences. In machine elements, wear may give rise to material failure or loss of functionality. For the application in question, our client has to measure wear on the surface of rollers in cement mills. Up from a certain depth, reactions are required, generated by a warning system to be developed In this project, we used several robust QuellTech Q6 scanners to cover fully the roller width. Due to the high rotational speed of the rollers, we preferred our fastest scanners for this application. We furthermore developed a software solution and implemented a warning system, based on the critical depth of the wears on the surface. By means of this system, the customer can determine the correct time for exchange of the rollers.

Particular Challenges: In the course of the production, endless cables are running at a considerable speed, and supervision has to be carried out nearly under real-time conditions. The size of the objects to be determined, i.e. of the flaws to be discovered, is in the range of only some hundredths of a mm. Another difficulty is the fact that surfaces with very different reflectivity and roughness are involved. In order to be able to check the cables all around, several laser scanners must be in place, mounted at different angles, thus covering the entire range of 360°. Quelltech Solution: The solution consists in a configuration of four Q6 laser scanners, mutually displaced by 90°, so the entire surface of the cables is in the field of view. On the basis of the 100% inline inspection, the position of defects can precisely be determined, without losing too much time.

Laser Scanner Solution: This task is a typical application of the high-resolution QuellTech 2D/3D Q5-880 Blue Laser Scanners. Two of these units are placed at the left and at the right of the measuring objects, at a defined inclination angle. Blue laser light in this case is a prerequisite, as the cast parts are red-hot, hence emitting in the red spectral range. Additionally, the client was in need of a software solution for the project, so a 3D point cloud processing application was implemented, performing inline and evaluating width, height and angle results. QuellTech customer is able to inspect continuously the product quality, simultaneously avoiding scrap. He uses the same system for more than 10 different types of castings. Errors caused by manual inspection are considerably reduced, and safety for personnel is enhanced.

The QuellTech laser sensor family Q4 or Q5 used for these tasks is generally mounted on an arm of a rotational axis, to scan along the complete 360° angle of the internal surface in a sequence of strips. The Q4 sensors can also be used to control the weld seam tracking itself for rapid setup and ease of use. Even during a project, the range and scope of the Q Series sensor demonstrates the advantages of a modular system to quickly adapt to project needs, where the smallest system has provided fast analysis of pipes as small as 105mm. The low power, with standard communication protocols, enable battery powered systems to transmit wireless data to other systems for review and cloud back up.

Plastic Mold Part (AC Controller) Inspection At this point the manufacturer is looking for scratches and chips and dimension specifications manually. In this respect manual inspection is not a repeatable or trustworthy method to guarantee steady quality of goods. It will be demanding for a human worker to detect this for a long period. QuellTech Solution Plastic Mold Parts are easily measurable materials for QuellTech scanners. Using the QuellTech Q4-120 Laser Line Scanner it is possible to obtain very precise reflection free 3D point clouds. A Software making necessary detections in 3D point clouds can effortlessly check dimensions and find scratches or any other defect which allows the manufacturer to automatically parse outparts that do not pass the tolerance levels.

The new QuellTech Q5 Laser Scanner Series combines the advantages of small form factors with both high resolution and scan rate. The sensor disposes of different set-up possibilities with respect to the analysis algorithm. Measurement results are delivered via Ethernet, calibrated in the X / Z plane. Special adjustable algorithms can be selected, extremely useful particularly also for optically most demanding surfaces. Time-consuming calibration tasks for the user are no more required, as the calibration routine runs on board. High Scan Rate with up to 14,000 Profiles per Second Due to an appropriate limitation of the image range (AOI) in X and Z direction, the scan rate could considerably be increased. High resolution and detection frequency with up to 14.000 profiles and 28 Mio. points per second •X measuring range from 10 to 1022 mm •Z measuring range (height) from 5 to 878 mm •Laser wave length blue 405/450nm, red 650nm

Testing requirements for a manufacturer in electronics industries had changed: For an assembly included in a smartphone, the absence of contact between speaker ultra fine wires and adjacent components is essential. Fulfillment of this condition, until now only subjected random sampling by microscopy, from now on has to be verified in a 100% procedure. Due to labor cost, microscopy for this amount of inspection is no more lucrative. Detection of ultra fine wires in electronic device The particular challenge The fine wires made of copper in smartphone speakers dispose of a high reflection and only a small diameter. The QuellTech Solution A high-resolution QuellTech 2D/3D Q4-5 Laser, featuring a particularly adapted laser wavelength and an ultrafine laser line in the corresponding installation, is combined with a linear axis equipped with a convenient encoder output. Due to its special chip analysis, the Quelltech sensor delivers a stable and highly reproducible signal on the fine wires

Rotationally symmetrical driving gears in a line producing for automotive industry are mutually connected by electron beam welding. The camera inspection carried out until was not able to assess the quality of the weld seams at the required precision. Non-contact laser measurement system Particular Challenge: As the welding seams show a high reflectivity and are located at a position hard to access, inspection is difficult, all the more so as they dispose of a width of only 500µm. Therefore it is quite a challenge for the laser measurement system. The QuellTech solution: A QuellTech Laser Scanner Q4-5 with extremely small shape factor and high resolution proved to be perfectly suited for this application. In order to suppress reflections from elements in the surroundings, a particular algorithm has been integrated. Furthermore, this laser measurement system features a particularly adapted laser wavelength and an ultrafine laser line.

Within the frame of quality assurance, the forged pieces of this client have to be checked in an inline inspection with respect to several parameters: Inner and outer diameters, as well as the absence of surface defects have to be verified. Video of inline forgings inspection for dimensional accuracy and surface defects with QuellTech LaserScaner. Particular Challenges Manual inspection carried out until now turned out to be not reliable enough, particularly after an increase in production. The final rejection rate has seriously affected the productivity of the entire manufacturing process. A solution for a contactless inline inspection was needed. The QuellTech Solution A testing station including an index table has been designed. This configuration acts as a support for two QuellTech Q4-60 laser scanners, used for inspection of the parameters mentioned above.

Initial Situation: Inspection of a laser weld seam for pores and geometrical anomalies The production of a client in automotive industry is subjected to extremely stringent quality requirements. This is valid particularly also for the precision of laser weld seam of fine mechanical work. 100% inline supervision is required for the following task: A laser weld beam (width ca. 200µm) has to be verified with respect to the presence of pores and geometrical anomalies. Camera inspection performed until now turned out to be not stable. Therefore the client is forced to implement an improved monitoring process. The challenge The resolution required amounts to 4µm. The high gloss finished material and glossy laser weld seam may give rise to reflections, and the space for installation is restricted. A low form factor for the monitoring equipment is imperative.