The Siemens Dematic’s Siscan AOI system is the first of its kind for inspecting laser-welded joints. This makes automatic, blur-free verification possible. The instrument is based on the confo- cal-microscopy method. Critical, laser-welded automotive modules call practically for zero-error levels in production, which can only be ensured by inspecting every part efficiently. A number of methods (laser triangulation, light section, vision systems, etc.) have been used. However, the use of these systems is restricted, due to the problem of out-of-focus blur, making results unreliable. Therefore, up to now laser-welded joints have been checked manually at several successive visual inspection workstations for porous areas, indentations, holes, craters, weld height and width. This cost-intensive approach has now been automated with the fast and reliable Siscan method. The system measures the joints in three dimensions with a resolution of 10 µm in the XY-plane at a Z-resolution of 0.5 µm. Up to 384 m measurements/sec. allow for a measuring speed of 100 mm/s at a scan width of 0.64 mm. This high speed enables the system to be integrated synchronously in fast welding lines, or even be implemented into a welding station by the parallel use of a traversing mechanism (for example, welding on the left, measuring on the right).
EPP EUROPE 474
