Welding inspections - Import export

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.

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.