Applications by Industry

Applications by Industry

Verifying Component Thickness

A manufacturer needed to verify the thickness of an automotive part after it was machined. The parts were inspected manually and the process was unreliable.
The parts were coming down a conveyor and not precisely oriented. Using photoelectric sensors to verify thickness would have required the addition of expensive mechanical fixturing and a slower line speed.

• Checker® vision sensor is the ideal retro-fit solution and capable of verifying the thickness of the part with its Height Sensor.
• First, Checker’s Part Finding Sensor locates the part on the conveyor, without the need for mechanical fixturing. Checker’s Height Sensor then measures the thickness of the part and determines if the part was machined correctly.
• Quality was improved by replacing inaccurate manual inspection with an automated inspection step. Line speed was maintained by eliminating the need for mechanical fixturing.
• An additional benefit for the manufacturer is that Checker is able to store images of failed parts for later review, giving the manufacturer data to improve their process.

Verifying Machined Pinion

An automotive manufacturer was experiencing excessive downtime and customer complaints due to installation of improperly machined pinions. Improper finish on pinion surfaces causes premature wear and potential field failure. Standard photoelectric sensors could not reliably sense the subtle differences in finish between machined and unmachined parts. Line shutdowns were frequently necessary to adjust sensor settings. A secondary manual check to improve inspection accuracy caused poor throughput, higher cost and unreliable results.

• Checker’s part finding sensor identifies a reference feature on each part. The reference feature is used to locate a point on the pinion where a reflection of the sensor’s projected light is visible.
• Checker then uses a contrast sensor to verify that the reflection is sharply contrasted. (Unmachined surfaces return diffuse reflections.)
• Use of the part finding sensor to locate the inspection point provides consistent and reliable readings even when position of the pinion varies.
• Field failures were reduced by reliably identifying improperly machined pinions before they were placed in higher-level assemblies.
• Production downtime was reduced by eliminating frequent sensor adjustment. Scrap costs were reduced via tighter process control. Quality control costs were reduced and throughput increased by eliminating manual inspections.

Verifying Threads in Hole

An automotive part manufacturer was experiencing low production output due to missing threads in holes on a machined part. Automated assembly operations on the line could not be completed due to improperly threaded holes. Photoelectric sensors checking for presence of threads in the holes gave inconsistent results due to variations in part position at the inspection point. Fixturing the part at inspection for more reliable results was expensive and still resulted in low throughput.

• Checker’s part finding sensor identifies a reference feature on each part.
• The reference feature is used to locate a point where hole threads should be visible. Checker then uses its brightness sensor to inspect that point for presence of the threads.
• Use of the part finding sensor to locate the inspection point provides consistent and reliable readings even when position of the part varies.
• Scrap and rework costs were reduced by reliably identifying unthreaded holes prior to attempting automated assembly operations.
• Yields and line throughput were increased by tighter control of the hole tapping process. Fixturing and setup time requirements were reduced by Checker’s part finding capability.

Food and Beverage

Packaging flexibility, food safety, productivity, and quality control … they’re on the mind of every manufacturing engineer and manager. Achieving tough goals in those areas requires machine vision, and the expertise of the vision supplier.

Allergen Management

Mislabeled allergens in food processing cause expensive product recalls, and FDA traceability directives require manufacturers to track ingredients such as peanuts, soybeans, milk, eggs, shell fish, tree nuts, and wheat.

• Achieve traceability with robust vision tools that track products, while performing additional product quality checks
• Facilitate allergen management by quickly confirming package/product match and lowering the risk of a recall
• Reduce scrap by detecting mislabeled products early in the production process
• Verifying the correct allergen label and its presence on the product is crucial to avoiding costly recalls.
• Verifying product match ensures that a product has the correct package and ID code.
• Reading can codes enables products to be tracked and traced through manufacturing.

Product Quality

Whether it’s the wrong product in a package or a damaged product being shipped, the result is the same ... a dissatisfied customer and a weakened brand image. Cognex vision systems enable cost-effective quality control in a wide range of food and beverage applications.

• Confirming that ingredients are uniformly dispensed
• Maintaining consistent appearance, such as product form, texture, and composition
• Ensuring that liquids in bottles are consistent in color after mixing and filling
• Checking for debris assures that no foreign objects are in a product before shipping to consumers.
• Maintaining correct product shape/size is vital to a positive product image, as with candies.
• Checking the completeness of each product.

Assembly Verification

Quickly and accurately checking for a complete product assembly before it’s placed into a package and sent to consumers is critical. Increasingly, the use of vision-guided robots on the factory floor is improving production efficiency.

• Diverting incorrectly-assembled products off the production line
• Robotic picking and placement of product from conveyors into packages
• Palletizing cartons with vision-guided robotics Detecting missing items assures that the consumer receives a complete product.
• Enhancing palletizing and pickand- place operations, for increased versatility.
• Checking fill levels ensures uniform product quantities, and is vital to the fill and seal process.

Packaging Inspection

Packaging greatly affects consumer perception of product quality, reliability, and value. Machine vision is the means by which a safe, attractive package is assured. Cognex products enable faster packaging inspection without compromising accuracy.

• Detecting package imperfections, such as damaged or dented cans or boxes
• Confirming that the product matches its label, verifying that a cap is correctly positioned and tightened on the bottle, and verifying that the safety ring is present
• Reliably locating the inkjet code strings on randomly-placed cans
• Checking for torn or missing labels is critical to the packaging process. Locating and inspecting distorted or curved products is made possible by Cognex technology.
• Verifying label printing integrity ensures a positive brand image on store shelves.
• Achieving traceability via codes depends upon verifying that the code was clearly printed, then reading and storing the information acquired.
• Checking date code presence ensures that an inkjet printer is functioning properly.
• Detecting damaged products resulting from operations such as cartoning, minimizes rejects by consumers.
• Verifying safety seal presence is vital to product safety and consumer confidence.