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Optical blowhole inspection

with machine vision solution

The project

are small shrinkage cavities that usually occur when hot steel cools down and solidifies. The fewer inherent shrinkage cavities, the better the quality of the cast product. Cast steel components have to meet the highest requirements as to quality and longevity. Blowholes can pose a serious threat to a component’s functionality; therefore affected parts must be sorted out during final inspection.

An Austrian producer of cast aluminium components was confronted with the above mentioned problem. Thanks to the successful cooperation with both AUTFORCE Vision Systems GmbH and AUTFORCE Automations GmbH it was possible to solve this problem to the customer’s ultimate satisfaction by deploying industrial cameras for multi-level image evaluation and codification.

Keyfacts

  • Industry: Die casting technology
  • Completion time: 5 months
  • Cycle time: 25 seconds
  • Minimum blowhole size: 0.4 mm for a component size of 350 x 400 mm
  • Automatic turning unit for checking both sides of the component
  • Code validation/process control following AIM DPM and ISO15415

Detection of blowholes

Keyfacts

The processed (milled) surfaces of castings (aluminum die casting, gravity die casting, sand casting, etc.) are inspected for shrinkage cavities and unevenness. If defects are detected, their size will be determined according to specifi cation. It can also be detected whether there are further defects within a specified radius or whether they are below a specified distance to each other or exceed a specified overall size. Further on, it is verified whether the shrinkage nests fall below a defined distance to each other, or exceed a defined total size.

Quality standards

met

  • code validation and process control
    following AIM DPM and ISO15415
  • fully integrated safety technology
    and CE conformity

Optimal results thanks to multi-camera system and dome-shaped lighting area.

With a component size of 350 x 400 mm, reliably detecting blowholes as small as 0.4 mm presents some challenges. Not only the size of the blowholes, but also the minimum roughness of the components in the active and passive sealing areas are extremely complex requirements. For image acquisition, the machining trace of the surfaces (e.g. milling grooves) must also be taken into account.

Solution:

Multi-camera system

dome-shaped lighting area

Thanks to splitting the image among multiple cameras, distortion is reduced and optical resolution is increased. The lighting dome provides optimal illumination.

This solution was an absolute innovation, because we didn’t know any system on the market that could automatically detect such small shrinkage cavities for a given component size.

Your advantages

Efficiency

Thanks to loading and unloading using robots, a high degree of automation and thus increased efficiency can be achieved.

Process reliability

Thanks to our autfactory shopfloor software, all processes and process steps can be traced back, which ensures increased process reliability.

Highest quality standards

Inspection with the required accuracy of measuring devices.

Tailored to your needs: standardized test station or individual solution

The testing facility can either be integrated with interlinked units, robot units, or it can be delivered as stand-alone module. Depending on individual requirements we can offer a complete automation of the system.

  • Automated loadingand
    unloading via robots
  • Automated flipping unit
    to enable examination of both sides of the component
  • Integrated laser marking unit
    for marking of DMC according
    to customer’s specification (serial numbers, time stamps, plain writing)
If you do not have enough installation space, the unit can also be integrated into your existing production environment. As shown in the picture, the unit was built on top of an existing unit at a height of two meters.
Contact us

Do you also need a solution in the area of blowhole testing?

At AUTFORCE, we specialize in test systems & test bench software. Get in touch with us. Together we will find the best solution for your project!

Markus Piffer
Expert in industrial image processing
+43 (664) 966 36 38
markus.piffer@autforce.com

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