TrueLight Case Study: Precision Measurement for 5-Axis CNC Laser Cut Metal Tubes

REQUIREMENTS

Our customer required 100% 'in-line' inspection of 10 laser cut features (position, diameter, and shape) on octagonal tubes with tight tolerances.

SOLUTION

TrueLight tested and selected a high resolution Cognex camera with specialty optics and lighting for the application. The camera was mounted on a high precision single-axis motion system to allow for the inspection of multiple features along the length of the part. To allow for features to be inspected on all eight sides of the octagonal part, the part was fixtured on a rotary axis. As part of a turnkey system integration, a material handling robot loaded and unloaded the inspection station to ensure every part that came out of the BOS L-MS laser cell was immediately validated as 'good' before being passed downstream. The system automatically rejected all 'bad' parts.

RESULTS

The inspection system was successfully integrated into this production line with a 20-second part-to-part cycle time. The system achieved a Gage R’n’R result of less than 10% and it demonstrated a static repeatability of 0.006mm.

Watch the full video for this innovative solution on TrueLight's YouTube channel: High Precision Measurement & Gauging of Laser Cut Features